Surgical Tech Interview Prep....

help me please....I graduated from Surg Tech school in June 2006. It has been a year now and I still can not find a job as a Surgical Technologist...I do not know what I am doing wrong...I am in the Charlotte NC area and I have had at 4 or 5 interviews. I am consistently appyling for new Surg Tech openings everyday. I got a call Friday for another interview. I seriously need to score this interview and I get so nervous at interviews. What are some typical Surg Tech Interview questions...I really need to get this one...Please help me.

Angie: I'm in Raleigh, and just considering going back to school to be a surgical tech. I do see ads for surgical techs. Often they do say they need experience, but not always. Check Craig's List for jobs. Have you applied at doctor's offices? Many podatrists do surgery in their offices. Don't forget plastic surgeons and general surgeons, even oral surgeons.

Where did you go to school? I've been talking to Miller-Motte, and naturally they say their grads usually have jobs lined up before they graduate.

Angie in Gastonia, North Carolina said: help me please....I graduated from Surg Tech school in June 2006. It has been a year now and I still can not find a job as a Surgical Technologist...I do not know what I am doing wrong...I am in the Charlotte NC area and I have had at 4 or 5 interviews. I am consistently appyling for new Surg Tech openings everyday. I got a call Friday for another interview. I seriously need to score this interview and I get so nervous at interviews. What are some typical Surg Tech Interview questions...I really need to get this one...Please help me.

give me one scenario where you felt like you didnt know what to do and how did you handle it? This was one of the questions that the hiring manager asked me during my interview...

Angie in Gastonia, North Carolina said: help me please....I graduated from Surg Tech school in June 2006. It has been a year now and I still can not find a job as a Surgical Technologist...I do not know what I am doing wrong...I am in the Charlotte NC area and I have had at 4 or 5 interviews. I am consistently appyling for new Surg Tech openings everyday. I got a call Friday for another interview. I seriously need to score this interview and I get so nervous at interviews. What are some typical Surg Tech Interview questions...I really need to get this one...Please help me.

You are not the Problem your lack of experience is the problem, most hospitals require at least one year experience to get your foot into the door

Have faith in your self :)!

Here are some online tips:
www.interviewstuff.com/job-interview-nerves.html

Hi, I'm considering Surgical Tech as a new career choice. My experience is medical administrative for 11 years. I've always thought about being an ST, but never pursued it. In the process of enrolling in to
Concorde Career College, completed initial visit, Is there anyone with info on the school besides what I've obtained on line and directly from the admissions themselves. I've read some positive and negative in the forum, but still considering pursuing the course

Hi my daughter is going to be attending CPCC in Charlotte this fall for ST. She is so excited, but after reading these concerns I am weary about spending my money for that career. Someone please convince me that there will be jobs out there for ST. Thanks in advance.

don't do it I did it for 10 years it was horrible-nurses & doctors are abusive (S--- flows down hill) sued 2 jobs for sexual harassment & hostile work environment & settled out of court. I would rather beg in the street.

kimberly seda in moreno valley, California said: Hi, I'm considering Surgical Tech as a new career choice. My experience is medical administrative for 11 years. I've always thought about being an ST, but never pursued it. In the process of enrolling in to
Concorde Career College, completed initial visit, Is there anyone with info on the school besides what I've obtained on line and directly from the admissions themselves. I've read some positive and negative in the forum, but still considering pursuing the course

I have been a surgical Tech for 7 years now. If I had it to do over again I would have chosen nursing. There are so many surgical tech schools and they are spitting them out like crazy, the only thing that helps me is my experience. The one thing I can say to help someone get a job out of school, is start working in a hospital, whatever you can go in as is helpful, then once you graduate most hospitals hire from within and you can just go right into the O.R. if you can get in central sterile (thats what I did) that would be perfect. You can learn your instruments that way. I was hired in the O.R 2 weeks after I graduated...
Good luck

become certified. It helped me alot. now when i apply for job i call them and tell them i am cst and i saw your job posting and i applied for it, i want to know if you had a chance to reviw my application. and i always get posative answer and call for inteviw.

i agree 100%. i am cst if i can go back in time i would rather become medical assistant than surgical tech. surgical tech are the least respected individuals in or. it is not what i expected. the treat you like dirt.

please don't. i am cst and i am telling you don't

maya in Little Neck, New York said: don't do it I did it for 10 years it was horrible-nurses & doctors are abusive (S--- flows down hill) sued 2 jobs for sexual harassment & hostile work environment & settled out of court. I would rather beg in the street.

