Surgical Technician Salary: Knowing the Facts About Your Pay
It is difficult to say what the surgical technician salary is, since there is no such thing as an average surgical technician. The beauty of the field is that the field is wide, allowing one to specialize in the area that interests them most. Surgical techs are like specialized doctors: they are found among obstetricians and pediatricians, cardiac doctors and emergency room doctors. Though the average income of a surgical technician is given as $18.62 an hour or $38,740 annually, what one makes is really determined by ones area of specialization.
Some states will always pay more than others when it comes to the medical field. Interestingly enough, surgical technicians in Arizona tend to out earn technicians in other parts of the nation by anywhere from $3100 to $3850 a year. One reason might be because Arizona sports a big retiree population. California is similarly higher, averaging $46,170, but the cost of living in California tends to be higher so the difference can be misleading. Idaho, where the cost of living is fairly contained, still sports a salary for surgical techs of $38,380. Just be mindful that states do have differing costs of living, so a side-by-side comparison doesnt always tell the whole picture.
Depending on ones area of specialization, just as with doctors, some surgical techs stand to make significantly more. Open-heart surgery, for example, tends to be more demanding than, lets say, podiatry (foot, in case you werent certain). As a result, surgical techs tend to make more in that area. Now, before you go signing on with cardiology, it might help to know that most heart surgeries last beyond six hours and no one is allowed to leave until the procedure has been completed. Private surgical techs, who work in close conjunction with specialized doctors, tend to have a salary commensurate to their profession. Their salaries for surgical technologist in this field often begin at $38,740 (rather than averaging at that amount). more info
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