Healthcare
Surgical Technologists
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 salary
$62,830
Typical range
$43k – $91k
Job outlook
+5% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Surgical Technologists
Education
Typical entry: Associate degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Surgical Technologists
Entry / Junior
$43,290
~2 yrs to advance
Surgical Technologists
Established
$62,830
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Surgical Technologists
Senior
$76,765
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Healthcare
Explore all- Johns Hopkins University7% admit · $93,000 grad pay
- Harvard University4% admit · $119,000 grad pay
- University of Michigan18% admit · $87,000 grad pay
- Duke University6% admit · $105,000 grad pay
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill19% admit · $73,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.