If you want to start a career in healthcare, without making a huge investment, and without a medical degree, then you should learn about Surgical Techs.
They are the healthcare professionals who work closely with surgeons, and other healthcare professionals to ensure that surgeries are performed efficiently and safely.
In this article, we’ll enlighten you about this profession, their work environment, duties, skills, career details like job forecasts, salary, and growth opportunities, and much more.
We’ll also discuss about the top 6 reasons that make the surgical techs so crucial for a healthcare team.
Moreover, you’ll also learn about the 3 critical things that you absolutely need to start your career as a surgical tech.
Plus, we’ll also share a surgical tech program that helps you become job-ready as a surgical tech faster, without any student loan debt, and without driving to college.
There’s so much to learn. So, let’s get started!
What is a Surgical Tech?
A surgical tech is a healthcare professional who assists surgeons, nurses, and other surgical professionals before, during, and after surgical procedures in the operating room.
Surgical Techs, also known as Surgical Technologists, Operating Room Technicians, or Scrub Techs, are essential members of the surgical team.
These professionals work closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses, and other healthcare workers to ensure that surgeries are performed efficiently and safely.
Their primary role involves preparing the operating room, assisting during surgeries, and ensuring that the environment remains sterile and organized.
Where do they work? Work Environment
Surgical techs primarily work in hospital operating rooms, and they typically work full-time and may also need to be available for night, weekend, or holiday shifts, depending on the needs of their employer.
Here are the different clinical settings a surgical tech could work in:
- Hospitals (state, local, and private)
- Outpatient Care Centers
- Offices of Physicians
- Administrative and Support Services
- Offices of Dentists
Roles and Responsibilities of Surgical Tech
Surgical Techs have a range of critical responsibilities before, during, and after surgical procedures. Their duties ensure that surgeries are conducted smoothly and safely, providing essential support to the surgical team.
Here are their roles and responsibilities:
Preoperative Duties
These are the duties a Surgical Tech needs to perform before a surgical procedure is set to commence. The preoperative duties are as follows –
Preparation of the Operating Room
Surgical Techs are responsible for setting up the operating room by sterilizing instruments, ensuring all necessary equipment is available, and arranging surgical tools.
Patient Preparation
They assist in preparing patients for surgery by helping with draping and positioning them appropriately.
Equipment Sterilization
Ensuring that all surgical instruments and equipment are sterile and ready for use is a key task.
Intraoperative Duties
These are the duties a Surgical Tech needs to perform during a surgical procedure. The intraoperative duties are as follows –
Assisting During Surgery
Surgical Techs pass instruments and supplies to surgeons during procedures, maintain the sterile field, and anticipate the needs of the surgical team.
Handling Specimens
They might be responsible for handling and labeling specimens taken during surgery for lab analysis.
Postoperative Duties
These are the duties a Surgical Tech needs to perform after a surgical procedure is completed. The postoperative duties are as follows –
Instrument Counting
After the surgery, they ensure all instruments and sponges are accounted for to prevent any items from being left inside the patient.
Cleaning and Sterilization
They clean and sterilize the operating room and equipment to prepare for the next procedure.
Read-> What Does a Surgical Tech Do?
Top 5 Skills of a Surgical Tech
Surgical Techs play a crucial role in the healthcare system. Their expertise and skills contribute immensely to the success of surgical procedures.
Here are the top 5 skills of a surgical tech:
#1 Attention to Detail
Surgical techs must have a keen eye for detail to maintain a sterile environment and ensure that all surgical instruments are accounted for.
#2 Manual Dexterity
Surgical techs must possess precision in handling surgical instruments. This is crucial, as even small mistakes can have significant consequences.
#3 Physical Stamina
Surgical techs might need to stand for longer periods and perform repetitive tasks, so physical stamina would help a lot.
#4 Communication Skills
Surgical techs should know how to communicate effectively with the surgical team. This is very essential for smooth surgical procedures.
#5 Stress Management
Surgical tech could be a demanding job so the techs must remain calm and focused even in high-pressure situations.
Read:
-> Is Surgical Tech School Hard?
Why are Surgical Techs Important? Top 6 Reasons
Surgical Techs play a crucial role in the healthcare system, contributing significantly to the success and safety of surgical procedures.
