How to Become a Surgical Technologist

Prior to surgery, a Surgical Technologist helps in the preparation of the operating room by setting up sterile surgical tools, and equipment such as curtains, medical gowns, latex gloves, suction tubes, and finding solutions and drugs from the circulator. A Surgical Technologist includes all sterile equipment in surgery, checks to make sure everything is working properly and performs repairs where necessary. A Surgical Technologist assists the surgeon by assisting him or her in wearing the medical gown and gloves.  A Surgical Technologist also assists the surgeon in placing the patient in the drapes which have been sterilised to create a sterile field. A Surgical Technologist is required to be quick and understand the needs of a surgeon. It is the job of a surgical technologist during surgery to transfer the tools and supplies such as sponge, scissors, knives, providing medication to the surgeon, obtaining tissue samples for circular transfers and ensuring there are no patient interruptions for surgical recovery. Successful completion of Surgical Technologist degree programme is required to opt further opt for the role. 

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Active: Clean Hands

The surgical technologist is the first person to enter the operation theatre before surgery. At this stage of operation, the surgical technologist adheres closely to the following procedure:

• He or she carefully drops work wardrobe, 

• A surgical technologist begins to prepare the room into a sterilized field. 

• He or she includes all the equipment and surgical tools that are needed in surgery

• Sort and compile carefully

The most important part of this active phase is the creation and maintenance of the sterilized environment. Empty fields can be moisture sensing. To prevent this, the surgical technologist is responsible for arranging dry curtains around the operating table and keeping the entire surface in shape.

Interaction: The Third Hand

During the collaborative phase of surgery, a surgical technologist is still obliged to get the work going in the operation theatre, but also become a "third hand" to the surgeon and nurses during the procedure and to perform the following operations:

• Help fix the medication and deliver it to the patient

• Assist in retracting the patient's tissue

• Transfers surgical tools to the surgeon as well as to the nurses during surgery

At any time during the surgery, if the tool is lost or contaminated, delays or a specific infection can cost the patient their life. This is why a surgical technologist needs to be diligent and always available

Postoperative: Tying Things Up

As the work concludes, surgical techniques work on the following:

• Includes all the tools and instruments used during surgery to ensure that nothing is left to the patient

• Suture incision and apply local anesthetic

• Get rid of things like needles and gauze, and continue to keep the OR organism working properly until the patient is sent to the recovery ward

Preparing the patient for the surgery

It is the job of a Surgical Technologist to prepare a patient for the surgery with his or her team. One needs to get the patient dressed in sterile clothes. Not only that the patient has to be properly positioned in the operation theatre depending on the type of surgery that will take place. Before some surgeries the patient needs to have the right diet or should have an empty stomach, according to the surgery, a Surgical Technologist takes care of that as well.

There are various other alternative career options similar to surgical technologist. We have mentioned below major career options to you can opt after successful completion of surgical technologist degree programme. Candidates must possess proficiency in using surgical tech tools. 

Lab Technician: A lab technician is someone who is responsible for maintaining the entire lab. His or her job responsibilities include maintaining the lab equipment, cleaning them whenever needed. Not only that, but a lab technician also makes sure that the lab looks the same before and after the operation has taken place. He or she is responsible for keeping everything in place once the lab is vacated.

Anesthetist Consultant: While a patient is being operated, some amount of anesthesia is given in order to prevent the patient from feeling the pain. Anesthesia helps in making the body part numb, preventing any movement from the patient’s end due to pain and ultimately making it easier for the doctor to operate. But, a different amount of dose is required for different body parts. An anesthetist technician is responsible to calculate and give the correct amount of dose for the patient.

Surgical Supervisor: Once a surgical technologist has gained experience and practice of a few years he or she is eligible to become a supervisor and distribute responsibilities to the technicians who are at the junior levels. A supervisor not only distributes work but also checks at the end of the day what all was done by the juniors under him or her.

Surgical Research Assistant: When it comes to the field of healthcare, the research work tends to be never-ending. The same goes for the field of surgery. The doctors, engineers, technologists all aim at developing better medicines, equipment and several such things. A surgical research assistant helps a surgeon in the research field by assisting him or her in the project one is working for.

Whether an individual works in a hospital, at a school, or in a research centre, he or she will be spending much of the time indoors. When a surgical technologist is not working in an operation theatre he or she has to work in a sensitise surgical tech tools and ensure the cleanliness of operation theatre and its inner environment. While working in the operation theatre one has to stand for long hours wearing gloves and operation theatre clothing which can get tiring. A surgical tech is also exposed to strong lights, communicable diseases, not-so-pleasant sight and odour.

Does Surgical Technologist require travelling?

Not Likely

The job of a Surgical Technologist does not require much travelling. One works in a hospital, research firm or maybe an educational institute. There is no requirement of travelling in the job of a Surgical Technologist.

Employment Shifts

Full Time

Being a surgical Tech is a full-time job. The job of a Surgical Technologist falls under two shifts. It can either be a morning or a night shift which keeps rotating on a monthly or weekly basis. Candidates are required to enrol in surgical tech degree programme to become Surgical Technician. 

Employment Nature

Permanent

The nature of the employment of a career as a Surgical Technologist is full time in nature. One works for a full-time basis both in a medical organisation or a research-based organisation. Unless one has to conduct a workshop for any educational institution, in that case, the work becomes contractual in nature.

Work Place

hospitals

Surgical tech generally work in hospitals under the supervision of surgeons where they perform surgery. A career as surgical tech requires to coordinate in team around him or her to assist during the surgery.

