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Surgical Technology/Technologist Major

Surgical Technology/Technologist

What Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to surgical technology/technologist were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

Surgical Technology/Technologist majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

Skills for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

A major in surgical technology/technologist prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

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  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Surgical Technology/Technologist Majors

A major in surgical technology/technologist will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Surgical Technology/Technologist Major?

People with a surgical technology/technologist degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors 25.9% $97,370
Surgical Technologists 11.7% $47,300

Some careers associated with surgical technology/technologist require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for surgical technology/technologist careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 3.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 19.9%
Some College Courses 14.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 26.3%
Bachelor’s Degree 5.2%
Master’s Degree 14.9%
Doctoral Degree 10.3%
Post-Doctoral Training 7.9%

Online Surgical Technology/Technologist Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 200 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 10 0
Associate’s Degree 401 7
Bachelor’s Degree 0 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 0 0
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to surgical technology/technologist.

Major Number of Grads
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic) 27,986
Physician Assistant 12,477
Radiologic Technology 10,598
Respiratory Care Therapy 6,800
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician 6,280
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapy 3,991
Athletic Training 3,255
Other Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions 1,970
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist 1,420
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technology 921
Electrocardiograph Technology/Technician 611
Nuclear Medical Technology/Technologist 588
Electroneurodiagnostic/Electroencephalographic Technology/Technologist 384
Polysomnography 235
Perfusion Technology/Perfusionist 183
Mammography Technician/Technology 110
Radiation Protection/Health Physics Technician 71
Gene/Genetic Therapy 41
Cardiopulmonary Technology 39
Hearing Instrument Specialist 14
Orthopedic Technology 6

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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