For surgeries to be successful, they need a large team of health care professionals working together. The surgical tech job description defines their duties assisting with all aspects of surgery. This covers the basics of what a surgical technologist does but also goes beyond them. It will cover what skills make these professionals good at their job, what education and experience help them to achieve those skills and the future job outlook. At the end of this article, you should be able to better articulate various features of a surgical technologist job.

What Does a Surgical Technologist Do?

Surgical technologists have a vital part in surgery. The doctors and registered nurses need to focus on the operating procedure and cannot switch equipment on their own. Therefore, it’s a team oriented profession because every operation from start to finish requires everyone to work together. They may also help with simple patient care from prepping the patient for surgery and changing dressings after. Another important task for surgeons is to keep track of the equipment. Part of the surgical tech job description is to make sure that it is all accounted for so that none of it may have been left in the patient.

what is the surgical tech job description

An associate’s degree is necessary to practice as a surgical technologist. Surgeries can take a very long term, and surgical technologists work full-time and may have to work longer than 8 hours for some procedures. The median surgical tech job salary is $44,330.

Surgical Tech Job Description for Resume – Responsibilities

Showing evidence of patient care and attention to detail are important points for a resume and criteria needed in a surgical tech job description. Consider these bullet points brainstorming starters for your own resume. Tailor them to fit your situation.

  • Clean the operating room between procedures following hospital protocol for disinfection and sterilization.
  • Prepare patients for surgery by making them comfortable and cleaning the planned incision site.
  • Stay focused for an extended period of time in complex surgeries including trauma surgeries.
  • Sterilize all of the equipment and hand it to the doctors and nurses when required.
  • Keep track of all of the equipment in the operating room.
  • Take patients to recovery after surgery.
  • Meet with the healthcare team prior to surgery to prepare as needed and minimize the risk of complications.

The above responsibilities expand on a list from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Surgical Technologist Required Skills

  • Compassionate care skills. Patients going into surgery will likely be apprehensive and nervous. Surgical technologists who share empathy and compassion with the patients while sterilizing the patient bring a lot of value to the position.
  • Detail oriented skills. The surgical equipment can be small and closely resemble each other. Therefore, a surgical technologist must differentiate between the equipment and know if it is all back in place after the doctor is done using it.
  • Emotional maturity skills. Patients might pass away during surgery. One of the skills of a surgical technologist must show empathy while maintaining a level of professionalism. The family receiving the news will become emotionally devastated. However, the surgical tech delivering it cannot get caught up in emotions.
  • Physical endurance skills. It is extremely likely that surgical technologists will have to be on their feet for more than 5 hours on a regular basis. Therefore, being able to work and stay focused through physical fatigue is a requirement.

How to Become a Surgical Technologist

There are a variety of higher education institutions that will offer an associate’s degree in surgical technology. These students will study basic science as well as how to prepare the equipment for surgery. Work experience is gained through clinical internships and gaining increasing responsibility while in entry-level positions.

Education & Training Requirements

Some positions may require surgical technologists to have a certificate. However, others will require an associate’s degree. There are more than 450 accredited surgical tech programs that offer this type of education. If a student is interested in this job in high school, they should look into a vocational allied healthcare program. This can provide an additional layer of experience.

During the certificate or associate’s degree, future surgical technologists will complement their classroom learning with hands-on clinical care experience. This helps prepare the students for their future work. Also, it ensures that they are comfortable working in the operating room.

In addition to the degree, there are a couple of different certificates that surgical technologists can gain. You can opt for the Certified Surgical Technologist awarded by the Liaison Council for the Certification of the Surgical Technologist. However, another option would be the Tech in Surgery certified by the National Center for Competency Testing.

Work Experience

As stated above, surgical technicians gain a lot of work experience throughout their education. Clinical internships are a necessary part of any healthcare professionals’ job. That’s because there are implicit cultural practices of patient care that no one can learn in a classroom.

An Indeed forum of current surgical technologists suggests that an additional one year of experience is preferable. A way to gain experience is to either join the military and practice as a surgical technologist there or find a hospital that allows people to serve as a second surgical assistant. There seems to be a disconnect between the accrediting body that certifies programs and what hospitals want from recent graduates. Meaning, institutions prefer more experience for entry-level positions. However, students do not have an easy way of gaining that level of experience.

Work Schedules

Most surgical technologists work full-time. The majority of these professionals work in hospitals, but some may work in surgery outpatient centers. If they work in a hospital, they must be able to go on a variety of shifts including evenings and overnights as well as holidays. On the flip side, this schedule can allow flexibility and fit a variety of lifestyles.

It is not unusual for surgical technologists to have to work longer than 8 hours. Some surgeries are 10-12 hours or even longer. In addition, part of the surgical tech job description is to stay on-call even after the shift is over.

Career Prospects

A surgical technologist’s job prospects through the year 2024 will potentially grow 15 percent. This is a higher than average job growth. The main reasons is that more surgical procedures get done due to technological developments and the population is aging. It is more likely that an elderly person will need healthcare or surgical needs than a young person. So, an aging population leads to more medical procedures performed.

The median surgical technician salary is $44,330. The range is from $31,410 to $63,410. These professionals who have levels of certification and years of experience will likely see a higher salary. However, this also depends on the place of employment and geographic area of the country.

Conclusion

Without surgical technologists, the doctors and nurses performing the surgeries would need to spend more time prepping, sterilizing, and retrieving the instruments. The surgical tech job description shows that they have a vital role to play in both organizing and keeping a clean operating room. Their hours can be long and varied, but are also flexible to fit different lifestyles. There seems to be a disconnect between the experience gained in school and the experience called for in job postings. However, creative individuals can find a way to gain that extra experience and land the surgical technologist job of their dreams.