Surgical Technologists
Health ScienceO*NET 29-2055.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $64,646
- Projected change
- +8.4%
- Typical education
- Associate degree
- Employment
- 120.02K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
40.6% of the workforce
Growing to 130.05K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What surgical technologists do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- 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.
- Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
- Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
- Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.
- Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.
- Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.
- Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $45,947
- 25th percentile
- $54,683
- 50th percentile
- $64,646
- 75th percentile
- $79,747
- 90th percentile
- $96,949
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $64,646 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.4%faster than average
2025120,015 jobs
2035 projected130,045 jobs
10,030 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Associate degree
- 40.6%
- Certificate
- 31.2%
- Some college
- 23.2%
- High school diploma or less
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- 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.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Management of Material Resources
- Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Surgical Technologists10,202 postings
- 02Certified Surgical Technicians6,467 postings
- 03Surgical Techs5,719 postings
- 04Certified Surgical Technologists5,054 postings
- 05Travel Surgical Technicians4,472 postings
- 06Surgical Technicians3,362 postings
- 07Operating Room Surgical Technicians3,114 postings
- 08Patient Care Technicians2,164 postings
- 09Travel Cardiovascular Operating Room Technologists1,740 postings
- 10Surgical Scrub Technicians1,651 postings
- 11Travel Surgical Technologists1,023 postings
- 12Scrub Technicians1,001 postings
- 13Operating Room Technicians393 postings
- 143D Generalists376 postings
- 15Medical Surgical Patient Care Assistants365 postings
- 16Certified Scrub Technicians360 postings
- 17Travel Certified Surgical Technicians298 postings
- 18Medical Surgical Technicians289 postings
- 19Operating Room Techs235 postings
- 20Surgical Technologists/Scrub Technicians230 postings
Top employers
- 01Aya Healthcare3,153 postings
- 02Soliant Health2,830 postings
- 03HCA Healthcare1,107 postings
- 04AMN Healthcare1,066 postings
- 05Titan Medical839 postings
- 06United Surgical Partners International762 postings
- 07Medical Solutions757 postings
- 08MedPro Healthcare Staffing733 postings
- 09Yale New Haven Health722 postings
- 10Ingenovis Health721 postings
- 11Gqr662 postings
- 12CHRISTUS Health606 postings
- 13Ascension583 postings
- 14Anders Group579 postings
- 15Supplemental Health Care572 postings
- 16K&A Recruiting533 postings
- 17American Traveler488 postings
- 18AdventHealth461 postings
- 19Providence446 postings
- 20Avera Health430 postings
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