Health Care Careers, Surgical Technologist

The Career of a Surgical Technologist

Surgical technologists are individuals who, as the name implies, help out in the operating room when surgical procedures are taking place. A surgical technologist, sometimes referred to as a surgical tech, a surgical technician or a scrub, works under the careful supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, as well as other surgical workers. A surgical technologist is part of an operating team and plays a vital role in operating room procedures.

Job Description

A surgical technologist prepares the operating room for surgery by ensuring that all equipment, surgical tools, liquids and sterile dressings are where they are supposed to be. The equipment must be checked by the surgical tech to ensure that it is in proper working order. This includes both sterile as well as non-sterile equipment.

Another important aspect of a surgical technologist’s job is to ready a patient for surgery. The tech washes, shaves and disinfects the site where the incision will be made and then delivers the patient to the operating room. Once there, the technician places the patient on the operating table in the position necessary for surgery and then covers him or her with what are known as sterile drapes. Before surgery, the technician must also check the vital signs of the patient and note them accordingly as well as thoroughly reviewing the patient’s chart. Once the surgical team enters the OR, the surgical technologist is responsible for helping the members into their gowns and gloves.

The surgical tech has other duties to perform during the course of the surgery. Technologists are the ones who hand the doctors and nurses the tools and supplies they require during surgery. They are also responsible for counting equipment and instruments such as needles and sponges. If required, surgical techs may have to handle sterilizers, lights and suction equipment. Sometimes surgical techs are asked to collect specimens and then hand deliver them to the laboratory.

After surgery is over, the surgical technologist must take the patient to the recovery room or their room in the hospital. They must then return to the operating room to restock supplies for the next surgery.

Education and Training Requirements

The training program to become a surgical technologist can take anywhere from 9 to 24 months to complete. This can lead to the person obtaining a certificate, a diploma or an associate’s degree. In order to qualify for a formal program offered by a selection of universities, vocational schools, community colleges, junior colleges, as well as hospitals and the military, you must have a high school diploma. The courses you are required to take in high school in order to study to become a surgical technologist include mathematics, biology, chemistry and health. Always choose a school that has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

Programs of this sort involve both education done in a classroom setting as well as supervised clinical experience. Some of the courses include human anatomy, microbiology, medical terminology, physiology, professional ethics and pharmacology.

Once you have graduated, you then need to become certified to work as a surgical technologist. A professional certification will greatly increase your chances of finding a good job and of being promoted. A tech can receive voluntary professional certification by way of the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist by making sure that they have graduated from a CAAHEP accredited program and then taking and passing a national certification exam. Once the technologist passes the exam, he or she can then use the Certified Surgical Technologist designation (CST).

Another route you can take for certification is by applying to take an examination from the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT). To qualify for the exam a surgical technician must take one of these three career routes- attend an accredited program of study; undergo on-the-job training for a period of two years at a hospital; or spend seven years working in their chosen field.

Career Opportunities and Earning Potential

This is an excellent time to study to become a surgical technician. This occupation is one of the fastest growing of all occupations and is predicted to continue to grow through the year 2010 as the number of surgeries performed on an annual basis goes up. This is due in large part to the rise in the population and also to the fact that the average life span is increasing. The expected need for qualified surgical technologists has been anticipated to grow “24 percent between 2006 and 2016” (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Most surgical technicians are employed in hospitals but growth is anticipated in other medical facilities such as outpatient care centers, doctor’s offices and ambulatory surgical centers.

In 2006 the median annual income of a surgical technologist was $44,077. Generally speaking, salaries for this job range from $34,410 to $54,204.

Is This You?

Before deciding on this health care careers path, you must be aware of some of the important qualities that a surgical technologist must possess. A surgical tech needs to be very organized as well as conscientious, and must be mentally stable enough to work well under pressure in an operating room setting. A person employed in this occupation must be able to respond quickly to instructions and must know how to easily handle the many demands set upon them. Stress and operating room responsibilities go hand in hand.

A surgical technologist must possess manual dexterity in order to handle the necessary instruments in a swift fashion and he or she must be as familiar as possible with operating procedures. A surgical technologist must be willing to take courses to learn new training when required and also must be willing to keep on top of new developments in the healthcare and surgical field.