They are vital to the healthcare system due to their role in maintaining a sterile environment, enhancing surgical efficiency, providing critical intraoperative support, ensuring patient safety, and supporting postoperative procedures.
Their expertise and attention to detail contribute significantly to the success of surgical procedures and the overall quality of patient care.
Here are the Top 6 reasons:
#1 Ensuring Sterility and Infection Control
Surgical techs are trained in aseptic techniques, ensuring that the operating room remains sterile. This minimizes the risk of infections, which is critical for patient safety and recovery.
They are responsible for sterilizing instruments and equipment, a task that, if done improperly, could lead to serious post-operative infections.
#2 Enhancing Surgical Efficiency
They meticulously prepare the operating room ensuring all necessary instruments and supplies are in place. This helps prevent delays and disruptions during surgery.
Their ability to anticipate the needs of the surgeon and provide timely assistance allows the surgical team to focus on the procedure, improving overall efficiency.
#3 Providing Critical Support During Surgery
Surgical techs pass instruments to the surgeon, ensuring that the right tools are available at the right time. This reduces the time spent searching for instruments and helps maintain the flow of the surgery.
They handle and label surgical specimens accurately, ensuring that they are properly processed and sent for analysis, which is vital for diagnosing conditions and planning further treatment.
#4 Enhancing Patient Safety
Surgical techs monitor the patient’s condition, alerting the surgical team to any potential issues. This vigilance helps in maintaining a safe environment for the patient.
Their training includes handling emergencies, such as unexpected bleeding or equipment failure, ensuring that they can assist effectively in critical situations.
#5 Contributing to Team Dynamics
Surgical techs work closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, fostering a collaborative environment that is essential for successful surgical outcomes.
Effective communication skills are crucial for coordinating actions and ensuring that everyone on the team is aware of their responsibilities and the progress of the surgery.
#6 Supporting Postoperative Procedures
After surgery, surgical techs are responsible for cleaning and restocking the operating room. This ensures that the room is ready for the next procedure and that all instruments are properly sterilized and stored.
They document the surgical procedure, including details about the instruments used and the patient’s condition, providing valuable information for post-operative care and future reference.
These are the Top 6 Reasons why a surgical tech is very important in a healthcare setting.
Also Read:
-> How To Become A Surgical Tech?
-> Pros And Cons Of Being A Surgical Tech
-> How To Become A Certified Surgical Tech?
-> How Long Does It Take To Become A Surgical Tech?
Career Details
In this section of this article, we’ll discuss about the career-related details of Surgical Techs, like their job forecast, salary potential, and career growth opportunities.
Let’s start with –
Job Prospects
As per the BLS, the projected employment growth rate for surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow by 5% in this decade with around 8,600 fresh openings projected each year, over the decade.
Fascinatingly, in 2022 alone, the surgical techs held about 109,200 jobs, with Hospitals being the largest employer.
This goes on to speak about the high demand for surgical tech as a profession.
Salary
As per the BLS salary data, May 2023, the annual average salary of Surgical Tech is $60,370, with an hourly rate of around $29 per hour.
However, the highest 10% are earning upwards of $83,150 per year, and higher. This surge is due to several factors like – experience, expertise, education, and certification.
However, the lowest 10% of surgical techs earn around $40,640 per year. So, when you start your career, you can expect your salary to range between $40,000 to $60,370.
Here is the industry-wise salary data for Surgical techs:
Outpatient care centers -> $61,320
Hospitals -> $61,110
Administrative and support services -> $60,170
Offices of physicians -> $58,030
Offices of dentists -> $46,580
Here is the list of top-paying states for Surgical Techs:
#1 Connecticut -> $ 79,080
#2 California -> $ 76,170
#3 Nevada -> $ 73,800
#4 Washington -> $ 73,580
#5 Alaska -> $ 73,440
Read More:
-> Surgical Tech Job Description
Career Growth Opportunities
As a surgical tech, the career growth opportunities are immense. There are ample opportunities within the field, and there are opportunities to switch careers and start over.
Here are some of the most ideal career growth opportunities:
- Surgical First Assistant (CSFA)
- Supervisory or Management or Admin Roles
- Instructors or Educators in surgical technology programs
- Research and Development
- Sales: promote and sell surgical equipment and instruments to healthcare facilities.
