There are many different jobs to choose from within the medical field. A surgical technologist is a medical professional that assists a surgeon in the operating room with various tasks. This may include setting up the operating room, helping with patients and cleaning up after
There are many different jobs to choose from within the medical field. A surgical technologist is a medical professional that assists a surgeon in the operating room with various tasks. This may include setting up the operating room, helping with patients and cleaning up after procedures.
A surgical technologists main job is to help surgeons perform several types of duties as a part of their job. They maintain a proper sterile field during all surgical procedures. They may count all the surgical supplies such as needles, surgical instruments, sponges and more. They will hand each instrument to the surgeon as they are needed. They may help by cutting sutures, covering wounds and holding re-tractors. They assist the surgical team by helping them to scrub and put on surgical clothing. They prepare dressings and bandages for the surgeon to use. They wash and sterilize all equipment after each use. They dispose of all one use operating equipment. They clean and restock the operating room according to instructions and procedures previously outlined. They monitor and assess the operating room as procedures are being performed. They may operate and use monitor sterilizers, lights, suctioning equipment and other various types of diagnostic equipment. They follow all procedures set up by the surgeon.
Surgical Technologist Salary:
The current national surgical technologist salary is about $42,000 per year. This depends on several factors including experience, education, type of lab you work in, any specialties you have and even the area of the United States that you work in. Certain industries also offer a surgical technologist salary. This is likely due to higher demand for laboratory personnel and a higher rate of living in certain areas. The top industries to work in are ambulatory health care services, specialty hospitals, colleges and universities, health practitioners offices and individual and family services. The average job in ambulatory health care services offers a surgical technologist salary of $46,000 per year. Specialty hospitals such as substance abuse hospitals offer a surgical technologist wage of $48,000 per year. Colleges and universities also offer a pay rate of $48,000 per year. Working in the offices of health practitioners will net you a wage of $49,000 per year. The top surgical technologist salary can be found working in individual and family services. The salary in these types of jobs is $50,000 a year.
Surgical Technologist Education:
The road to becoming a surgical technologist will include continuing your education. You will need to attend an accredited program at a vocational, technical or community college in order to be eligible for a job as a technologist. There are two options for your education. These are a certificate program or an associate degree. This can take from nine months to two years to complete depending on which program you choose. Courses will include anatomy, physiology, biology, medical terminology, medical records, laboratory techniques, patient care, sterilization techniques and controlling infections. Courses will include in class work, lab work and on site clinics. Certification is not required but will help when you start looking for a job. This will require one year of experience in addition to passing an exam. Re-examination must be completed every two years.
Surgical Technologist Work Environment:
The work environment for a surgical technologist generally work in hospitals and medical centers in the surgical department. They work in well lit areas that are sterile and temperature controlled. They wear protective gear such as scrubs, surgical masks, protective hair gear, goggles and more. This will prevent any spreading of infections. The majority of the work is performed on their feet and they will work as a part of a larger surgical team. They will need to have a strong subject as they may be exposed to various types of diseases and unpleasant sights and smells. The majority of all surgical technologists work a normal full time schedule of forty hours per week. This may involve overnight or weekend hours depending on the facility that they work in. Some surgical technologists may be on call twenty four hours a day when working in twenty four hour facilities. Shifts worked are typically much longer than the normal eight hours a day.
The career of a surgical technologist is very important to a surgery being performed well. They make sure that all procedures all done correctly and as sterile as possible. There are more than 94,000 medical professionals employed as surgical technologists. The job outlook for people in this career is also expanding at a great rate. There is an expected nineteen percent increase in the amount of jobs that will be available in the future. This means that there will be an additional 18,000 jobs added by the year 2020. This means that there will be ample jobs available for new surgical technologists. This makes choosing this as your career a great move professionally.