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Career Advice on How to Become a Surgical Technologist

General Career Information

Ever wished there was a job that didn’t require lots of time in school but made life with the ladies easier? Have you ever watched Grey’s Anatomy and wanted to experience that sort of lifestyle without suffering through the career planning involving an actual medical program? If you are a guy looking for an easy way to “pick up the chicks” (yet drive, ambition, brains, looks or integrity are not really “your thing”) then you are so in luck. There is a career out there called a “surgical technologist.” 
 
Did you catch that? It has both “surgical” and “technologist” in the title. That means you will hear the following, “So are you like a doctor or something?”  Which you will of course answer “yes.” And it is much like being a doctor, other than you don’t really have any medical knowledge, you didn’t go to medical school and you don’t really get paid all that much. Other than those three major factors, it’s almost exactly like being a doctor. 
 

Career Facts:

Becoming a surgical technologist can take between nine months and twenty-four months. Some surgical technologists have Associate’s Degrees and others go through a certification program. Once in the field, surgical technologists work in the operating room assisting with surgeries. That’s right, a guy or gal with an Associate’s Degree is hanging around while they have you open. You probably feel a whole lot better about the cost of medical care now, don’t you?
 

So what does a surgical technologist do exactly? They handle all sort of sterile equipment and material. Yes, sterile. They wash, prepare and shave patients, making sure that the incision sites have been properly disinfected. That’s right, the surgical technologist has a major hand in making sure that all patients and their environments are sterile. And here you thought that was the kind of thing that nurses and doctors did. Sorry, not when someone can be paid an average of $36,000 a year. In fact, some surgical technologist earn as little as $25,000.

 

Career Opportunities and Job Outlook-Excellent:

The rate of job growth for the surgical technologist profession stands at twenty-four percent. Your job search will potentially be very easy down the line. Currently, there are about 86,000 surgical technologists in the United States, with that number expected to hit roughly 107,000 by 2016.
 
Job Outlook is Excellent
 

A Day in The Life:

“Yes, it’s like a doctor,” is how many previous nights ended. Other statements like, “Oh my place is so small and in this neighborhood because I am saving for a yacht and my trip around the world,” are thrown about freely. Once the surgical technologist knocks off the hangover with seven or eight cups of coffee, they recklessly drive into work. Once at work, they forget to wash their hands after using the washroom. Time to shave some old people!
 

Average Salary:

The average surgical technologist can expect to earn about $36,000. If you have had major surgery and are thinking that you are lucky to be alive, you are correct.

$35k - $40k

 

Career Training and Qualifications:

Career training can be completed in as little as nine months with a certificate.
 
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