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HealthcareTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.

Surgical Technologist

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.

Annual openings

162

Median wage

$75,740

Typical education

One to two years post-secondary training.

Growth 2026–2032

+6%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

One to two years post-secondary training.

Credential requirement

A certification is required for this job.

Credential detail

To practice, you will need to pass the Certifying Examination for Surgical Technologists and be certified.

Work experience

Can be entry-level, but it could be an additional step on a career pathway.

Experience detail

Work experience as a Sterile Processing Tech is highly valued. If this is the first job, previous experience developing the listed knowledge and abilities, if possible in a Healthcare environment, is preferred.

Training

Requires completion of training related to a certificate program.

Employer competency information

Feedback from employers identifies the following critical competencies and how they apply for this job

  • Health & Safety — Monitoring/maintaining the sterility of the surgery and keeping an accurate count of sponges are critical. Keeping accurate notes are important.
  • Communication — There are important communications with team members to confirm the details of the surgery and communicate sterile field concerns.
  • Critical and Analytical Thinking — Being able to recognize when something about the surgery isn’t going as planned and being able to adjust on the fly to the situation.
  • Initiative — Is accountable for the maintenance of the sterile field for the entire surgical team.
  • Teamwork — Surgery can be a high stress environment and the Surg Tech must be confident in their actions and able to stand firm for a patient’s safety.
  • Interpersonal Skills — Needed to interact well with a team in a stressful environment.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
  2. Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
  3. Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
  4. Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.
  5. Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.
  6. Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.
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