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Surgical Technologists

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipModerate pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

Kinds of work

  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.

Moderate pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $64,650 Median per year · $31.08/hr Most earn $45,940–$96,940

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
  • Transport patients to and from the operating room.
  • Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
  • Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations.
  • Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
  • Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
5% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 7,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals69.6%
  • Offices of physicians10.6%
  • Temporary help services3.2%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 6 months to 1 year

Surgical technologist is an entry-level job for people with post-high-school training. Most people finish a certificate or apprenticeship program and then spend roughly six months to a year getting hands-on experience before working on their own in the operating room.

  1. High school diploma or GED, then a surgical technology certificate program

    1-2 years

    You finish high school, then complete a training program in surgical technology that teaches sterile technique, surgical instruments, and operating room procedures. Clinical rotations in real operating rooms are a key part of this training.

  2. Surgical Technologist

    6 months to 1 year of related experience

    After training, you usually start by working alongside experienced surgical staff, which builds the speed and confidence needed to handle instruments and supplies during surgery. Once you are comfortable with the routine, you are working as a fully qualified member of the surgical team.

Where it can lead

  1. Surgical Assistant

    Several years as a surgical technologist, plus any extra required training of experience first

    You take on a more hands-on role, helping the surgeon with tasks like retracting, suturing, and controlling bleeding. This usually requires more training and experience, and it depends on local rules about what assistants may do.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology and chemistryThese classes give you the science background you will use to understand anatomy, infection control, and medications in surgical training.
  • Volunteer at a hospital or clinicMany hospitals have volunteer programs that let you see how a healthcare team works and whether the hospital setting feels right for you.
  • Get a starter job that teaches care and precisionJobs like food service, retail stockroom work, or caring for younger kids teach reliability, teamwork, and attention to detail.
  • Join a health occupations or science clubClubs like HOSA-style groups or science clubs, if your school has them, help you learn about healthcare careers and meet people with similar interests.
  • Talk to a surgical team memberAsk a nurse, technologist, or doctor you know if you can interview them about their daily work and what training they completed.

In college

  • Take anatomy, physiology, and microbiologyThese courses build the medical knowledge that surgical technology programs expect and that you will use every day in the operating room.
  • Apply to a surgical technology certificate or associate programCompleting an accredited program is the usual route into this job, and it prepares you for the certification exam that many employers want.
  • Work or volunteer in a hospital settingHospital jobs such as patient transport, sterile processing, or unit support help you learn the environment and make useful contacts before you start clinical training.
  • Join a health sciences student groupStudent groups for healthcare majors help you practice teamwork, learn about professional standards, and hear from people working in the field.
  • Practice clear communication and teamworkOperating room teams depend on precise, calm communication, so take speaking or group project courses or seek leadership roles on campus.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask your school counselor or a local hospital whether they offer shadowing or volunteer opportunities in the operating room or sterile processing department, so you can see the work up close.
  • Look at a few surgical technology programs and check whether they are accredited and how they place students in clinical rotations. Those rotations are often where your first job connections come from.
  • Build steady, careful habits now, like following step-by-step directions and double-checking your work. Surgical teams rely on counting and tracking every item.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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