Top 10 Surgical Technologist Programs
Certified surgical technologists (CSTs) are an invaluable part of the operating team at healthcare facilities. You may have heard them called surgical techs, surgical assistants, scrub techs, or operating room techs. Before you become a certified surgical tech, you must attend an accredited surgical tech program. And with hundreds of programs to choose from, this task can be intimidating.
We've compiled the country's top ten surgical tech programs to help you find the right one for you. Keep reading to learn more about these programs and how to become a surgical technologist.
Nurses Helping Nurses: Why You Can Trust Nurse.org
As the leading educational website for nurses by nurses, Nurse.org is committed to editorial integrity and data-driven analysis. We independently research schools and programs for nurses and strive to write recommendations that genuinely reflect our true opinion of the product or service. Where relevant, our recommendations may incorporate feedback from 500,000+ nurses in our social communities.
✔ Evaluated 1,100+ accredited nursing school programs using the latest U.S. government data sets. Learn more about our ranking methodology.
✔ Content written by 80+ licensed, practicing nurses who are experts in their respective specialties. Learn more about our nurse contributors.
✔ Connected 1,500,000+ nurses to educational programs since 2020.
Fast Facts About Surgical Techs |
|
|
Salary: |
The median surgical tech salary is $60,370 per year or $29.03 per hour (BLS) |
|
Program length: |
1-2 years |
|
Requirements: |
Prerequisites with a specific grade point average (GPA) may be required |
What Is a Surgical Tech?
Certified surgical technologists work alongside surgeons, anesthesiologists, and surgical nurses. But their work extends from pre-surgery to intra and post-surgical tasks. A surgical tech's responsibilities include the following:
- Preparing equipment
- Sterilizing instruments
- Providing an extra set of hands in surgery
- Dressing wounds post-procedure
- Maintaining a sterile environment throughout operations
- Managing tools and instrument inventory
- Ensuring no surgical equipment is left behind
Surgical techs earn associate degrees and complete formal training through accredited surgical technology programs. These programs generally take one and a half years to complete and include about 500 hours of clinical internship.
Graduates can take the Certified Surgical Technologist or Tech in Surgery exam upon completion. The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting and the National Center for Competency Testing offer these tests.
Top 10 Certified Surgical Tech Programs
This list includes surgical technologist schools offering hybrid and entirely in-person classes. As we compiled and ranked the best surgical tech programs, we considered many decisive factors:
- Program cost
- Student-faculty ratio
- Flexibility
- Graduation rate
- Post-graduation job placement aid
1. Indiana University Health – Indianapolis, Indiana
Graduates are eligible to take the Certified Surgical Technologist exam (CST-ERC). The program had a 100 percent pass rate for the August 2021 to July 2022 session. Unfortunately, this CST school is not eligible for FAFSA funding.
Indiana Health University offers CST courses on a full-time basis, holding classes between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The surgical technologist program takes 11 months to complete over three semesters. The first semester alone covers surgical instrumentation, techniques and procedures, and clinical experience.
- Application deadline: April 21st
- Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED equivalent
- U.S. citizenship or permanent resident cardholder
- Minimum 18 years of age
- Pass a background check and drug screen
- Program contact: Terry Myers, RN, Program Director
- Email: tmyers@iuhealth.org
- Phone number: (317) 962-1864
2. University of Arkansas – Pulaski Tech – North Little Rock, Arkansas
The University of Arkansas offers this program full-time, beginning each spring semester. It takes two semesters, consisting of 30 credits of prerequisite coursework and 30 credits in the surgical tech curriculum. Graduates will receive an Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology degree at the end of the program.
- Application deadline: September 15th
- Requirements:
- Submit application
- Provide relevant transcripts (high school and/or college)
- ACT reading score of 13 or higher OR
- Accuplacer reading score of 55 or higher
- Submit immunization records
- Complete admissions interview
- Program Contact: Kacie Cummings, Director of Surgical Technology
- Email: surgicaltechnologyadmissions@uaptc.edu
- Phone number: (501) 812-2339
3. University of Cincinnati – Clermont College – Batavia, Ohio
The UC Clermont’s program leads to an Associate in Surgical Technology degree. It offers both classroom learning and clinical experience, placing students in hospitals throughout Cincinnati to provide hands-on skills.
Before getting accepted into this program, you must meet with a pre-surgical technology advisor. This meeting will place you on the CST associate degree program list. This surgical tech program has 62 credits, and graduates achieved an 83% pass rate on the CST-ERC in 2018.
- Application deadline: July 1st
- Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED
- 2.75 cumulative GPA
- C or higher in biology and chemistry pre-reqs
- Complete physical exam
- Submit immunization records
- Provide proof of health insurance
- Pass a background check and drug screening
- Email: Clermont.admissions@uc.edu
- Phone number: (513) 558-8316
4. Gateway Community College – New Haven, CT
Students who graduate from the Gateway Community College CST program earn an associate in science degree. They are also eligible to take the CST-ERC exam.
Gateway's program takes two years to complete, encompassing 62 total credits. The CST class of 2022 had a 93% graduation rate, with 100% of graduates finding employment. The school also had a high CST student retention rate in 2022, at 74%.
