Career guide
How to become a surgical technologist
Education, licensing, training, and outlook from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 projections), with BLS May 2025 pay.
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Surgical Assistants and Technologists, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page
Run it in Rivvi
Plan the path to surgical technologist in your state
Plan it in RivviFree to start. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams.
2M+ interactions500K+ patientsHIPAA BAA
Quick answer
Quick facts
- 2025 Median Pay
- $64,700 per year $31.10 per hour
- Typical Entry-Level Education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Work Experience in a Related Occupation
- None
- On-the-job Training
- None
- Number of Jobs, 2025
- 142,800
- Job Outlook, 2025 to 2035
- 5% (Faster than average)
- Employment Change, 2025 to 2035
- 7,400
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page
Run it in Rivvi
Plan the path to surgical technologist in your state
Plan it in RivviFree to start. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams.
2M+ interactions500K+ patientsHIPAA BAA
Steps to become a surgical technologist (BLS)
Surgical assistants and technologists typically need a certificate or an associate’s degree. Employers may require or prefer that workers have certification. Some states regulate these workers.
Education
Surgical assistants and technologists typically need a certificate or associate’s degree from an accredited program. Many community colleges and vocational schools, as well as some universities and hospitals, offer accredited surgical technology or surgical assisting programs.
Surgical assistants may complete a formal education program in surgical assisting. Others may work as surgical technologists and receive additional on-the-job training to become first assistants.
Surgical technology education includes courses such as anatomy, microbiology, and physiology. These workers also learn about the care and safety of patients, sterilization techniques, how to set up technical or robotic equipment, and preventing and controlling infections. In addition to classroom study, students gain hands-on experience in supervised clinical settings.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations
Certification may be beneficial for finding a job, and some employers may require it. Surgical assistants and technologists may earn certification through credentialing organizations.
Certification typically requires completing an accredited formal education program or military training program and passing an exam. In addition, many jobs require that surgical assistants and technologists become certified in CPR or basic life support (BLS), or both. Information on certifications is available from CareerOneStop.
Some states have regulations governing the work of surgical assistants and technologists. For more information, contact your state licensing agency.
Advancement
Surgical assistants and technologists may choose to advance to other healthcare occupations, such as registered nurse. Advancement to other healthcare occupations usually requires additional education, training, and/or certifications or licenses. A technologist may also choose to become a postsecondary teacher of health specialties.
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page
Job outlook, 2025 to 2035
Overall employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.
About 8,600 openings for surgical assistants and technologists are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
| Occupation | SOC | Employment | Projected | Change % | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surgical assistants | 29-9093 | 24,400 | 25,900 | 6% | 1,500 |
| Surgical technologists | 29-2055 | 118,400 | 124,300 | 5% | 5,900 |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Job Outlook, read October 23, 2026. Publisher page
Pay
| Role | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 | $31.08 |
Highest-paying states: Hawaii ($82,640), Oregon ($81,390), California ($81,310), Massachusetts ($80,870), Alaska ($80,380).
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Publisher page
Related pages
- Surgical Technologist salary by state
- Surgical Technologist salary map by state
- Pharmacy Technician salary
- Phlebotomist salary
- Physician Assistant salary
- Occupational Therapist salary
- Radiologic Technologist salary
- Respiratory Therapist salary
- Nurse Practitioner salary
- All healthcare salaries
- All healthcare career guides
- How to get an NPI number
Questions
What degree do you need to be a Surgical Technologist?
BLS lists "Postsecondary nondegree award" as the typical entry-level education.
Do surgical technologists need a license?
Certification may be beneficial for finding a job, and some employers may require it. Surgical assistants and technologists may earn certification through credentialing organizations.
What is the job outlook for surgical technologists?
Overall employment of surgical assistants and technologists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations.
How much does a Surgical Technologist make?
The BLS median for surgical technologists was $64,650 a year ($31.08 an hour) in May 2025.
Run it in Rivvi
Plan the path to surgical technologist in your state
Plan it in RivviFree to start. Opens Rivvi, the AI workspace for healthcare teams.
2M+ interactions500K+ patientsHIPAA BAA