Career
Surgical technologists
Prepare the operating room and assist surgeons.
$64,650
Median pay
+5.0%
Job growth, 2025–35
7,100
Openings a year
Postsecondary nondegree award
Typical education
Under 2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
- Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Time Management.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
Under 2 years of education after high school (postsecondary nondegree award), for a median of $64,650 a year and 7,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Allied Health ProfessionsSee the degree →
- Pathology/Pathologist AssistantCIP 51.0811
- Surgical Technology/TechnologistCIP 51.0909
- Sterile Processing Technology/TechnicianCIP 51.1012
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Surgical Assistants$66,800 · +6.1%
- Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians$74,310 · +3.7%
- Endoscopy Technicians
- Medical Equipment Preparers$47,700 · +10.8%
- Radiologic Technologists and Technicians$80,110 · +5.0%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.