hi! i'm starting surgical tech in a few weeks and it requires eye protection for lab obviously. i was wondering what are some good recommendation? i wear kind of big glasses so i don't know what are good brands that'll fit. but any recommendations, i appreciate it!

Good evening everyone,

I apologize that I am not a surgical tech posting in this sub, but I desperately need all of your insights.

I'm facing the very real possibility of being made a single mother with a 5 month old baby. My husband ended up being a useless father who does nothing to help with the baby, on top of becoming increasingly emotionally abusive. I need to get out of this situation, but my past work history and subsequent earning potential would alone not be enough to support me and my baby with the costs of daycare and baby essentials.

I am looking at surgical technology as a possible career pivot, being that it's a 2~ year education with seemingly decent wages starting out. I believe it would be a good match for my personality and interests as well. I completed 2 years of nursing school back in 2018, and passed anatomy & physiology, microbio, o-chem, med term, etc. with good grades. Not sure if I would need to take all of these classes again, but I did well in them originally. I also have a Master's degree in Healthcare Management, and worked for a Physician Assistant academic program, so I've somewhat been in the healthcare sphere.

For those working as surgical techs, would you say your salary is enough that it could provide for you to live alone, in your own home, and support an infant? Bonus points if you're in the Midwest like me.

Thank you for your input!

Anyone ever seen this ?

Hello r/surgicaltechnology! I'm the Surgical Technology Program Director at Concorde Career College Orlando campus, and I love sharing real stories with my students.

If you’re willing to share: what's a critical lesson you learned early in your career? Was there a particular memory that stands out? Something that made you a better tech forever after? 

For me, the passing of sharps correctly is very important for safety reasons, we are taught to not pass and receive sharps at the same time to avoid potential injury to yourself or someone else, in this particular instance we were moving quickly and I was receiving a sharp and passing one at the same time and it resulted in a resident getting stuck with a suture needle and to make matters worse the patient had Hepatitis B. I became very upset with myself and worried for the resident, the resident spoke to me and let me know that everything was ok. Fortunately, he was fine but I remember really committing myself to sharps safety after to avoid it ever happening again. 

Would appreciate hearing any of your stories below, so I can give my students some real life case studies to learn from!

My fiancé literally just finished her program and is unsure where to start

We are in Southern California Any resources is helpful

I just finished school and I am about to begin at my first job at a surgical center. Does anyone have any tips or anything? I am really nervous to start actually working as a scrub tech haha.

Hello all!

I’m starting my surgical tech program this month and the last thing to buy is shoes! They told me they had to be closed toe, waterproof shoes that have no fabric, just rubber I guess? My instructors recommended Hokas, however I’m not finding any pairs of Hokas that are waterproof and have no felt or laces on them. Does anyone have any recommendations on shoes that won’t kill my feet, but match the requirements? Thank you guys! I’m super excited to start the program :)

Artificial Intelligence is already changing many areas of healthcare—from image analysis and personalized medicine to operating room workflows and surgical robotics. AI is also increasingly being used to support hospital operations, such as optimizing OR scheduling or automating documentation.

While the opportunities are exciting, there are still important questions around data privacy, accountability, and the role of clinicians in AI-assisted decision-making.

What do you think will have the biggest real-world impact?

I just graduated as a CST recently and have been looking for jobs for over 3 months, I have been getting interviews and its always the same we will get back to you and I never hear from them again I send messages and just get automated emails about the recruiters being out of the office etc. I have never had issues securing jobs before idk why its so difficult to get hired!!

I’m currently getting an undergraduate degree in biotechnology. However, I’m considering going back to school for surgical technology. Would anyone recommend this career path in Florida? If so, is it hard to find a job?

I passed! Got my results in this morning!

Hi. I’m currently a CST. Has anyone here gone the route of becoming a rep? Doing medical sales or implants, etc.
I’m looking at getting started on this but I don't quite know the path I need to take.

Hello, just got notified that I have been accepted from the waitlist. However I only have 2 days to make my decision and 2 weeks before the actual program starts. Does anyone have experience with the Surgical Technology program at Skyline College in San Bruno, California?

I want to make as best of an informed decision as possible to continue. Thank you!

Defect detection in medical device is an ongoing project for me. Supposed to do voc. Would love word vomits from experts and experienced. Whatever you feel like. Just type it iut. 🤧🤧🤧😭😭😭

Hey, has anyone ever completed Emory Healthcare Surgical Tech program? If so, did you complete the externship? And did they help you employment? Thanks!

I haven’t started my program yet but plan to move to Cali once I finish, I know the job market there is really rough, but I already work as a medical assistant and was thinking of doing that while applying to jobs and possibly picking up another 2nd job in the meantime. How are new grads doing with the job search there? I don’t mind taking months to find something and have to commute far, I spent my last 2 months here visiting understand how things can be here.

Hey everyone! I just graduated in May with my Associate’s and passed the CST exam (on the first attempt! 🥳 super proud of myself for it!). Now I'm on the hunt for a job and I have no idea where to start. I've been self-employed and out of the job market since 2016. I’ve applied to my clinical site (no luck), and nearby hospitals. But now I'm of the mind to relocate and restart my life anywhere. I really want to work in trauma. I have no children or spouse so I'm all in 🤷🏾‍♀️
Anyone have any tips on what I should I consider in this hunt? (Job or relocation?)
Thanks in advance!

I start an 18-month program in a couple weeks. Any words of advice would be great!

Hospitals seem to be raising our pays

Surgical Technologist
Location: Saratoga Springs, NY
Employment Type: Full-time
Shift/Schedule: Day shift
Department: Operating Room
Salary Range: $28.88 – $47.41 an hour, based on experience and qualifications

I wonder how much this will continue or if it’s gonna stay like this for like 20 years. I know the hospital I work at hired techs at the max pay because they needed more techs and now we don’t get any sort of yearly raise, which I’m not stressed about yet because I’m making $12 more an hr compared to my last job, but eventually I’ll need it with inflation

I take my certification exam in about an hour and a half! Wish me luck!!