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Even though the surgeon gets all the credit for a successful surgery, the life of a patient depends in a very large part on the diligence and competence of the surgical technologist. Surgical technologists, sometime referred to as surgical technicians (surgery techs or surgical techs for short), are valuable members of every team whose primary duty is to assist surgeons in the operating room (OR) during surgery. Surgical techs must possess cool heads, quick minds and iron stomachs. Their duties include prepping and sterilizing the OR for surgery, transporting patients to and from the OR, passing instruments to the attending surgeon, retracting the patient's tissues and suturing incisions. Because contamination in the OR could be life-threatening for the patient on the table, the importance of the surgical tech cannot be underestimated.  Neither the job itself nor the road to becoming a surgical technician is easy. It takes training, perseverance and dedication to learn and perform the job. However, the rewards are worth it. Currently, for every hard-working surgical technologist, there are five surgical tech job openings. In addition, surgical technologists are earning higher salaries than ever before, with median incomes in 2007 nearly $4,000 higher than in 2004. Surgical Technologist Job Description Now is the ideal time to consider a career as a surgical technician. Demand for these professionals is projected to skyrocket through the year 2014 and beyond, according to the US Department of Labor. Find out more about the duties of a surgical technicians, the environments in which they work, and further info about job growth potential. Continue reading about the job description of surgical technologists. Surgical Technologist Salary Three-quarters of surgical technologists work in hospitals, but where are they commanding the highest salaries? Learn how to boost your earning potential. Continue reading about your surgical technician salary. Surgical Technologist Certification According to the Association of Surgical Technologists, most employers prefer to hire certified surgical technologists over their non-certified peers. Certification involves graduating from a 2-year accredited degree program and passing a multiple-choice certification exam. In most accredited surgical technology programs, students receive a combination of academic and hands-on education. Programs often include courses in anatomy, medical terminology and sterilization techniques, as well as hands-on learning experiences, including internships and supervised clinical training. Find out more about becoming a certified surgical technologist. |
