Salary and Outlook

According to the US Department of Labor, there are 110,700 people employed as surgical technologists in the United States. The median annual salary is $48,530. Entry level employees earn approximately $36,930 per year and senior employees earn approximately $75,940 per year.

Estimates do not include other potential benefits such as health insurance, overtime pay, or retirement benefits that may be offered by employers.

Job Duties

• 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.
• 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.
• Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations.
• Maintain files and records of surgical procedures.

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