Surgical Technologists

What Surgical Technologists Do

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

None

Self-employed

0.1%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.7/5
• Medicine and Dentistryimportance 3.7/5
• English Languageimportance 3.5/5
• Education and Trainingimportance 3.1/5
• Psychologyimportance 2.9/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.9/5
• Biologyimportance 2.8/5
• Mathematicsimportance 2.7/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Physical Proximity5.0/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.9/5
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.8/5
• Contact With Others4.7/5
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
• Frequency of Decision Making4.7/5

Related Careers

• Surgical Assistants
• Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians
• Healthcare Support Workers, All Other
• Medical Equipment Preparers
• Radiologic Technologists and Technicians
• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers
• Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
• Radiation Therapists

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons94% skill match
• Furniture Finishers94% skill match
• Upholsterers93% skill match
• Veterinary Technologists and Technicians93% skill match
• Fence Erectors92% skill match
• Carpenters91% skill match
• Pest Control Workers91% skill match
• Respiratory Therapists91% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Operations Monitoringimportance 3.3/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
• Instructingimportance 3.0/5
• Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
• Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Cooperation
• Self-Control
• Stress Tolerance
• Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• SocialMedium
• InvestigativeMedium
• EnterprisingLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where surgical technologists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Mayaguez, PR5.27× national avg
2. 2Hattiesburg, MS4.53× national avg
3. 3Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC3.89× national avg
4. 4Florence, SC3.87× national avg
5. 5Dothan, AL3.05× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Diagnostic Medical SonographersLateral Move
• Respiratory TherapistsLateral Move
• Nuclear Medicine TechnologistsLateral Move
• Nurse AnesthetistsAdvancement

See the full career path from Surgical Technologists →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.