Surgical Tech Careers

As many people probably know, most of the health careers have a shortage of workers, meaning that they have great employment prospects. One of these careers is that of a surgical tech. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment prospects for those with surgical tech careers are great since the number of openings for these jobs is supposed to grow much faster than average. The opportunities are especially good for those who become certified, so this is worth the time and money that is involved in order to do this.

Surgical tech programs are good for those who don't want to have to go through a very long educational program since they only require a training program that lasts between 9 and 24 months, depending on whether you want a certificate, diploma, or associates degree.

You should be sure to choose one of the programs that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and once you have completed the program it would be beneficial to get certified either by the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist or the National Center for Competency Testing, both of which require you to pass an exam in order to get certified and then complete continuing education courses in order to keep your certification up to date.

The majority of surgical techs work in hospitals, with approximately seventy percent of surgical techs working in this type of position. Surgical tech duties involve helping out in the operating room before, during, and after surgery. This means setting up all the necessary instruments and equipment, helping to prep the patient, passing instruments to the physicians during surgery, helping to clean up after surgery, and transporting patients to and from surgery.

Some surgical techs have specializations that make it so that they can perform certain other tasks as well. The exact tasks performed depend on the training and experience that the tech has as well as the other members that are present during surgery.

Surgical tech careers also offer room for advancement. Certification opens up more job opportunities, and specialization is also an option in order to gain more responsibility. Some surgical techs move up to become first assistants with some additional training. If you are interested in furthering your career you need to take the appropriate steps and get the education that is necessary to get a higher level position. Louis Zhang, Surgicaltechnologytraining dot com