Surgical Technologists
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2055.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$64,650
Employment, U.S.117,460
Median hourly wage$31.08
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $45,940 | $54,690 | $64,650 | $79,750 | $96,940 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2,480 | $49,420 | 1.56 |
| Alaska | 310 | $80,380 | 1.28 |
| Arizona | 2,410 | $72,260 | 0.98 |
| Arkansas | 1,640 | $57,400 | 1.66 |
| California | 11,920 | $81,310 | 0.87 |
| Colorado | 2,100 | $75,740 | 0.97 |
| Connecticut | 1,220 | $79,890 | 0.95 |
| Delaware | 340 | $62,250 | 0.93 |
| District of Columbia | 340 | $77,520 | 0.63 |
| Florida | 9,120 | $62,440 | 1.22 |
| Georgia | 4,380 | $64,010 | 1.19 |
| Hawaii | 290 | $82,640 | 0.60 |
| Idaho | 1,100 | $72,550 | 1.70 |
| Illinois | 3,570 | $64,650 | 0.78 |
| Indiana | 2,680 | $64,240 | 1.11 |
| Iowa | 950 | $60,540 | 0.81 |
| Kansas | 1,200 | $60,600 | 1.10 |
| Kentucky | 1,440 | $60,490 | 0.96 |
| Louisiana | 2,230 | $57,370 | 1.53 |
| Maine | 470 | $62,860 | 0.98 |
| Maryland | 1,880 | $68,970 | 0.90 |
| Massachusetts | 2,220 | $80,870 | 0.81 |
| Michigan | 3,840 | $63,320 | 1.15 |
| Minnesota | 1,770 | $80,210 | 0.80 |
| Mississippi | 1,110 | $49,810 | 1.26 |
| Missouri | 2,100 | $61,120 | 0.95 |
| Montana | 490 | $60,970 | 1.26 |
| Nebraska | 770 | $63,880 | 0.99 |
| Nevada | 1,110 | $75,480 | 0.94 |
| New Hampshire | 370 | $75,040 | 0.71 |
| New Jersey | 2,780 | $77,200 | 0.86 |
| New Mexico | 540 | $51,780 | 0.83 |
| New York | 6,540 | $79,550 | 0.89 |
| North Carolina | 4,400 | $60,920 | 1.18 |
| North Dakota | 370 | $61,640 | 1.14 |
| Ohio | 3,730 | $62,420 | 0.89 |
| Oklahoma | 1,940 | $61,190 | 1.51 |
| Oregon | 1,090 | $81,390 | 0.74 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,490 | $62,680 | 0.98 |
| Rhode Island | 240 | $74,130 | 0.63 |
| South Carolina | 2,680 | $62,160 | 1.54 |
| South Dakota | 600 | $59,870 | 1.73 |
| Tennessee | 3,310 | $60,530 | 1.34 |
| Texas | 10,160 | $65,220 | 0.96 |
| Utah | 1,170 | $62,720 | 0.89 |
| Vermont | 140 | $60,660 | 0.60 |
| Virginia | 1,910 | $67,580 | 0.62 |
| Washington | 2,510 | $77,270 | 0.94 |
| West Virginia | 580 | $49,110 | 1.10 |
| Wisconsin | 2,180 | $74,120 | 0.98 |
| Wyoming | 210 | $58,850 | 1.00 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Endoscopy Technicians | 1-2 | 0.967 |
| 2 | Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.965 |
| 3 | Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | 3 | 0.964 |
| 4 | Surgical Assistants | 3 | 0.962 |
| 5 | Radiation Therapists | 3 | 0.959 |
| 6 | Dental Hygienists | 3 | 0.955 |
| 7 | Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | 3 | 0.952 |
| 8 | Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers | 1-2 | 0.947 |
| 9 | Medical Equipment Preparers | 1-2 | 0.947 |
| 10 | Dental Assistants | 3 | 0.947 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Surgical Technologists, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | Science | 0.88 | 0.965 |
| Veterinary Technologists and Technicians | Critical Thinking | 0.88 | 0.964 |
| Surgical Assistants | Speaking | 0.76 | 0.962 |
| Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists | Speaking | 0.76 | 0.952 |
| Ophthalmic Medical Technologists | Speaking | 0.88 | 0.946 |
| Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians | Science | 1.12 | 0.943 |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | Science | 1.50 | 0.941 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | Speaking | 0.76 | 0.940 |
| Paramedics | Critical Thinking | 0.76 | 0.929 |
| Embalmers | Social Perceptiveness | 0.88 | 0.920 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Surgical Technologists, excluding software Surgical Technologists already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| eClinicalWorks EHR software | 7 of 20 | 6.7x |
| Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Pyxis MedStation software | 3 of 20 | 27.7x |
| Henry Schein Dentrix | 3 of 20 | 11.5x |
| Practice management software PMS | 3 of 20 | 8.7x |
| Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR | 3 of 20 | 7.7x |
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 3 of 20 | 6.3x |
| Scheduling software | 4 of 20 | 2.6x |
| Epic Systems | 3 of 20 | 2.2x |
| JavaScript | 3 of 20 | 1.6x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.50 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.25 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.12 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.62 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.12 | 5.45 |
| English Language | 3.96 | 4.19 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.84 | 4.98 |
| Education and Training | 3.27 | 3.98 |
| Production and Processing | 2.72 | 2.69 |
| Psychology | 2.67 | 3.43 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.63 | 3.55 |
| Biology | 2.60 | 3.15 |
| Mechanical | 2.59 | 3.01 |
| Administration and Management | 2.58 | 2.32 |
| Mathematics | 2.53 | 2.96 |
| Chemistry | 2.49 | 2.86 |
| Administrative | 2.45 | 3.14 |
| Physics | 2.43 | 2.60 |
| Law and Government | 2.39 | 2.41 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 2.38 | 2.66 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.34 | 2.53 |
| Communications and Media | 2.34 | 2.17 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.23 | 1.89 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.20 | 2.09 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.07 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.01 | 2.08 |
| Telecommunications | 1.98 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.85 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.84 | not rated |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.84 | 0.96 |
| Foreign Language | 1.76 | 1.50 |
| Design | 1.74 | not rated |
| Transportation | 1.59 | 1.13 |
| Fine Arts | 1.55 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.50 | not rated |
| Geography | 1.46 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.35 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Near Vision | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Oral Expression | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.25 | 3.62 |
| Information Ordering | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 3.12 | 2.50 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.00 | 3.62 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Control Precision | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Memorization | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Trunk Strength | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Written Expression | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Static Strength | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Time Sharing | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Depth Perception | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.50 | 2.00 |
| Originality | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Stamina | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Reaction Time | 2.00 | 2.50 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Response Orientation | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Rate Control | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.38 | 0.50 |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Night Vision | 1.25 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.25 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- Database software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Email software
- Google Drive
- Graphics software
- Nursing documentation software
- Patient scheduling software
- Patient tracking software
- Supply documentation software
- Surgery workflow communication software
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayaguez, PR | 210 | 5.27 | $31,200 |
| Hattiesburg, MS | 210 | 4.53 | $48,610 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 130 | 3.89 | $56,510 |
| Florence, SC | 260 | 3.87 | $67,080 |
| Dothan, AL | 140 | 3.05 | $47,100 |
| Jonesboro, AR | 140 | 3.04 | $49,590 |
| Morgantown, WV | 150 | 2.91 | $49,390 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 310 | 2.77 | $48,790 |
| Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 640 | 2.38 | $60,910 |
| Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 170 | 2.35 | $59,100 |