WOW, if you feel that way go try and get into a different career.

renada in Matthews, North Carolina said: Hi my daughter is going to be attending CPCC in Charlotte this fall for ST. She is so excited, but after reading these concerns I am weary about spending my money for that career. Someone please convince me that there will be jobs out there for ST. Thanks in advance.

Here is the TRUTH

SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY is NOT for everyone!!!! It takes a special someone. You must be able to adapt, have tough skin, and not get grossed out by sights & smells.

I LOVE ALL Aspects of Surgical Technology. The pay is there & the jobs are there as well! However getting a GOOD job doesnt happen overnight. YOU have to be proactive.

I am sure plenty of people on here have horror stories, but I KNOW there are plenty of CST's that love there career. Being certified makes a difference.

For those of you who get on here to discourage people from the career are in the wrong field. Within 6 months you will know if this career is for you or not. IF IT's NOT FOR YOU THAT DOES NOT MEAN ITS NOT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

If you guys are that upset over a "Lack of respect" GET INVOLVED. First get certified, then get involved with your state assemblies! Complaining on a forum does nothing for our career! Zip, ziltch, nada!! HOWEVER to gain respect, and notoriety we ALL must be proactive.

thank you for your comment. I recently withdrew from taking the class.

Angie in Gastonia, North Carolina said: help me please....I graduated from Surg Tech school in June 2006. It has been a year now and I still can not find a job as a Surgical Technologist...I do not know what I am doing wrong...I am in the Charlotte NC area and I have had at 4 or 5 interviews. I am consistently appyling for new Surg Tech openings everyday. I got a call Friday for another interview. I seriously need to score this interview and I get so nervous at interviews. What are some typical Surg Tech Interview questions...I really need to get this one...Please help me.

angie, did you find a job??? if so how are things going???

Angie, I no longer interested in the ST field. Good luck to you!

I need help and help quick. I need to interview two people for my school who are surgical techs. If you are willing to do a quick interview by phone please let me know by e-mail. I promise its painless. delsteve19@yahoo.com thank you

First be clear about this job.
1) The money isnt there, not unless you want to live in your parents basement the rest of your life. No matter where you live Nurses are paid a lot more, Thats our only value to a hospital, we are cheap. You see people writing here that they make more then the nurses with the call pay and OT but they are working all the time just to get what nurses make in 40 hrs. AND nurses have time to actually enjoy the money.
2)In most places the x ray techs, ultra sound techs etc... make more then the surg techs and the work is a lot easier.

3) Certification is the "also ran" or Accreditation. It is considered by professionlas as a something for underachievers. Its the same in all professions, a license is professional, a certificate is a job.

4)Respect? I have heard a few people where I work claim they get or earn respect but they seem to me at least to be deluding themselves. Because of its single purpose its almost unheard of that a surg tech ever moves up. And because you are taking jobs away from periop nurses some will see you as the red headded stepchild of the OR.

renada in Matthews, North Carolina said: Hi my daughter is going to be attending CPCC in Charlotte this fall for ST. She is so excited, but after reading these concerns I am weary about spending my money for that career. Someone please convince me that there will be jobs out there for ST. Thanks in advance.

Please rethink it about sending her to charlotte for a education and think she will get a job. Charlotte is being amped up to be the next big thing and it is not at all. Check statistics and you will see that there unemployment rate is one of the top worst, with a education. I am just relocating from a horrible 4yrs of living.

