Surgery technicians usually work a 40-hour week.
Surgical instrument technicians, usually called surgical technicians or scrubs, set up an operating room in preparation for surgery. They prepare sterile surgical equipment and solutions, which they pass to the surgeon as needed during the actual operation, and then restore the operating room to readiness when the surgery is over. Surgery technicians earn an hourly wage plus overtime and medical benefits.
National Salary Average
As of 2010, surgical technicians with five years of experience or less in their field can expect to make anything from $27,000 to $40,000 a year, according to PayScale. Their income seems to increase as their years of experience increase. Surgical techs with more than 10 years in the field are reporting earnings as high as $59,000 annually.
Health Benefits
As of 2010, better than three-quarters of all surgical techs reporting to PayScale say they receive medical benefits. Sixty-four percent report receiving dental benefits, and 49 percent report getting vision benefits. Only 19 percent of all surgical techs receive no health benefits at all.
Education Required
As of 2008, there are more than 450 schools offering accredited programs of study for surgical technology, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Courses last between nine and 24 months, resulting in a certificate, diploma or associate's degree. Most hospitals, it is reported, prefer to hire someone who has passed the national certification exam after completing school.
Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects jobs in this field to grow by 25 percent during the 2008 to 2018 decade, a rate that is considered "much faster than average" by the Bureau. The increase in opportunities is due to the increase in surgeries being performed and the improvement in surgical technology.
Tags: Bureau Labor, Bureau Labor Statistics, Labor Statistics, medical benefits, more than, operating room
