What does a Surgical Technician do?

What does a Surgical Technician do?

Surgical Technicians, also called operating room technicians, work alongside and assist surgeons, nurses, and other members of the health care team throughout a surgical operation. The role of the surgical technician is incredibly important because they ensure a sterile and organized environment.

Scope of Practice

Surgical Technicians work in the operating room with surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses. Their common tasks and duties can be split into three phases: before the surgical operation (preoperative), during the surgical operation (intraoperative), and after the surgical operation (postoperative).

Before the procedure, surgical technicians focus on prepping the supplies, instruments and the operating room itself for surgery. This includes:

• Disinfecting the equipment and operating room
• Helping with preparing the patient for surgery 
• Gathering, counting, and arranging the equipment and surgical tools needed during the surgery
• Preparing patients for the procedure

During the surgery, surgical technicians also have a variety of important responsibilities:

• Keeping the operating room sterile
• Passing surgical tools to the surgeon and the surgeon’s assistant
• Assisting in retracting tissues from the surgical patient
• Ensuring accountability for all instruments and supplies
• Anticipating the Surgeons needs
• Handling specimens

After the surgery, surgical technicians assist with wrapping up the procedure and are responsible for:

• Counting all of the tools and instruments used during the surgery
• Applying dressings to surgical sites
• Disposing of needles and gauze
• Maintaining the sterile environment of the operating room until the patient is brought to the recovery room

Specializations

While many surgical technicians work in general surgery or between a variety of areas, some choose to work specifically in a surgical specialty area. Some of the more common specialized surgical areas include: 

• Cardiology
• Neurosurgery
• Organ transplantation
• Orthopedic 
• Pediatric surgery
• Plastic surgery

Work environment

Surgical technicians work in hospital operating rooms, outpatient centers, and doctors’ offices. They spend much of their working day in the operating room, preparing for, assisting with, and cleaning up after surgeries. It can become quite warm working under surgical lights in the operating room, especially wearing sterile surgical gowns and gloves. The surgical technician will need to stand for long periods of time, and must remain alert and ready for anything during operations. 

Surgical technicians typically work full-time, which may include nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call work. There are opportunities to work part-time, per diem known as “as needed”, and even work as a travel surgical technician going to many different assignments and making extra money.

Becoming a Surgical Technician

Individuals interested in becoming a surgical technician must be detail-oriented. The work of a surgical technician is incredibly important to ensure a sterile and well-organized environment in the operating room. They need to make sure that all tools are present for the surgery, and accounted for after the surgery is done. Attention to detail is essential to success in this role, and errors could be life threatening. Surgical technicians must work well under pressure and have great communication skills.

Higher Education Requirements

Surgical technicians may receive their higher education training in a community college, vocational school, university, hospital, or the military. In order to become a surgical technologist, a certificate program that includes specialized education and training is required in most states. There are states that do not have set standards in which many hospitals still train Surgical technicians “on the job” with the didactic training and work experience. Check with your state laws for details.

Surgical technician training programs can be as short as 12 months for a certificate or two years for a combined associate degree plus specialized training. Typical entrance requirements include a high school diploma and prerequisite courses such as anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, and microbiology.

Certification Process

Certification is strongly suggested and preferred by many employers. It is also a legal requirement in many states as well. The most common, Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) credential is offered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). Once you have gone through an official training program, you will have reviewed the material required to pass the certification. For more help you can access CST practice exams designed specifically to help you pass the CST certification exam.

Career Opportunities and Outlook

Surgical technicians can expect a median annual salary of $48,530 or roughly $23.33 per hour.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the employment of surgical technologists will continue to grow at a rate of 5.9% (or 6,500 jobs) over the next decade. This is due to advances in medical technology and more operations are being done to treat many types of illnesses and injuries.

With additional experience and education, some surgical technicians become first surgical assistants or registered nurses. Others advance by specializing in a particular area of surgery. Some technicians manage central supply departments in hospitals or take positions with insurance companies, sterile supply services, and surgical equipment firms.