Key Roles: These technicians usually work in an operating room along with a group of other health professionals. They assure all surgical equipment necessary for an operation are stored and kept in the right location in the operating room close to the health personnel by these technicians during surgery. They follow specific procedures to make sure that the sterility is maintained in the surgical equipment throughout the surgery. They are responsible for assisting the patients in their relocation to the operating room and preparing them for surgery providing them with appropriate supply materials. The important symptoms of the patients will be noted down by surgical technicians. Differentiating and arranging the sterile and non-sterile instruments are also performed by these technicians. Transferring the specimens to laboratories or testing area and disposing them in a secure manner after the work is completed are also their main duty. They are required to store the appropriate amount of supply materials, equipment and various tools and providing them to the health personnel at the right time. These technicians can work in an operating room in a hospital, private surgical areas, and dental clinics or in the teaching industry to educate and train the students. Another most important job is performing the retraction and suturing of patient’s tissues without any contamination.

Career Opportunities: Surgical technicians can excel in their specific field with many years of experience. They work along with a group of surgical experts or privately under the supervision of a nurse or a surgeon. They can gain specification in different fields such as neurosurgery, heart surgery, wound producing and anesthesia. Usually they begin their career as a surgical assistant and then get promoted to higher levels with many responsibilities as they gain experience.

Certification: To become a technician in the surgical field, an associate degree program can be pursued from an approved school or an easy certification or a diploma program should be gained. The duration of the degree course is about 2 years and for the certification or the diploma course, it is usually about 1 year. After completing the diploma or the degree program, getting certified is very important for getting a decent job in the surgical field. To get the certification, it is necessary to pass the examination conducted by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

A technician career in surgery field is an interesting job as they play one of the key roles in protecting the life of a patient. The US Department of Labor has reported that the career opportunities for technicians in the surgical field will increase in high number by 2010 and ever after that. Hence, this job is highly recommended if people need a well-paying job and willing to working in service industry.