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See Available Surgical Technicial Schools
Also Called: Surgical Technologist, Surgical/Operating Room (O.R.) Technician, "Scrubs"
Job Description: Surgical technicians are members of operating-room teams, assisting surgeons, nurses, and other surgical team members during operations. Duties include preparing the operating room (setting up surgical equipment, such as sterile instruments and solutions), checking equipment to ensure it is working properly, and prepping patients for surgery (washing, shaving, and disinfecting areas on patients where incisions will take place.) During surgery, technicians will pass instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, as well as monitor patients' vital signs, help dress wounds, and sometimes help operate sterilizers or diagnostic equipment.
Work Environment: Most surgical technicians work 40-hour weeks, although hours/shifts may vary as hospitals function round-the clock. Technicians may be on call or work nights, weekends, or holidays, depending on need.
Technicians work in clean, well-lit, sanitary environments. They are required to stay on their feet for long periods of time, and attention to details and the ability to follow instructions are at a premium.
Education and Training Requirements: Employers prefer to hire properly trained and certified technicians. There are formal training programs offered in community and junior colleges, vocational schools, and universities, as well as in hospitals and in the military. A high school diploma is required for admission to such a program. Programs last nine to 24 months and lead to a certificate, diploma or associate's degree.
After completing formal programs, technicians can advance their careers by specializing in a particular area of surgery, or working as a circulating technician, the member of a surgical team who runs the gamut of responsibilities during operations, from patient prep and interviews, to assisting with anesthesia and answering the doctor's questions about the patient during surgery.
Salary Range: Median annual earnings of surgical technologists were $31,210 in 2002. This includes median salaries of technicians working in physicians' offices ($33,790) and those practicing in general medical/surgical hospitals ($30,590). Technicians earned as much as $43,470 and as little as $21,920.
Job Outlook: Generally good. The number of surgical procedures is expected to rise as the population ages. People over 50 years of age generally require more surgical procedures, and as the baby boomer generation gets older, the amount of older patients will make up a larger portion of the population. Also, technological advances in fiber optics and laser technology will allow for new surgical procedures to be performed, and technicians will be in need to assist with these new procedures.
Alabama Schools
Virginia College*
(Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile) - Surgical Technology
Arizona Schools
Lamson College
(Tempe) - Surgical Technologist
The Bryman School*
(Phoenix, Tempe) - Surgical Technologist
Surgical Tech Schools in California
Everest College*
(Alhambra - El Monte, Anaheim, City of Industry - Whittier, Gardena, Hayward, Los Angeles - Wilshire, Ontario, Reseda, San Bernardino, San Francisco, San Jose North, Torrance, Los Angeles West) - Surgical Technologist
Career Networks Institute
(Costa Mesa - Orange County) - Surgical Technologist
High-Tech Institute
(Sacramento) - Surgical Technologist
San Joaquin Valley College*
(Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cucamonga, Visalia) - Surgical Technology
Colorado Schools
Cambridge College
(Aurora) - Surgical Technologist
Everest College*
(Aurora, Thornton) - Surgical Technologist
Florida Surgical Technician Schools
Central Florida Institute*
(Orlando, Tampa Bay) - Surgical Technologist - Operating Room Scrub
Everest University*
(Brandon/Tampa, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Melbourne, Orange Park, North Orlando, Pinellas, Pompano Beach, South Orlando, Tampa) - Surgical Technologist
High-Tech Institute
(Orlando) - Surgical Technologist
Keiser University*
(Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Kendall, Lakeland, Melbourne, Orlando, Pembroke Pines, Port St. Lucie, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach) - Surgical Technology
Everest Institute*
(Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, Kendall, Miami) - Surgical Technologist
North Florida Institute
(Orange Park) - Surgical Technology
Sanford-Brown Institute (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School) *
(Tampa, Ft Lauderdale, Jacksonville) - Surgical Technology
Southwest Florida College*
(Fort Meyers, Tampa) - Surgical Technician
Virginia College
(Pensacola) - Surgical Technology
Georgia Schools
Everest Institute*
(Atlanta-Downtown, Dekalb, Jonesboro, Marietta, Norcross) - Surgical Technologist
High-Tech Institute
(Atlanta) - Surgical Technologist
Illinois Schools
The Chubb Institute
*(Chicago) - Surgical Technologist
Indiana Schools
Everest College*
(Merrillville, North Aurora) - Surgical Technologist
Minnesota Schools
High-Tech Institute
(Minneapolis) - Surgical Technologist
Mississippi Schools
Virginia College
(Jackson) - Surgical Technology
Missouri Schools
Colorado Technical University
(North Kansas City) - Surgical Technology
Sanford-Brown College (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School)*
(Fenton, St. Charles, Hazelwood) - Surgical Technology
Nevada Schools
High-Tech Institute
(Las Vegas) - Surgical Technologist
Nevada Career Institute
(Las Vegas) - Surgical Technology
New Jersey Schools
Sanford-Brown Institute (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School)
(Iselin) - Surgical Technology
Surgical Tech Schools in New York
Sanford-Brown Institute (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School)*
(Garden City, New York, White Plains) - Non-Invasive Cardiovascular & Surgical Technology
Oregon Schools
Cambridge College
(Beaverton) - Surgical Technologist
Pennsylvania Schools
CHI Institute
* (Broomall, Southampton) - Surgical Technician
Sanford-Brown Institute (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School)
(Philadelphia) - Non-Invasive Cardiovascular & Surgical Technology
Texas Surgical Technician Schools
Academy of Healthcare Professions*
(Austin, Houston North Loop, Houston Southwest) - Surgical Technologist
Career Centers of Texas*
(Brownsville, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth) - Surgical Technician
High-Tech Institute
(Irving) - Surgical Technologist
Sanford-Brown Institute (Formerly Ultrasound Diagnostic School)*
(Dallas, Houston) - Surgical Technology
Virginia College
(Austin) - Surgical Technology
Utah Schools
Everest College
(Salt Lake City) - Surgical Technologist
Virginia Schools
The Chubb Institute
*(Arlington) - Surgical Technologist
Surgical Tech Schools in Washington
Cambridge College
(Seattle) - Surgical Technologist
* The Chubb Institute Is Not Affiliated with the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies
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