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Surgical Technology

A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and surgical nurses, to maintain, monitor, and enforce the sterile field and adherence to aseptic technique by preoperative, surgical team, and postoperative personnel. Includes instruction in instrument and equipment sterilization and handling, surgical supplies management, wound exposure and closure, surgical computer and robot operation and monitoring, maintenance of hemostasis, and patient and team scrubbing.

Types of Degrees Surgical Technology Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Surgical Technology have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1,144
Associate’s Degree	5,465
Bachelor’s Degree	25
Master’s Degree	963

What Surgical Technology Majors Need to Know

Programs in Surgical Technology develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Surgical Technology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Surgical Technology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Surgical Technology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Surgical Technology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Surgical Technology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Surgical Technology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Patient tracking software	Medical software	—
Supply documentation software	Medical software	—
Surgery workflow communication software	Medical software	—
Electronic medical record EMR software	Medical software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Nursing documentation software	Medical software	—
Patient scheduling software	Medical software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Surgical Technology graduates include:

• Certified Surgical Technician
• Surgical Scrub Technician
• Operating Room Technologist (OR Tech)
• Surgical Technologist (Surgical Tech)
• Travel Surgical Technologist
• Surgical Technician
• Travel OR Tech (Travel Operating Room Technician)
• Surgical Orderly
• Cardiovascular Operating Room Technologist (CVOR Technologist)
• Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St)
• Surgical Scrub Technologist (Surgical Scrub Tech)
• Certified Surgical Technologist (CST)
• Travel Surgical Tech (Travel Surgical Technician)
• Operating Room Surgical Technologist
• Operating Room Technician (OR Tech)

What Can You Do With a Surgical Technology Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Surgical Technology commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Surgical Technology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	26.1%
Postsecondary certificate	19.0%
Some college courses	13.3%
Master’s degree	12.5%
Doctoral degree	7.4%
Post-doctoral training	6.7%
Bachelor’s degree	5.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Surgical Technology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 86.1% of Surgical Technology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,568	86.1%
Men	1,058	13.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Surgical Technology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,530	46.3%
Asian	243	3.2%
Hispanic or Latino	1,865	24.5%
Black or African American	1,256	16.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	81	1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	18	0.2%
Two or More Races	286	3.8%
Race Unknown	305	4.0%
International Students	42	0.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Surgical Technology Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Surgical Technology graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Surgical Technology Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Surgical Technology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	6	13

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Surgical Technology Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Surgical Technology graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	29,337
Physician Associate/Assistant	13,046
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	6,686
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Athletic Training/Trainer	3,132
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Sterile Processing Technology/Technician	1,964
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician	677
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist	596

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.