- Or, you could switch your career to a Registered Nurse or Physician Assistant
3 Critical Things You Need to Become a Surgical Tech
Becoming a Surgical Technologist is a rewarding career choice that involves working alongside surgeons and other medical professionals to ensure successful surgical procedures. This field requires a blend of education, certification, and hands-on experience to become job-ready.
Here are the three critical components you need to focus on to embark on this career path.
#1 Education
The first step towards becoming a surgical tech is obtaining the necessary education. Typically, aspiring surgical technologists need to complete a postsecondary program in surgical technology, which can be found in community colleges, vocational schools, or through online programs.
A full-time certificate or diploma program usually takes about 12 months to complete. While an associate degree program takes about 24 months to complete.
They both are very expensive and come with a lot of hassles of a full-time program. So, it’s advised to avoid these programs if you want to start your career at an affordable price at a faster time.
For that, you can look out for accredited, online, self-paced, surgical tech programs that are affordable, convenient, and finish faster.
More on that in a while.
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-> Online Surgical Tech Programs
-> Surgical Tech Classes & Courses
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-> Surgical Tech Programs And Schools
#2 Certification
After completing your educational program, obtaining certification is the next critical step. Certification is a professional credential that demonstrates your competence and readiness to perform as a surgical technologist.
Here are the Certification Options
National Certified Surgical Technologist (NCST) by the American Allied Health (AAH)
Tech in Surgery – Certified (TS-C) by the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT)
This is a nationally accepted certification, and many surgical techs prefer it due to its comprehensive nature. It is a popular choice among surgical techs.
So, right after your training you should sit for the NCCT exam, and after you clear that, you are a certified Surgical Tech.
Also Read:
-> Surgical Tech Certification
-> Can You Be A Surgical Tech Without Certification?
#3 Experience
Experience is the cornerstone of becoming a proficient surgical tech. Working in an operating room setting requires not only theoretical knowledge but also the ability to perform under pressure.
The best way to gain hands-on experience is through externships. These opportunities allow you to shadow experienced surgical techs and practice in real-world scenarios.
So, you better should look for surgical tech programs that offer externship placements at local healthcare facilities. This real-world experience is invaluable in helping you settle your nerves and build confidence in your duties.
What should you Get in your Surgical Tech program?
Here are a few things you should make sure your training program provides you with –
– Your training program should be accredited and should give out a university certificate.
– You should get fully prepared for the NCCT certification exam.
– You should be able to learn from the comfort of your home.
– You should get hands-on work experience at a local clinical facility.
– Lastly, you should get a faster education at an affordable rate.
Now, does there exist any online & self-paced surgical tech training program that offers all of that?
There is one!
Preppy’s Surgical Tech Certification Training Program
Preppy’s Surgical Tech Certification Training Program offers thorough education and practical training, equipping students with the skills needed for a thriving career as a Surgical Technologist.
With Preppy:
-> You get accredited surgical tech training online from the comfort of your home.
-> You can learn at your own pace and on your schedule.
-> You can become ready for the NCCT Certification exam.
-> You get an externship placement at a local healthcare facility for the clinical experience that you need as a surgical tech.
-> You also get the coveted university certificate for your surgical tech training.
-> You can complete your training in as little as 180 Days.
-> As a bonus you get a free laptop and that’s yours to keep after your course completion.
-> You get all of this at only $1,599. That’s insane!
So, to become job-ready as a surgical tech faster, without any student loan debt, and without driving to college, enroll in Preppy’s Surgical Tech Certification Training Program.
Conclusion
We hope this article could help you understand better about the surgical tech career, their duties, skills, job forecast, salary, and growth opportunities.
If you want to start this career, you should absolutely not compromise on the 3 critical things that we discussed above. Also, keep in mind the things your training program should offer you.
Finally, if you are serious about starting this career and want to enroll in a surgical tech program that helps you become job-ready as a surgical tech faster, without any student loan debt, and without driving to college then you should enroll in Preppy’s Surgical Tech Certification Training Program.
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-> CVOR Tech
-> Scrub Nurse Vs Surgical Tech
-> 6-Week Surgical Tech Program
-> Surgical Tech Vs Surgical Assistant
