Median Annual Wage: $43,350
Education: Associate's degree (41%); Post-secondary certificate (31%); Some college, no degree (23%)
Projected Growth: Much faster than average (22% or higher)
Related Job Titles: Surgical Technician; Certified Surgical Technologist (CST); Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St); Surgical Scrub Technician; Operating Room Technician (OR Tech); Certified Surgical Tech/First Assistant; Certified Surgical Technician; Operating Room Technologist (OR Tech); Surgical Scrub Technologist (Surgical Scrub Tech); Surgical Technologist (Surgical Tech)
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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Surgical Technologists.
More Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Careers
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
- Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
- Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.
- Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
- Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.
- Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.
- Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.
- Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.
- Order surgical supplies.
- Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Surgical Technologists.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Source: O*NET OnLine information for Surgical Technologists.