How to Get Your First Surgical Tech Job When Every Posting Wants Experience
You have the certificate, the CST date on the calendar, and a case log from school that felt huge while you were living it. Then you open the job board.…
Sterile Processing vs Surgical Tech: Pick the Job for the Life You Want
A recruiter tells you there is a sterile processing opening and “a lot of people use it to get into the OR.” You take it. A year later you know…
How to Choose a Surgical Specialty Without Boxing Yourself In
The first time someone asks what you “want to do,” you are usually still learning how to keep a mayo stand from looking like a junk drawer. A year later…
Your First 90 Days in the OR as a New Surgical Tech
You show up at 6:45 on a Monday thinking you will shadow for two weeks. The charge nurse looks at the board, looks at you, and says room 4 is…
Surgical Tech Interview Questions and the Answers They Are Listening For
They ask how you would handle a count discrepancy. You recite the textbook chain of command and “the patient comes first.” The educator nods and writes nothing. They were listening…
A Surgical Tech Resume That Gets Past the Recruiter
You can first-scrub a total knee and keep your cool when the count is off. Your resume says “responsible for providing quality patient care in a fast-paced environment” and lists…
How to Take Travel Surgical Tech Assignments Without Getting Burned
The recruiter says $3,100 a week, housing stipend included, “they need you yesterday.” You give notice at your staff job. Two weeks later credentialing is still waiting on a competency…
Hospital OR vs Surgery Center: Which Surgical Tech Job Fits You
Your first offer is a hospital night-shift line with trauma call. The second is a weekday ortho ASC that starts at 6:30 and aims to be empty by 3. You…
Surgical Tech Pay: What the Job Posting Hides
They offered $32 an hour. You told your spouse you were getting a raise. Then you sat with the charge nurse at lunch and did the real math: no call…
CST vs TS-C: Which Surgical Tech Certification Hospitals Actually Want
The posting says “CST required.” You finished an NCCT program. Your instructor said TS-C is “the same thing, just a different board.” HR’s application portal will not let you submit…