If your new and being interviewed remember to remind them that as a new grad you wont need to be untaught any bad habits and you will be learning their method of set ups and policys etc... and of course your willing to work cheaper than the experienced tech with all the bad habits.

Angie in Gastonia, North Carolina said: help me please....I graduated from Surg Tech school in June 2006. It has been a year now and I still can not find a job as a Surgical Technologist...I do not know what I am doing wrong...I am in the Charlotte NC area and I have had at 4 or 5 interviews. I am consistently appyling for new Surg Tech openings everyday. I got a call Friday for another interview. I seriously need to score this interview and I get so nervous at interviews. What are some typical Surg Tech Interview questions...I really need to get this one...Please help me.

Unfortunately in todays world and OR Tech is not always a marketable job. I have worked in an OR over 30 years and have seen the trend to hire mostly RN's. Often times a tech can only scrub on certain procedures and not always helpful to fill in. That being said I would recommend that you talk about how much on the job experince you have and then consider taking a job in the central sterile department of a local hospital repocessing the instruents you are familar with them and know sterile technique this will give you the ability to keep you hand in the field and most hospitals hire from within if someone is qualified

Good Luck

Hi angie how are you? I am here in denver CO and I am gong through the surg tech school right now. Would it be okay to call you sometime and ask you some questins for this report I have to do for school. I am at the deadline so please respond. I would greatly appreciate it.
Steve
E-mail delsteve19@yahoo.com

Do these schools ever really fail anyone? I have heard that everyone greduates as long as your paid up. Im not trying to start a fight but be honest, a lot of your have heard this too. havent you?

I agree , I'm not a negative person but if you read my posts on this forum you can see I'm getting very cynical . Last year at my school even the marginal people were getting jobs as new grads , now the best of the grads are not even getting an interview . I have sent out now 150 resumes online - not one interview - even for the 30 SPD jobs ...., I also hold a bachelors degree , I have had my own business and done alot of sales and ST is really not a super hard job.... I interned at a small hospital with one full time ST - they all liked me alot and wanted the hospital to hire me , but they had no openings . Its a joke putting in the online applications for a new grad they do not even LOOK at them . This is the worst thing about everyone wanting you to submit online...you cannot talk to a person you are automatically deleted , period . You cannot offer to volunteer , you can't even talk to someone . I have recommendations that say I am the best new grad and I have as much ability as experienced ST's. It just doesn't matter .
I had a talk today with a close friend that is the office mgr.at a big hospital ... she said they used to hire new grads but no more... the hospital is only hiring travelers and temps because they don't want to take a chance on hiring new full time people because of the economy , basically they would rather pay an agency $60 an hour for a ST than $15 an hour for a new grad because they are reluctant to take on any full time commitments with the current economic crisis ... maybe one reason for the lack of new hires - people hired before november wouldn't understand this .

bob in Stony Brook, New York said: Do these schools ever really fail anyone? I have heard that everyone greduates as long as your paid up. Im not trying to start a fight but be honest, a lot of your have heard this too. havent you?

Being paid up won't get them certified. You may be able to buy your way out of school with a diploma but you still have to pass the cert test.

how do i get that one year experience if no one will hire me to get it... i f**king hate this. its been to stressful for finding this job thing.

I have found that if for any reason you do your extern at a facility that does not hire on new grads you are out of luck as far as finding a job in todays economy . At least in most metro areas . Do not even consider going into this field unless you are certain in advance that if you do well in your clinicals you will get hired by the hospital you train at . The schools will usually find you a clinical site ...but only some of the clinical sites hire new grads , the schools will do little if anything to help you get a job if you are not hired by your clinical site . They might help you make a resume and tell you how to post it online but without experience you will waste hundreds if not thousands of hours applying for online jobs that will not even grant an interview to new grads . My graduating class had 8 people as of last October , all have worked full time trying to get an entry level job , even offering to work for free , to work in SPD etc. etc. . Not one has been employed in any related field . Its been almost 6 ,months and the student loans are now becoming due . These are the best of the students , I'm not considering the marginal ones in this discussion . Again , if you are not certain about being hired by your clinical site , in advance do not enter school to become a ST at this time . Period .

