Careers in the Allied Health sector are among the fastest growing in our nation. More and more opportunities to work in the medical fields are emerging as the population increases and ages, and more medical services are needed. One exciting career in the Allied Health field is surgical technology.
- Current projections show greater than average job growth and opportunity for this career through the year 2010, and a candidate for this profession can expect to earn a comfortable living.
- Nationally
, the median annual salary of surgical technologists in 2006 was $44,077, with reported earnings ranging from $34,410 to $54,204. In Illinois , surgical technicians begin their careers earning about $11.49 an hour and can expect to work their way up to $17.55 with experience and additional skills and training.
Many people tend to think of careers in the medical field as being limited to those of either physicians or nurses, but surgical technology is just one of the many exciting alternatives. Surgical technologists, who are also called surgical technicians, operating room technicians, or "scrubs," perform specialized tasks related primarily only to surgery, which means that a career as a surgical technologist will require a great degree of specialization. Learn more about Surgical Technologist 
and what they do.
Generally, a person interested in becoming a surgical technologist must have a minimum of nine months of formal training, but many hospitals require their technologist to have a 2-year degree. Surgical technology programs offered at any institution should be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Individuals interested in a career in surgical technology must be high school graduates or possess a GED at the time of entering the program. Additionally, it is helpful to have a strong background in high school math and science prior to entering a training program. In Illinois, individuals with any felony convictions are bared from working as surgical technologists.
To locate an institution for surgical technology within the State of Illinois, visit the Illinois Schools listing in Illinois workNet.
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