Military Surgical Tech to Civilian Hospital: How to Translate Your Experience
You finished a 12-hour day of cases. You can set up a trauma laparotomy in your sleep, you have run a cysto table with a brand-new resident, and you have…
Why Surgical Techs Burn Out — and How to Stay in the Job
You skip lunch again because room 3 is turning over and the add-on is already in holding. You eat crackers from the core at 2:40, scrub a case that runs…
From CST to Surgical First Assist: What the Path Actually Looks Like
You have been first-scrubbing a surgeon for two years. They start asking you to hold retraction the way they like, to cut, to throw a stitch on close, to “just…
Call, Nights, and Callback: How Surgical Tech Pay Really Works
The offer letter says $28 an hour. Your classmate takes nights at $26 with a differential that looks small on the flyer. Six months later they are talking about a…
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…