At a Glance

Income:

($39,678 - $58,254)

Key Facts:

• Serve on organ transplant, orthopedic, or heart procedure teams.
• Assist plastic surgeons and help manage their practice.
• Get paid to travel to Hawaii or New York for 8-week assignments.

Cluster:

Therapeutic Services

Class of Occupation:

- Realistic

Description

Surgical Technologists are part of the surgical team in an operating room, working along side surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses. Before a patient goes into surgery, the Surgical Technologist may help setup the sterile and non-sterile equipment in the operating room (OR). They also will help prep the patient by washing, shaving and disinfecting the incision area, and transport them into surgery. During surgery, they may assist the surgeons by handing them sterile instruments and keeping count of sponges and other equipment used. Some may also operate sterilizers, suction machines, diagnostic equipment, surgical lights, lasers and robots. After surgery, Surgical Technologists may help transport the patient to the recovery room, and clean and restock the OR. To excel as a Surgical Technologist, a person needs to have manual dexterity to quickly supply the surgical team with the requested equipment and be able to handle the sometimes unpleasant sights, sounds and odors typical to the OR. The majority of jobs in this career path are in hospital, with the rest being in ambulatory surgical centers or in the offices of physicians or dentists that perform outpatient surgery. As a career field, Surgical Technology is growing faster than average, due to the growing aging population.

View the education requirements.

Education Info

Campus(es):

- Skyline College

Time to Completion:

3 semester(s)

Type of Program (Cert, AS, BS):

Associate degree

Educational Requirement

High School degree

Cost:

$26 per unit for 30 units for courses in the major, plus approximately $700 of supplies and other expenses

Learn how to get started.

Getting Started

Prerequisite course listing:

- MATH 110 or 112
- BIOL 250 Human Anatomy
- ENGL 836

Application Required:

Yes

Application Deadline:

Spring

Start Date:

Fall

Additional Information:

Certification by national organization is required for employment. Please contact Alice Erskine at erskine@smccd.edu for further details of the Surgical Tech program.

Program Website:

Click here to go to the program website.