Now this was seem a bit negative but lets look at some interesting things about becoming a tech.The schooling can take almost as long as becoming a Registered Nurse but the earning potential of an RN can be double or even triple as that of a Surgical Technologist. Probably the main reason of this is because Surgical Technologists are not licensed they are certified.
Becoming an Registered Nurse and keeping up your nursing license is better than having an insurance policy. You will always be able to find employment as a Nurse and at way better than average wages.
The field has become so diverse that nurses work in almost every aspect of health care. Registered Nurses can work in foundries,schools and football teams. They are even on cruise ships and employed at luxury resorts.
Surgical Technologists make considerable less than Registered Nurse wait way less and techs are generally employed in operating rooms and surgery centers not cruise ships. Many people may not realize that when you are a Surgical Technologists you may not be able to leave the room to go to the bathroom for hours, yes I said hours! You are scrubbed in and many hospitals will not have relief for you and by law so many people have to stay scrubbed in during a case.
So you are going no where until the case is done.As a tech you will be surgery on your feet for 8-10 hours a day on a slow day and the surgical rooms are cold. The amount of technical knowledge a Surgical Technician can be expected to know is tremendous.
Hospitals expect you to be proficient at several types of surgical services. You will fill in at the last moment sometimes when a staff members is late, ill or refuses to scrub with a certain doctor. You will train registered nurses in almost all aspects of the surgical job.
From instrumentation and equipment to proper handling of surgical supplies. Yes you read correctly Surgical Technologists also train Registered Nurses and Board Certified Doctors to do many surgical procedures and use new equipment. This is not widely known or publicized but Surgical Technicians have more experience helping, viewing and setting up surgeries in one year than most surgeons do in 5 years.
If you choose to work as a tech at a hospital you will be required to be on call. Most call rotations are once or twice a week you will be on call for 4-5 weekdays a month and at least 1 weekend. Expect to work through your call weekend and come in Monday morning and scrub a full day of surgeries.
When you are on call you will stay and finish the cases that do not finish on time. Meaning when everyone goes home on Friday you could be there late and when you get home you might get a phone call to come back to work at any moment.This would include no drinking of any alcoholic beverages while on call.None, Zero not even one beer.
My conclusion is become an RN you will have more of a chance for advancement and employment. You will also make way more money. You can even start your schooling online. So think twice before you choose a career any career, read about the fields you are interested in. Money can be a large factor in choosing a profession. But it doesn’t have to be the only factor. Try to pick a profession that fits your personality skills and dreams.
