Category Archives: Certified Surgical Technician

Certified Surgical Technologist – What do they do?

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The major responsibility of a certified surgical technologist is to prepare and sanitize patients and the surgical room they will use before and after the surgery.  Obviously, their main theater of operation will be the operating room of a hospital or similar health care facility. The certified surgical technologist occupies a key position that contributes to the surgical team’s success. Before you can apply for your certified surgical technologist license, you must be a graduate of a surgical technology program.  There are schools across the United States that can fulfill this requirement ad do so by offering the necessary classes (42 credit hours).  All programs must be accredited by the Commission Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).  Check into both of these associations to obtain a list of eligible schools and their websites.

Duties of a Certified Surgical Technologist

One usually chooses this career because they want to work in the interesting and dramatic arena of a hospital’s operating room (OR).  It is a relatively well-paying occupation with an average wage of $19.50 per hour.  The salary is, however, not the main reason people enter the field.  The major attraction of the job to a certified surgical technologist is the variety, no two days are ever alike.  They also talk about personal satisfaction from creating efficient operating environments for medical personnel that make it safe for patients in need of surgical procedures.

What is the Certified Surgical Technologist Job Really Like?

Perusing the certified surgical technologist job description will enlighten you that the position is referred to as “scrub tech” or “OR tech.”  You do work in the OR under supervision of surgeons, nurses and sometimes other designated members of the medical staff.

What you will do is become an integral part of a team of medical practitioners providing surgical care to patients in any number of settings by:

  • Organizing supplies and equipment
  • Setting up operating surgeons sterile table trying to anticipate what may be required during the procedure
  • Aiding the surgical team with putting on their sterile surgical garb
  • Providing a count of surgical instruments before and after surgery
  • Handing the requested instruments to the surgeon during the operation
  • Preparing sterile dressings
  • Cleaning the instruments post-surgery
  • Helping to clean up the OR post-surgery
  • Assisting with the transfer of the patient post surgery

The certified surgical technologist field also includes the Circulating Surgical Technician who also may:

  • Interview patients prior to surgical procedure
  • Prepare patient for surgery including application of monitors
  • Open sterile instrument packages and hand them to surgical assistants
  • Write an account of the events during the surgical procedure
  • Manage specimens
  • Obtain additional instruments and equipment as required during the surgery

People who fit in nicely with this type of work are those who want a career in the medical field with room for advancement, have a need for and really enjoy being organized and methodical, have an overwhelming need for cleanliness and pride themselves on remaining calm in a crisis.

The people who do not fit in this position are those with a large ego and feel in competition with the higher levels of the medical team, the nurses and doctors.  You must check your ego at the health facility’s door and be a part of the team, albeit, one on the lower rungs of the team ladder, while performing duties absolutely critical to the surgical team and most importantly, the patient.

If you think you may feel pushed around by those in authority, continue your education and earn that RN or MD degree and leave the Certified Surgical Technicians to practice their well-honed and crucial medical skills.

Certified Surgical Technician & LPN as One

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First, a note of caution.  The field of Certified Surgical Technician is a highly competitive one.  There was a time when an LPN could be trained on the job by the hospital in which he/she worked.  That is no more.  With the heated competition out there, in order to be even considered for the job of a Certified Surgical Technician (also referred to as scrub Technician or surgical Assistant) one most graduate from an accredited Certified Surgical Technician school and pass the licensing examination. That being said, the advantages of being a LPN/Certified Surgical Technician are many.  The certification will open doors to many more choices of health facilities in which to work, not to mention that you could work as both a LPN and Certified Surgical Technician to add variety and spice to your working day.  You may choose one or the other as a full time career after discovering which of the professions motivates you the most and is the most rewarding to you.

The differences between the two jobs, besides the obvious job responsibilities inherent in each, is the type of facility in which you will work.  LPNs primarily work in long term nursing care facilities such as in nursing care, residential care, facilities for the elderly, home health care services and government agencies.  Considering that the population of the United States is aging, thanks to the baby boom generation, the job growth for LPNs is assured for the future.  The majority of the Certified Surgical Technician demand is by hospitals or any similar health care facility where surgeries are performed.  The operating room of a hospital is where the work responsibilities of the Certified Surgical Technician are performed, not long term care facilities.

In some states LPNs who have one year of continuous employment in a surgical setting may be eligible to take the Certified Surgical Technician examination.  The usual route however is to graduate from a college accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).  There are more than 400 such educational facilities throughout the United States.  Many community colleges, universities and some hospitals offer accredited programs as well.  These generally will last from nine to twenty-four months, consist of at least 42 credit hours to graduate and include such courses as anatomy, physiology, proper patient care and OR sanitation methods.

While the duties of both the LPN and Certified Surgical Technician include patient care, the actual responsibilities are quite different.  The Certified Surgical Technician is mostly concerned with providing a sanitary environment for the patient before, during and after surgery, as well as assisting the surgical team by handing them the appropriate instruments during the surgery.  The working environment in the OR can be tense and dramatic, so the CST must be calm under some very trying circumstances.  The patient care part of the CST job involves somewhat less direct patient care than the one of the LPN, who is responsible for bathing, feeding and doing whatever the LPN license allows to care for the patient.  While, of course the CST is responsible to the patient, the majority of the duties consist of assisting the surgical team.

The pay and the 24/7 working schedule in either job is similar, so that is not a concern.  The main concern for you is to decide which working scenario suits you best and which one (or both) makes your working day a joy rather than a task.  It would be worthwhile to look into this further, including finding out about schools and certifications in the state in which you work.

With appropriate preparation, your decision is sure to be right for you.  Good luck!