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Surgical Technologists

Also called: CST (Certified Surgical Technologist), OR Surgical Tech (Operating Room Surgical Technician), OR Technologist (Operating Room Technologist), Surgical Scrub Technologist (Surgical Scrub Tech)

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

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Median pay BLS, 2025$64,650
Openings a year BLS, 2025–357,100
Typical education to start BLSPostsecondary nondegree award
AI exposure BLS, Aug 2026 Low
Projected job growth BLS, 2025–35 +5.0%

What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 16 rated tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 5.0% by 2035. How to think about this →

About this projection

BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”

It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”

On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”

Recent conditions

  • In 2024, 2.5% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
  • From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 95% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.

How to read these

Pay compared with all occupations BLS median wages Pays more than 56% of 825 occupations
lowest-paidhighest-paid

Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates

$49k$83knot published

Median pay in every state
StateMedianMiddle half earnJobs
Alabama$49,420$39,270 to $59,9902,480
Alaska$80,380$63,480 to $93,470310
Arizona$72,260$62,620 to $83,5502,410
Arkansas$57,400$47,520 to $63,4001,640
California$81,310$64,380 to $99,26011,920
Colorado$75,740$62,930 to $83,0002,100
Connecticut$79,890$59,120 to $95,0501,220
Delaware$62,250$54,540 to $74,030340
District of Columbia$77,520$49,260 to $83,780340
Florida$62,440$52,410 to $75,1709,120
Georgia$64,010$50,480 to $78,4104,380
Hawaii$82,640$59,810 to $88,160290
Idaho$72,550$61,490 to $77,6401,100
Illinois$64,650$60,160 to $77,6703,570
Indiana$64,240$60,240 to $77,2102,680
Iowa$60,540$50,680 to $62,880950
Kansas$60,600$49,010 to $67,5701,200
Kentucky$60,490$50,300 to $66,6301,440
Louisiana$57,370$47,410 to $62,7902,230
Maine$62,860$56,240 to $75,270470
Maryland$68,970$60,310 to $81,3901,880
Massachusetts$80,870$68,830 to $98,3002,220
Michigan$63,320$51,890 to $76,4703,840
Minnesota$80,210$72,730 to $86,4201,770
Mississippi$49,810$47,120 to $59,5901,110
Missouri$61,120$50,690 to $68,4102,100
Montana$60,970$49,170 to $70,580490
Nebraska$63,880$57,700 to $68,840770
Nevada$75,480$59,730 to $84,9301,110
New Hampshire$75,040$65,280 to $81,570370
New Jersey$77,200$64,440 to $85,7002,780
New Mexico$51,780$47,500 to $64,800540
New York$79,550$64,390 to $98,1406,540
North Carolina$60,920$51,540 to $68,5204,400
North Dakota$61,640$52,950 to $62,730370
Ohio$62,420$55,380 to $73,7903,730
Oklahoma$61,190$52,720 to $65,1201,940
Oregon$81,390$73,190 to $94,6401,090
Pennsylvania$62,680$52,060 to $72,0204,490
Puerto Rico$30,600$26,880 to $34,2001,080
Rhode Island$74,130$63,800 to $81,520240
South Carolina$62,160$52,140 to $67,0802,680
South Dakota$59,870$51,720 to $63,900600
Tennessee$60,530$51,310 to $64,4303,310
Texas$65,220$50,100 to $80,79010,160
Utah$62,720$49,200 to $76,9501,170
Vermont$60,660$51,040 to $72,270140
Virginia$67,580$59,110 to $84,1001,910
Washington$77,270$62,330 to $90,6202,510
West Virginia$49,110$39,520 to $61,610580
Wisconsin$74,120$63,030 to $79,0102,180
Wyoming$58,850$50,300 to $64,980210

Nationally: $64,650. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this

How AI touches the work

What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.

