Training

• A surgical technologist or technician in Washington state receives training for up to two years, usually at a technical or community college. It includes pre-operation preparation of both the patient and surgery team, cleaning and sterilization of equipment, inventory maintenance before and during operations, handling surgical instruments, safety procedures, record-keeping and maintaining clean surgical areas.
  
  

Workplaces

• Surgical technologists or technicians in Washington have four avenues of employment: general medical and surgical hospitals, doctors' offices, dentists' offices and outpatient care centers. They accounted for 1,353 of 1,366 positions in 2007, according to the Washington State Department of Employment Security.
  
  

Average Wages

• Average wages for a surgical technologist or technician in Washington state in March 2010 were $22.27 per hour or $46,321 per year based upon a 40-hour work week, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department. The median wage was $22.05 per hour or $45,864 annually.
  
  Looking at the full range of salaries from lowest to highest, those in the 10th percentile, the lowest paid, earned an average of $16.60 per hour or $34,528 a year. In the 90th percentile, the highest paid, the average hourly wage was $28.96 or $60,236 annually.
  
  Workers in the 25th percentile averaged $18.76 an hour or $39,020 a year while employees in the 75th percentile made $25.87 an hour or $53,809 annually on average.
  
  

Employment Projections

• Projected employment growth for surgical technologists or technicians in Washington is 31.5 percent through 2018, according to the state's Employment Security Department. The state had 1,691 positions in 2008 and expects to have 2,223 by 2018. Short-term projections show the number of positions increasing to an estimated 1,829 by mid-2011.
  
  

Registration Requirements

• Surgical technologists or technicians working in surgical settings in Washington must register with the state's Department of Health. Applications and registration instructions are available on the department's "Surgical Technologist Program forms" Web page.
  
  People licensed as a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse or physician do not need a separate license.