Key Factors That Influence OR Travel Nurse Salaries

An OR Travel Nurse's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects OR Travel Nurse Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an OR Travel Nurse's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $74,739
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $74,934
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $77,537
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $81,212
  • Expert (over 8 years): $81,474
Levels Salary
Entry Level OR Travel Nurse$74,739
Intermediate Level OR Travel Nurse$74,934
Senior Level OR Travel Nurse$77,537
Specialist Level OR Travel Nurse$81,212
Expert Level OR Travel Nurse$81,474
$74,739 0 yr
$74,934 < 2 yrs
$77,537 2-4 yrs
$81,212 5-8 yrs
$81,474 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for OR Travel Nurses

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $111,286
  • San Francisco: $110,191
  • Oakland: $107,747

What Skills Can Increase an OR Travel Nurse's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 5.85% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Nursing Practice (Mentioned in 2.7% Job Postings): Nursing practice may be work experience that is direct and/or indirect patient care in clinical practice, nursing administration, education, research, or consultation in the specialty represented by the credential.
  • Life Support (Mentioned in 2.17% Job Postings): Life support refers to the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform basic and advanced life support procedures; however, basic life support is sometimes provided at the scene of an emergency by family members or bystanders before emergency services arrive. In the case of cardiac injuries, cardiopulmonary resuscitation is initiated by bystanders or family members 25% of the time. Basic life support techniques, such as performing CPR on a victim of cardiac arrest, can double or even triple that patient's chance of survival. Other types of basic life support include relief from choking (which can be done by using the Heimlich maneuver), staunching of bleeding by direct compression and elevation above the heart (and if necessary, pressure on arterial pressure points and the use of a manufactured or improvised tourniquet), first aid, and the use of an automated external defibrillator.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 5.85%
Nursing Practice 2.7%
Life Support 2.17%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an OR Travel Nurse's salary.
  • Staff Development: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Risk Management: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Telecommunications: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Staff Development
 $84,516
9%
Risk Management
 $82,189
6%
Telecommunications
 $81,414
5%
Family Education
 $80,639
4%
Partnering
 $80,639
4%
Critical Care
 $79,863
3%
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OR Travel Nurse Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an OR Travel Nurse's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Yearly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Hourly
  • Table View
Last Updated on January 01, 2026
$70,941
Average $77,537/year
$86,462
$5,912
Average $6,461/month
$7,205
$1,364
Average $1,491/week
$1,663
$34
Average $37/hour
$42
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $86,462 $7,205 $1,663 $42
Average $77,537 $6,461 $1,491 $37
25th Percentile $70,941 $5,912 $1,364 $34

Find Your Next OR Travel Nurse Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current OR Travel Nurse job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

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