Im a new surgical tech grad myself and if anyone can help me land a job by giving out websites or any other valuable information I would greatly appreciate it

kevin said: Im a new surgical tech grad myself and if anyone can help me land a job by giving out websites or any other valuable information I would greatly appreciate it

Kevin, I graduated in 2007. Here are some tips.

I kept a log of all the procedures I scrubbed in on during my clinicals. Make sure it's neatly typed or printed. I used a thin black marker and made a table including date, procedure, specialty, and whether I scrubbed, or assisted. Our program was 32 weeks of clinicals and I scrubbed in on over 250 cases.

I also had to apply on line. I also called the directors of surgery at the hospitals to follow up on my application. Leave a friendly, positive message on their voicemail. Call each hospital you are interested in at least every 2 weeks.

Spend at least 2 or 3 hours a day on line looking for a job. If you don't have access to a computer at home, go to the library and use the computer.

If you think your resume and interview skills need help, find a program or someone to help you, or seek help online. This can make a tremendous difference.

Network, network, network. Let everyone know you are looking for a job.
and believe.

This can be a great job. The money is not bad, and the work is rewarding. Nursing is always an option; many techs go on to nursing school.

Good luck to you, and be encouraged!

Thakns for the advice Shellyg54 I will take everything you said into consideration. One more thing is it true that getting certified will open a lot more doors. Is the exam hard, what can I use as a study guide

Honestly, yes, I would say the exam is difficult, but you can pass it.
The best way to study is to get the study guide from AST. Then take your time and study. Before you take the exam, make sure you pass the practice exam a few times. There are a lot of questions (250 I believe).
Good Luck!

Also, yes I believe getting certified will open more doors. I look at job ads all over the country, and may of them ask for certification.

What are some question that a new tech will be ask on a interview... what question can I expect. Any advice would be helpful

Kevin,
They want to know if you have the personality that will fit into their department. The OR is a small group, and they want to know you will fit in. I was asked what would I do if a doctor treated me badly. How do you respond when people are yelling? Are you calm in tense situations? Do you have any examples? It's more about getting along with people. Be pleasant; show that you are interested in learning as much as possible. Have a professional resume and your case log. Maintain good eye contact.
Tell them that you want the job. You may be asked what instruments would you need to do an open hysterectomy, hernia, etc. Don't let the negative economy get you down. There are still jobs to be had.
Be blessed and good luch.

By the way, I did clinicals at two hospitals...I was not hired by either of them. If you live in a place where there are not many hospitals, you may have to move to get started. Also, the AST magazine has ads, often they say they will take new grads. Join the association as a student. It's not as expensive, and your certification exam will be cheaper too.

If you weren't hired by either clinical site then what approach did you take to getting hired as an ST. My resume is ok are there any tips you can give me to make my resume even better. I've recently joined AST so what's the benefits of being a member

jz in Smyrna, Georgia said: become certified. It helped me alot. now when i apply for job i call them and tell them i am cst and i saw your job posting and i applied for it, i want to know if you had a chance to reviw my application. and i always get posative answer and call for inteviw.

