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Traveling nurse vs surgical nurse

The differences between traveling nurses and surgical nurses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a traveling nurse and a surgical nurse. Additionally, a traveling nurse has an average salary of $83,961, which is higher than the $64,025 average annual salary of a surgical nurse.

The top three skills for a traveling nurse include patients, acute care and healthcare. The most important skills for a surgical nurse are patients, BLS, and acute care.

Traveling nurse vs surgical nurse overview

Traveling NurseSurgical Nurse
Yearly salary$83,961$64,025
Hourly rate$40.37$30.78
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs585,515638,444
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age4444
Years of experience22

What does a traveling nurse do?

Often employed under a staffing agency, a travel nurse primarily works short-term on different limited-staffed hospitals in cities all over a country, and even abroad on rare occasions. They are mainly responsible for providing treatment and immediate care to patients, administering medicine, assisting in various tasks, preparing meals, and other functions that the supervising colleague delegates. Furthermore, as a travel nurse, one must quickly familiarize the surroundings and colleagues to work efficiently, all while upholding their oath as health care workers.

What does a surgical nurse do?

Generally, a surgical nurse provides patient care before, during, and after surgery. Surgical nurses assist the surgeons and anesthetists whenever necessary. They prepare patients for their surgery and serve the actual procedure. It is part of their job to mark incision sites and sterilize them. They give preoperative instructions, prepare the operating room, and administer medication. The roles they play include being circulating and scrub nurses. Also, they intervene whenever complications occur.

Traveling nurse vs surgical nurse salary

Traveling nurses and surgical nurses have different pay scales, as shown below.

Traveling NurseSurgical Nurse
Average salary$83,961$64,025
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $132,000Between $39,000 And $103,000
Highest paying CityDetroit, MIThousand Oaks, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiHawaii
Best paying companyMaxim Healthcare GroupUniversity of California, Berkeley
Best paying industryProfessionalProfessional

Differences between traveling nurse and surgical nurse education

There are a few differences between a traveling nurse and a surgical nurse in terms of educational background:

Traveling NurseSurgical Nurse
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common majorNursingNursing
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Traveling nurse vs surgical nurse demographics

Here are the differences between traveling nurses' and surgical nurses' demographics:

Traveling NurseSurgical Nurse
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 15.9% Female, 84.1%Male, 11.2% Female, 88.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between traveling nurse and surgical nurse duties and responsibilities

Traveling nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage critically ill patient as a result of trauma, including vent management, ICP monitoring, and CRRT.
  • Manage and further help stabilize elective and/or urgent surgical patient in their post-operative, post PACU admission to the floor.
  • Manage bedside care per MD orders, administering medications, ensuring patient safety, assisting in ADL care, etc.
  • Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.
  • Travel nurse who provide care to patients in SICU, MICU, CCU, and CVICU.
  • Work in both MICU and SICU
  • Show more

Surgical nurse example responsibilities.

  • Manage GI bleeds, asthmatics, bowel resections, fractures, patients with chest and feeding tubes.
  • Manage patient pain relief and sedation by providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention, monitor patient response and record care plans accordingly.
  • Maintain BLS, NRP, ACLS
  • Prepare patients for procedures, initiate and maintain intravenous therapy, and obtain 12-lead EKG.
  • Establish care plans and perform care for ICU, CCU, cardiac, and neurological patients.
  • Serve as a BLS/ ACLS instructor.
  • Show more

Traveling nurse vs surgical nurse skills

Common traveling nurse skills
  • Patients, 15%
  • Acute Care, 10%
  • Healthcare, 9%
  • Acls, 6%
  • Surgery, 6%
  • Telemetry, 4%
Common surgical nurse skills
  • Patients, 31%
  • BLS, 15%
  • Acute Care, 7%
  • Acls, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 4%
  • Quality Care, 3%

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