Surgical Tech job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

Postsecondary nondegree award

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$64,650

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Surgical Technologists (O*NET-SOC 29-2055.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures. importance 5.0 of 5
2. Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation. importance 5.0 of 5
3. Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation. importance 4.9 of 5
4. Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing. importance 4.9 of 5
5. Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers. importance 4.9 of 5
6. Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure. importance 4.8 of 5
7. Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis. importance 4.8 of 5
8. Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs. importance 4.7 of 5
9. Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery. importance 4.7 of 5
10. Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card. importance 4.6 of 5
11. Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists. importance 4.5 of 5
12. Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation. importance 4.5 of 5
13. Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations. importance 4.4 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Schedule surgical procedures for patients.
• Maintain files and records of surgical procedures.
• Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition.
• Transport patients to and from the operating room.

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, English Language, Customer and Personal Service and Education and Training.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: MEDITECH software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Electronic medical record EMR software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a surgical tech.

The most common answer among surgical techs surveyed by O*NET is a post-secondary certificate (41%).

Job title: Surgical Tech
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Surgical Tech to assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
- Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
- Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
- Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.
- Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
- Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
- Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.
- Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in monitoring, operations monitoring and active listening
- Working knowledge of Medicine and Dentistry and English Language
- [Software your team uses, e.g. MEDITECH software or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $64,650 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $31.08. BLS estimates about 117,460 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of surgical techs to grow 5.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full surgical tech salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real surgical tech posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only surgical tech work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (monitoring and operations monitoring); surgical tech interview questions turns them into practice questions.