AI could halve the time on 1 of its 16 rated tasks

0 · AI alone could halve the time 1 · AI + software built on it could 15 · Not much 2 · Not rated
AI ratingIts main tasks Share of Claude conversations
May 2026
Not much Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures. Not published
Not much Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation. Not published
Not much Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation. Not published
Not much Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure. Not published
Not much Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing. Not published
Not much Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card. Not published
See all 18 tasks
Not much Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery. Not published
Not much Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs. Not published
Not much Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis. Not published
Not much Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation. Not published
Not much Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists. Not published
Not much Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers. Not published
Not much Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations. Not published
Not rated Transport patients to and from the operating room. Not published
Not much Order surgical supplies. Not published
AI + software Maintain files and records of surgical procedures. Not published
Not much Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition. Not published
Not rated Schedule surgical procedures for patients. Not published

Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.

Where people already use AI

The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.

Tasks AI could speed up1 of 16 rated tasksEloundou et al. ratings (2023)
Its activities among the 50 people ask AI for help with most1 of 15 activities
  • #36 Purchase goods or services
Microsoft Copilot (2024), ranked among all 332 activities. The cut-off of 50 is ours.
Work activity This occupation's tasks under it People asked AI for help
in 10,000 conversations		 AI did it for them
in 10,000 conversations
Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures 0.05#325 0tied #327
Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products 0.43#276 0.10#268
Monitor health conditions of humans or animals 3.67#151 0.45#212
Clean medical equipment or facilities 0.10#316 0.03#294
Purchase goods or services 47#36 0.39#220
Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance 20#57 4.31#101
Schedule appointments 4.62#132 1.13#160
Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance 3.59#153 0.73#180
Show all 15 activities
Administer basic health care or medical treatments 2.11#195 0.05#281
Prepare specimens or materials for testing 0.51#269 0.13#265
Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members 0.45#274 0.36#227
Operate medical equipment 0.23#293 0.04#285
Escort others 0.20#297 0.07#276
Maintain health or medical records 0.18#302 0.03#291
Transport patients or clients 0.04#329 0tied #327
Task: AI alone Task: AI + software Task: not much #: rank among all 332 activities Microsoft measured (#1 = most common; activities that never came up share last place, shown as “tied”)
Where the two sources differ: “Maintain health or medical records” holds 1 task rated AI + software, yet people asked AI for help with it in 0.18 of every 10,000 conversations, #302 of 332.
How to read this

Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for surgical technologists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.

The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.

More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude

High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs

BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.

AI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213 growingModerate151 of 206 growingHigh165 of 206 growingVery high141 of 206 growing11 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Click a dot to see that occupation.Surgical technologists: +5.0%Surgical TechnologistsAI exposure and projected job growth, 831 occupationsLow exposure: 134 of 213 occupations projected to grow. Moderate exposure: 151 of 206 occupations projected to grow. High exposure: 165 of 206 occupations projected to grow. Very high exposure: 141 of 206 occupations projected to grow.-20%-15%-10%-5%0%+5%+10%+15%+20%+25%Low134 of 213Moderate151 of 206High165 of 206Very high141 of 20611 occupations outside −20% to +25% are drawn at the edge. Tap a dot.Surgical technologists: +5.0%Surgical Technologists

Career moves into and out of this occupation

From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.

Where people moved next

of 12,361 moves out

  1. 1 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
  2. 2 Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  3. 3 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  4. 4 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 4%
  5. 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%

Where people moved in from

of 9,740 moves in

  1. 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 6%
  2. 2 Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
  3. 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
  4. 4 Medical Assistants Moderate +12.9% 4%
  5. 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%

Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).

Education and training for the occupation

Education people in it hold

Census survey (American Community Survey)

  • 2% less than high school
  • 14% high school
  • 25% some college
  • 45% associate's
  • 11% bachelor's
  • 3% master's
  • 1% professional degree

Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,105 people surveyed.

Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation

Programs that prepare people for it (NCES)
3 programs: Pathology/Pathologist Assistant, Surgical Technology/Technologist and Sterile Processing Technology/Technician.

Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023

94.7% this occupation

45.3% all occupations

By kindThis occupationAll occupations
a license1.9%19.1%
a certification67.2%5.8%
an educational certificate31.4%2.8%

Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this

Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor

These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide

See where your own career could go Start by uploading your resume Browse careers

BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS

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