Surgical Technician Careers Information
Surgical technicians assist surgeons and other medical professionals in the operating room. As such, surgical technicians are invested with considerable responsibility, and must be highly-trained.
Surgical Technician Careers & Degrees
- Concorde Career Institute: Miramar
Stevens-Henager College: Ogden
Brown Mackie College: Akron, OH
In addition to providing support for surgeons and nurses during operations, surgical technicians also help prepare patients and set-up operating rooms. This can mean a wide variety of duties, from maintaining charts and records to sterilizing surgical instruments to suturing incisions. This is interesting, important work, but it’s certainly not for the faint of heart!
Surgical Technician Careers Path
In general, surgical technicians complete a specialized diploma, certificate, or associate’s degree program at an accredited university or community college. These programs usually include not only relevant coursework in anatomy and surgical procedures, but hands-on clinical training as well.
In some cases, surgical technicians are trained on-the-job by hospitals. Whether trained at a college or university or on-the-job, surgical technicians must pass one of two qualifying exams in order to be certified. These tests are offered by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) and the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist.
Once a candidate passes either of these exams, he or she is considered a CST (Certified Surgical Technologist), a designation favored by many employers.
Surgical Technician Careers: Compatible Personality Traits
Steady, focused, dependable, knowledgeable, adaptable, patient, dexterous, attentive, reliable, strong-stomached, calm.
Surgical Technician Careers: Salary Expectations
The annual median salary for surgical technicians is $38,740. The median salary for surgical technicians in their first four years is slightly lower at $34,598, while those in their fifth to ninth years on the job make a median salary of $35,570.
Possibilities for advancement include positions of more responsibility within the operating room, as well as specializations in particular surgical fields. Benefits and job security are generally sound for surgical technicians.
Surgical Technician Careers: Job Outlook
As with many healthcare professions, the outlook for surgical technicians is very strong. Because the American population is ageing, the demand for surgical procedures is expected to experience significant growth.
Just as more surgeons will be needed, more operating room personnel will be needed to assist them, including surgical technicians. According to the Department of Labor, the number of surgical technicians should increase by 25% by 2018, a rate considerably higher than the national average for all professions.
Slightly Off the Footpath
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos106.htm (visited November 1, 2011); payscale.com