Also Read: Career as Doctor

Presence in Geographical Area

Semi-urban, Urban

A career as a Surgical Technologist generally provides employment opportunities in urban or semi-urban locations. Since, places with surgical tech tools, equipment and operating theatre units have hardly opened in rural areas. Since there are hardly any surgical set ups in a rural area, a Surgical Technologist mainly works in urban or semi-urban locations. In case of requirement, a Surgical Technologist might be called in a rural area for providing assistance.

Time Pressure

Likely

Time pressure is high for Surgical Technologists. Typically, a surgical tech is required to work a regular 40-hour per week, but he or she also might be required to be present on call on some nights, weekends, and holidays. Depending on the operation, call responsibilities can get rigorous. In certain facilities that perform a large number of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary surgeries, surgical technologists may work in shifts to ensure that trained Surgical Technologists are available 24 hours a day.

Overtime Details

A Surgical Technologist work hours vary greatly as they must answer the call of surgical and medical emergencies when needed. Many Surgical Technologists are also required to assist in philanthropic cardiac surgery missions. They might work overtime if the surgery stretches to be too long.

Weekly Hours of Work

Min 50 Hours

There are no fixed working hours for a Surgical Technologist. Ideally he or she should work for 9-10 hours but the working hours often get stretched depending on the requirement as well as the operating schedule. Therefore, we can say that a surgical tech often works extended hours and overtime. 

A career as a Surgical Technologist is considered as supportive role in the medical professions. To become surgical tech one must complete surgical technologist degree programme or acquire national certification for surgical technologist. There are several skill sets required beside surgical tech qualifications. We have mentioned major skills that will support you to progress in career as a Surgical Technologist. 

Communication skills: A surgical technologist must have a good command over his or her language. It is important for his or her job position to be able to explain the message to the recipient clearly and precisely. Being able to communicate well eliminates the probability of errors being caused due to any sort of miscommunication between the surgical technologist and the surgeon or the nurses. And to be able to communicate well it is essential for the individual to be a good listener.

Attention to detail: A surgical technologist is expected to have extremely high attention to detail. It is important in his or her job position that he or she does not miss out on anything while operation theatre is being prepared for the patient, during the operation or after the operation is conducted. 

Service orientation: For any individual who wishes to be a part of the healthcare industry it is important that he or she is service-oriented as well as passionate about his or her work. One must have the inner urge to help a person in need therefore it is one of the primary skills required to be a surgical technologist. The job involves an individual being responsible and responsibility comes from the ability to be work-oriented.

Leadership: There are times when a surgical technologist is promoted then he or she has to lead the juniors assigned under him or her. In such cases it is essential that the surgical technologist possess leadership skills wherein he or she is capable enough of guiding the juniors about the work in hand.

Decision making skills: It is essential that a flight engineer is decisive in nature. There are several instances where a surgical technologist is supposed to make decisions in the operation theatre. He or she needs to be calculative as well as decisive about the decisions made as well as calculate the risks in taking those decisions. It is a field where no risks can be taken as people’s lives are at stake therefore everything needs to be done with precision.

Patience: An operation theatre has a lot going on during the time of surgery. It is important for a surgical technologist to remain calm while doing his or her job. Haste can often lead to errors that can’t be overlooked in case of a healthcare situation. Not only one has to be calm during the procedure but a surgical technologist is required to have a calm sense of mind while preparing the operation theatre before surgery as well as while cleaning it once the surgery is done.

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We have provided below few of relevant Surgical Technologist courses. Aspirants who want to become a Surgical Technologist may pursue these courses to upgrade their knowledge and skills. 

To become surgical technologist, candidates are required to enrol in a surgical technologist college that offer surgical technologist degree programme. They can also opt for national certification for surgical technologist to work in operation theatres under the supervision of a medical surgeon. There are various roles that surgical tech can opt. We have mentioned below major roles with the description below. 

Surgical technologist Trainee: After completing the required education an aspiring candidate for the position of surgical technologist has to undergo a training period. The duration may vary from place to place where the candidate is hired. The training process is all about learning how to carry out several job responsibilities that are expected out of him or her. There are places where a trainer is responsible to care of the training process of the newly hired surgical tech but a surgical supervisor can also take care of this job.

Research Assistant: Once an individual has completed his or her training, he or she can be a part of both a healthcare setting as well as a research body. The individuals who choose to work in a research based institution are responsible for assisting the doctors working on a project. The individual is required to make logs take care of equipment and several similar tasks.

Surgical Supervisor: A surgical technologist after completing two to five years of service can step up the designation of a surgical supervisor. The job of a surgical supervisor is to keep a check on all the surgical technologists working in a clinic. He or she is also responsible for the distribution of duties to the assistants. Not only that, sometimes a surgical supervisor also takes care of the training process of a surgical technologist.

Teachers or Lecturers: An individual who has a passion to work in the field of education can become a teacher or a lecturer in the field of surgical technology. But in order to be an educator one must have completed his or her master’s degree or even a Ph.D is required in some cases.

A career as a Surgical Technologist has the potential of significant job growth in the healthcare field. In India, several surgeries take place on a daily basis. The healthcare industry is considered as one of the most revenue-generating industries in the country. The job growth is more significant for the Surgical Technologist in a private setting than in a government organisation. The job of a Surgical Technologist can become very stressful especially in the cases of long-lasting surgeries which require surgical tech tools instantly. The field of surgery is considered as one of the most stressful fields in the healthcare industry. Therefore, there are several job growth opportunities available for the candidates who wish to be a part of it as otherwise, the field won’t be as desirable as it is right now.  The field of Surgical Technologists has a very positive job market scenario. 

With the current scenario where all types of technology is being evolved as well as transformed to give better results, the healthcare industry will be needing a better-skilled surgical technologist. Not only that the market requirement keeps changing for every industry but when it comes to healthcare the future is bright for an individual planning to be a part of it. Therefore, we can say there is a bright scope for a career as a Surgical Technologist. 

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