Surgical Technologist - Becoming One

Employment of surgical technologists is growing faster than the average for all professions. There are different training courses (certificate, diploma and associate degree) that last between nine to twenty-four months. While most surgical technologist jobs are found at hospitals, it is likely that there will be more job openings in other health care industries too.

Surgical techs assist doctors, surgeons, nurses and other individuals involved in the surgical treatment. They work under the careful supervision of surgeons, nurses and the anesthesiologists.

A surgical technologist works before the surgery by making certain that the OR is properly equipped with all the necessary instruments and equipments and sterile supplies such as sterile solutions and sterile drapes. A surgical technologist is in charge of putting together sterile as well as non-sterile equipments and making sure that the equipments are in good working condition.

Often, surgical techs also help the patients to get ready for their surgery by shaving, cleaning and disinfecting the place where the incision will be made. They also bring the patients to the operating room and make sure that they are properly covered with sterile drapes. Surgical techs also check the vital signs of the patient and make sure that everything is normal, look over the patient’s chart and help the surgical team don the surgical gowns and gloves.

There are quite a surgical technologist schools where one can earn a degree to be a surgical technologist. These include hospitals, community colleges, universities, vocational school and also the military. As I have mentioned earlier, there are also certified courses that take nine to twenty-four months. To be eligible for such courses, a high school graduation degree is usually required.

Such courses give both class-room training and clinical experiences. The subjects included in these courses are anatomy, physiology, microbiology, medical terminology, pharmacology, safe patient care, surgical procedures and operating room techniques.

If you want a good shot at getting a surgical technologist job, you must be a certified technologist. You can obtain this certification after you graduate from a CAAHEP accredited program and then sitting for a national certification exam. These certificates are not compulsory. However, these days many hospitals prefer hiring surgical techs with these degrees. Surgical techs must renew these certificates after every four years.

Being a surgical technologist is an excellent career choice if this job appeals to you. Like with any other job, you should first consider the pros and cons of being a surgical technologist, whether you are passionate about it and be a 100% certain that this job is perfect for you.

Surgical Technologist Salary

There are a lot of factors that can affect a surgical technologist salary such as experience, certifications, work settings etc. but the range of the salary starts from $38,000 to $42,000 per year and if you are working extra hours or have another per diem job, then it will go up accordingly. There are plenty of work for a surgical tech nowadays that there is a demand for the profession and with that in mind, you can easily negotiate for your salary also because a lot of the employers needs your services.

Surgical Technologist Schools

The first thing you need to check if you are interested in becoming a surgical technologist is to check your local school and colleges if they offer the program. This is the most economical way to get into the profession because you don't have drive so many miles or even move you and your family just to get into a surgical technologist school. They will also provide you everything that you need to know about the profession. If there is not a college or university that offers the program, you can check online and look for the nearest school that you can find.