What is a Surgical Technologist?

Healthcare is an important field that many people strive to work in. One lesser-discussed healthcare trade is that of a surgical technologist. In fact, surgical technologists provide an important role for hospitals, and it’s a viable and valuable trade for people interested in a stable and important career.

What is Surgical Tech?

A surgical technologist is someone who prepares an operating room for the surgeons and nurses. They’re the people responsible for making sure surgery is ready to go and is prepared correctly. In essence, they’re people who help make sure that surgery goes smoothly.

What Does a Surgical Technologist Do?

What is it that a surgical technologist actually does to make sure the operating room is operational? The answer is that they do quite a few things, and each of them are important to help  prepare the surgical environment so that the work  can be performed safely.

In simple terms, their job boils down to making sure the surgeons can do their jobs by supplying equipment, helping with the surgeries, and occasionally stepping up to avert any potential crises. There’s a lot to that job, though.

Preparing and Cleaning the Operating Room

The surgical technologist is typically the first person to enter the operating room each time. This means that the surgical technologist is tasked with making sure the room and  the equipment are sterilized, as well as that  the  equipment used for the surgery is gathered, sorted, and accounted for. They’ll also test  equipment to make sure that it works as it should.

Additionally, because the surgical technologist is responsible for making sure that  equipment and tools are sterile and accounted for, they also have to have an understanding of what the equipment is, where it should go, and how to properly use and clean it. They are responsible  for understanding what the surgeons will be doing, and they are expected to be reliable when it comes to keeping things sterile and usable.

Afterward, the surgical technologist will dispose of items like needles and gauze, put away the rest of the equipment, and keep the room  sterile until the patient is removed from the operating room.

In general, this work helps ensure that things in the operating room are ready to be used without the concern of running out of supplies or  having the technology malfunction at a bad time. It also helps ensure that the room remains sterile once the procedure is finished and that things remain in the proper place. Without a surgical technologist on board, things could quickly become lost, infections could spread, and equipment could fail.

Help During Surgeries

Sometimes, a surgical technologist’s work doesn’t start and end at the preparation stage. They will often be tasked with helping the surgeons and nurses.

These jobs still revolve around handling equipment and making sure things remain sterile. They may handle and supply medications, assist in retracting tissue, pass the surgical tools, take care of suturing any incisions, and apply the disinfected dressings.

Surgical technologists can also supply problem-solving support. As surgeons are hard at work, a surgical technologist is expected to step up from time to time and tackle unexpected issues with a clear head and a little creativity.

Becoming a Surgical Technologist

If being a surgical technologist seems like a career for you, then you’re probably wondering how to go about becoming one. Does it take years at medical school? Or is it perhaps a job that you can get without prior healthcare experience or study?

Surgical technology is a skilled trade, which means that you can learn the  skills at a skilled trade school. At Berks Technical Institute we offer a surgical technology program that helps prepare you with the skills for a bright future. If this appeals to you, apply to one of our campuses and get started with your career as a surgical technologist.