Medical Skilled Trades
Surgical Technologist
Surgical technologists prepare operating rooms, keep everything sterile and pass instruments to surgeons during operations. They are an important part of the surgical team.
1.Career snapshot
- Role
- Surgical Technologist
- Pay (planning range)
- $50K–$80K+ Wealth Playbook guide, 2026
- Training time
- 1–2 years
- Pathway
- Surgical & Hospital Support
- Demand
- Employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.
- Patient contact
- Moderate
- Occupation code
- SOC 29-2055 · O*NET 29-2055.00
- Career advancement potential
2.What you'll do
Everyday work and where it happens
Before each operation you set up the room, sterilize equipment and lay out instruments. You help prepare the patient, then during surgery you pass instruments and supplies, hold retractors and keep the sterile field intact. You count sponges, needles and instruments before and after so nothing is left behind, and you may be on call for emergency cases.
Typical duties
- Prepare operating rooms and sterilize equipment before surgery
- Ready patients for surgery, such as washing and disinfecting incision sites
- Pass instruments and other sterile supplies to surgeons during operations
- Count supplies such as sponges and instruments to make sure none are retained in patients
- Maintain a sterile environment to prevent patient infection
- Help position and drape patients on the operating table
- Where you could work
- Hospitals, Offices of physicians, Outpatient care centers
- Schedule
- Most surgical technologists work full time. In hospitals you may work or be on call during nights, weekends and holidays, and shifts can last longer than 8 hours.
- Physical demands
- You are on your feet for long periods and may help move patients or lift heavy trays of supplies. BLS notes surgical technologists have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations.
- Patient contact
- Moderate
3.How to get there
Education, training, exams and licensing
- Typical training
- Certificate / associate degree
- Training time
- 1–2 years
1.Finish high school or an equivalent
Accredited programs usually ask for a high school diploma or equivalent.
2.Complete an accredited surgical technology program
Programs lead to a certificate or an associate's degree and include anatomy, microbiology, physiology and supervised clinical experience. To sit for the CST exam you must graduate from a CAAHEP- or ABHES-accredited program (or a qualifying military program).
3.Earn the CST credential
The Certified Surgical Technologist exam is run by the NBSTSA. Many employers also require CPR or BLS certification.
4.Check your state's rules
Some states have regulations governing the work of surgical technologists; contact your state licensing agency.
Exams and credentials
- CST - Certified Surgical Technologist (National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting)
Licensing
Some states have regulations governing the work of surgical assistants and technologists. Certification (the CST) typically requires completing an accredited program and passing an exam, and many jobs also require CPR or BLS certification. Requirements vary by state; check your state licensing agency.
Look up your state's license requirements (opens in a new tab)
4.What it costs
Tuition, fees, exams and financial aid
Costs vary by program.
NBSTSA charges an eligibility processing fee plus an exam fee; check nbstsa.org for current amounts.
Grants, loans and work-study can help pay for an eligible program. Start with the FAFSA at studentaid.gov (opens in a new tab), and ask each program what its total cost includes.
5.What you can earn
Starting, median and experienced pay, and where the figures come from
Planning range
$50K–$80K+
Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026
Local wage data isn't loaded yet, so this is a broad planning range, not a wage figure.
A planning range is broad and has no median: it is for planning, not a promise of pay. Starting, median and experienced wages will show here when BLS wage data is loaded.
For reference only (not this page's pay figure): BLS median, May 2025, national: $64,650 a year (source, opens in a new tab).
6.Jobs near you
Coming soon
We plan to show local openings here once a job-data source is connected. Until then, you can search current listings yourself.
7.Career ladder
Next certifications and roles
- Surgical Technologist(this career)
- Surgical First Assistant(BLS says technologists may receive additional on-the-job training to become first assistants, who help directly with the operation (for example suctioning or suturing).)
- Registered Nurse (RN)(Needs more education: an associate's degree, a diploma or a bachelor's degree in nursing (BLS lists a bachelor's degree as typical). BLS lists RN as an advancement route for surgical technologists.)
8.Your wealth path
From your first paycheck to owning and investing
Train
Certify
Get hired
Advance
Build wealth
Own / invest
Estimated take-home pay
Low end of the planning range: $50,000 a year
About $40,464 a year ($3,372 a month)
High end of the planning range: $80,000 a year
About $61,416 a year ($5,118 a month)
Estimate only. Assumptions: tax year 2026, single filer, the standard deduction, federal income tax, FICA at 7.65%, and a default state income tax rate of 5.00% (choose a state above to use its rate). No retirement contributions or other deductions. The Paycheck calculator uses the same engine.
9.Find training
Free U.S. Department of Labor resources. We don't list or rank schools.
Registered apprenticeships exist for some of these roles. For licensed careers, check that a program meets your state's licensing rules.
10.Compare careers
Save this career and put it beside others
Sources
- Pay: Planning range from the Wealth Playbook medical careers guide, 2026 (a planning range, not wage data).
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Surgical Assistants and Technologists (opens in a new tab)
- O*NET OnLine: 29-2055.00 Surgical Technologists (opens in a new tab)
- NBSTSA: CST Certification (opens in a new tab)
- NBSTSA: CST Eligibility (opens in a new tab)