Best-Kept-Secret Career: Surgical Technologist

By Marty Nemko

Posted: December 11, 2008

Snapshot: Imagine being part of the life-and-death drama of an operating room—no college degree required. Surgical technologists, also known as scrubs and surgical or operating room technicians, assist in surgical operations but must be supervised by surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. During surgery, you're the one to whom the surgeon is yelling: "Scalpel!" "Retractor!"

Getting there: Nine to 24 months of post-high school training will allow you to prep the operating room and perhaps the patient.

Learn more : Occupational Outlook Handbook.

looking for advise

i graduated in january 2009, studying for national certification.

i was hired as a sdp tech, dept treated me really nasty. basically pushed me out and i severed my ties with hospital. no one would ever show me or assist me if i needed it. could you give me some advise cynthia

cynthia of NJ @ Nov 13, 2009 15:57:54 PM

HELP!

I'm being forced to do a school assignment, and I'm afraid that this particular article does not have the information I need - how much a Surgical Technologist makes. She said that all the information would be provided on this website.

Elena @ Nov 10, 2009 21:45:13 PM

answer for BLKkght!

I'm not currently certified as I was trained in the Army, and although it does limit where you can work it doesn't prevent it! Also you cant be automatically certified in most cases. You need to get a certain number of hours in cases under your belt first. Medical Assistants if I'm not mistaken work mainly in clinics and perform small tasks directly for providers right? You would need a little additional training, but med assistant+surgical tech ain't such a bad get-up! especially if you get a job in an outpatient center. I wouldn't say that they are trying to combine, but I can see how that might start being the standard. definitely two completely different jobs though if you work in a hospital setting. You would be assigned to the operating room/surgical staff as a tech, and if you were hired as a med assistant then you would have to be a clinic staff...so I am not sure how that'd work...

Mallory of NC @ Nov 04, 2009 19:25:06 PM

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