I am looking to take the certification test next month.
Did the test seem tricky and how many question were there.
Do you have any study suggestions

I logged on here because I am interviewing for ST school tomorrow morning and was trying to get ahead on some of the questions that I might expect during my interview and in reading the forum I'm actually quite taken aback. Have any of you tried to volunteer with any organization that does mission work elsewhere to gain hours of service (plus that always looks great on a resume) I've worked in alot of drs offices and this is what I'd like to do with time- I think though that if I couldn't get a job right out then I would still apply for office positions in clinics that do out patient surgeries or hospitols since I have that experience already. Is this really a bad move- would nursing be that much better and get that much more respect?? I havent been all that nervous until now. Any advice??

honestly go for nusring if you dont know anyone who will hire you straight out of school for surgical tech.. i had hell trying to look for a job and so have my friends. we graduated with scores above 90% and are still looking for jobs.

kevin(talkofmiami) said: If you weren't hired by either clinical site then what approach did you take to getting hired as an ST. My resume is ok are there any tips you can give me to make my resume even better. I've recently joined AST so what's the benefits of being a member

look for a surgery center. look for per diem jobs. its not something we want to do but it gets our foot in the door. dont forget were not just needed in the OR. but in labor and delivery as well as G.I. lab. look around. its difficult but youll find something. if anyone is willing to travel, there are many positions in texas. and some are willing to take new grads.. good luck.

to all the ST's out there , I have so many questions from I have been a CNA afor 12 years my oldst daughter is entering LPN and my youngest is 9. I feel its time for me but all the differnt opinions have me broken . Im interviewing at out local National business college and would like some more heads up to help my decidsion.

I can't find job in florida any help please.

I need help I very dipresed .I'm finnish programs not job for new student.

maria don't get depressed, it took me four months before i got a job. look up jobs for surgical tech in your state. once you get an interview just let them know they can train you the way they want their surgical techs to perform. keep your head up something will come along

This forum can be depressing...I graduated 2 years ago and only 2 people from my class of 14 are not working!
BELIEVE in yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do what you want to do. You are trained and qualified, and eager to learn.
Get the phone numbers to the Surgery departments in your area. Call all the managers and/or directors every 2 weeks and let them know you are looking and interested. If you are friendly and confident when you call (even when you leave a voice message) they will remember you when there is an opening. They mainly want to know that you can get along with the other people in the OR. Don't be shy, but don't be obnoxious!
I enjoy this job, and it's worth fighting for.
Good luck to you. I know you can do it!!!

I understand your comment . At my school in 2007 15 of the 20 new grads got jobs as ST's . the grads from previous years don't have a clue. They all think its easy if you do the normal things upon graduation you will get a job....
Well, of the 16 grads from 2008 not ONE has found a job either as an ST or even in sterile processing ! Anyone that graduated before the middle of 2008 does not have a clue as to the plight of the new ST graduates . That 16 unemployed new grads from my school is the tip of the iceberg.... there are a half dozen accredited schools here in southern california and only a few people from may be a couple hundred have found jobs . Now even the jobs that say "will consider less than a years experience" are being filled by people with many years of paid hospital experience . The hospitals and surgery centers are getting upwards of a hundred new grad applicants for every opening . Its not that I'm just being negative but with these numbers I think we/you are doing a disservice to people thinking of going into this field , at this time , by telling them to keep a positive outlook and do this line of work - at least until the current glut of new grads has been absorbed the outlook is horrible.
I talked with many HR managers from hospitals and they say they have never seen so many qualified , smart, well trained ST new grads - but there are no openings. A year ago they said all the GOOD new grads that wanted a job could find one , now the chances are remote at best , even for those with bachelors and masters degrees.....

Thanks for the info. That is really too bad. If it were me, I would go back to school for nursing, x-ray tech, or whatever might give me a better chance to work. Yes, the times are different. Even so, as an individual, you have to make up your mind that you are going to make it, and do whatever it takes.
By the way, I think many schools charge way to much for this training...please look up salaries and consider this before signing up for any type of schooling. Big debt for small pay never makes sense.

I graduated 1 month ago and passed the CST exam 1 week ago. I have applied to about 50 positions and have interviewed for 1 sterile processing job and have an interview scheduled for tomorrow for an ST position. I think the only reason I am getting the interview for the ST job is because one of my former instructors works at the place and put in a good word for me. If you made any friendships during clinicals or have any contacts use them. Often times older techs will know managers from different hospitals where they worked in the past and may be willing to make some calls for you if they like you.