- Application deadline: Admission is offered on a first-come, first-served basis
- Requirements:
- High school transcript showing graduation date OR
- Copy of high school diploma or GED
- $20 application fee
- Placement examinations in reading, English, and mathematics
- Proof of immunization status
- Program contact: Angel Pickett, Program Coordinator
- Email: Apickett@gwcc.commnet.edu
- Phone number: (203) 285-2070
5. Rochester Community and Technical College – Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester Community and Technical College CST graduates earn an associate of applied science degree. The program admits just 20 students each year. As part of the graduation requirements, students must pass the CST-ERC. The graduating class of 2022 had an 86% pass rate on the NBSTSA certification test. That class had 100% graduate placement within one year of graduation.
- Application deadline: February 28th
- Requirements:
- C or higher grade in each prerequisite
- Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
- Priority admission for those who finished all first-year classes by spring semester
- Basic life support (CPR and AED) certification
- Complete health assessment and immunizations
- Proof of health insurance
- Complete criminal background check
- Complete a national background study
- Program contact: Jennifer Dahle, Program Advisor
- Email: Jennifer.dahle@rctc.edu
- Phone number: (507) 280-3535
6. NYU Langone – New York, NY
NYU Langone Health offers a one-year surgical technology program in two six-month semesters. The first semester, which begins in spring, is devoted to aseptic technique fundamentals of operating room technology and basic surgical procedures. The second semester is primarily spent in clinical settings at locations throughout the NYU Langone facilities.
Completion of the program qualifies graduates to take the national certifying examination. In 2019, graduates from this CST school had a 92% pass rate on the CST-ERC.
- Application deadline: Rolling
- Requirements:
- Application with personal essay
- Application fee
- High school transcript or GED with scores
- Two references from employer or teacher, past or present
- Program contact: Luba Ashurov, Program Director
- Phone number: (212) 263-6644
7. University of Pittsburgh – Johnstown – Johnstown, PA
This 74-credit associate degree program is offered with Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center’s Surgical Technology program. Students in this program must complete 74 credit hours to earn the Associate Degree in Allied Health. But, they need only 59 credits to earn a surgical tech certification.
The University of Pittsburgh program includes a liberal arts component with electives in social sciences and the humanities. The final three terms focus on operating room techniques and clinical practice. Students get classroom instruction and 1,035 supervised clinical hours during the clinical phase.
The 2020-2021 graduating class had a 100 percent pass rate for the nationally certified surgical tech exam.
- Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED equivalent
- Submit transcripts (high school and/or college)
- Gain admission to University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
- Complete two out of four surgical tech pre-reqs with a 2.0 GPA or higher
- Pass a background check, Act 33/34 clearance, and drug screening
- Program contact: Patricia Pavlikowski, Program Director
- Email: ppavliko@conemaugh.org
- Phone number: (814) 534-9772
8. Utah Tech University – St. George, UT
This limited CST school admits one class each fall and encompasses 63 total credits. Students take general education, elective, and core discipline classes. Graduates earn an associate of applied science degree.
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher throughout this surgical technologist program. They must earn a C or higher in all pre-reqs and core classes. When they graduate, they can sit the CST-ERC exam.
- Application deadline: May 15th
- Requirements*:
- Gain admission to Utah Tech University
- Complete required prerequisite courses
- Submit a separate application for the surgical tech program
- Verify ability to perform essential functions of a surgical tech
- Program contact: Heather Osness, Program Director
- Email: Heather.Osness@utahtech.edu
- Phone number: (435) 879-4842
*Admission to this program is based on cumulative grade point averages. Higher GPAs are prioritized until seats are full. Depending on availability, some students who meet these requirements may not get accepted into the program.
9. University of Montana – Missoula, Montana
The University of Montana offers a 64-credit surgical tech program through the Missoula College of Health Professionals. The program’s outcomes in 2017 included:
- 71% graduation rate
- 100% exam participation rate
- 100% employer satisfaction rate
- 100% exam pass rate
Students become Association of Surgical Technologists members during the program's first year. During the clinical portion of their surgical tech education, they rotate through various healthcare sites. They also take the CST-ERC before graduation, when they earn an Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology.
- Application deadline: October 1st
- Requirements:
- Complete prerequisite courses within ten years of application
- Score B or higher in Anatomy and Physiology
- Score C or higher in all other pre-reqs
- Submit application
- Program contact: Jill Davis, Program Director
- Email: jill.davis@mso.umt.edu
- Phone number: (406) 243-7876
10. Santa Fe College – Gainesville, FL
The surgical tech certificate program offered at Santa Fe College prepares graduates to take the Certified Surgical Technologist exam. The CST school spans four semesters, offering didactic coursework in person and online and clinical internships at local and regional hospitals. The 2021 program outcomes for this CST school were as follows:
- 75% completion
- 91.6% CST-ERC pass rate
- 91.6% graduate employment rate
Students must be available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The first term begins in the summer and ends with a summer program.
- Application deadline: February 15th
- Requirements:
- High school diploma or GED equivalent
- Immunization record signed by a physician
- Background check and drug screening
- Completion of all general education requirements
- 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA
- Email: admissions@sfcollege.edu
- Phone number: (352) 395-7322
FAQs About Surgical Tech Programs
Related Articles
Looking for more resources on becoming a surgical tech or surgical tech salary info, check out these other resources:
