There are few, if any, bad choices you can make if you’re interested in a healthcare career. And there aren’t any right or wrong answers to these questions. It’s all about the fit. With that in mind, it’s good to determine what job will make the best use of your personality traits while making you happy and successful at your work. You will want to select a career path that will fit well into both your current lifestyle and your future professional plans. See if surgical technology is the right choice for you.
Are you always on the move?
If you’re an active person who prefers a job with varying responsibilities that keeps you on your feet rather than behind a desk, surgical technology may be a great choice. Surgical technologists take on many different tasks over the course of the day. Some include prepping operating rooms, working alongside registered nurses, sterilizing surgical tools and equipment, assisting doctors during surgery, and transporting patients to and from the OR.
Are you partial to changes in scenery?
Surgical technologists often do rotations. You may work in an operating room where you’ll be a part of the fast-paced excitement and frequent turmoil or in a private practice where there is more consistency on a given day. You can work with a specialty surgeon and follow his or her procedure schedule. Some surgical technologists choose to work in a medical outpatient practice. All settings involve non-stop activity, and your basic skill set requirements will be the same for each.
How are your people skills?
You may consider this a silly question, as the reason most 
people pursue a healthcare profession is to help people. However, if you are not an outgoing person, you may do better in a behind-the-scenes role, such as medical billing or technology support. Surgical technologists must be extremely alert and always positive. You’ll be assisting and working with various medical professionals, such as surgeons, doctors, physicians, residents, medical students and registered nurses, who may accost you with an emergency request at any time during your day. You’ll also often need to calm, reassure, and comfort patients before or after surgery.
What’s your favorite school subject?
A healthcare education contains many of the same areas of study, regardless of the specific certification field. You can expect your required coursework to include medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and patient care. A good surgical technology program will also include classwork on biomedicine, pharmacology and anesthesia, operating procedures, and surgical technology. Clinical internship studies are an important part of a comprehensive program.
How well do you work under pressure?
As a surgical technologist, you’ll be handling surgical tools during operations. An attention to detail is most critical. Also, as part of the team, you may be witness to – and be asked to help with – some very intense duties, which makes this job not well suited for everyone.
Would you like a career with great potential?
Of course you would! Here are a few facts from the May 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The national mean annual wage for a surgical technologist is $46,800. In New York it’s $52,380.
- Surgical hospital and outpatient centers have the highest employment of surgical technologists. Medical and diagnostic laboratories and specialty hospitals pay the highest wages.
- The surgical technology profession is projected to grow 15% from 2014 to 2024, which is much faster than average. There will be many opportunities due to continued growth and advancement in surgical procedures.
Here’s more information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on the Surgical Technology field:
Occupational Employment Statistics
The full-time, accredited Surgical Technology program at CAHE provides financial aid opportunities for those who qualify. If you feel that surgical technology will provide you with a successful career and future, contact CAHE for more information on our program.