ODP from the UK wanting to work in the US as a Surgial Technologist!! HELP PLEASE!!

hi my names omar, i'm an ODP which is similar to the US version of a surgical technologist i believe, i am intrested in working abroad and the US stands out as i had a recent holiday there, so i was wondering if anyne could provide any help and advice as to what i would need to do to work in th US, would i have to do a conversion course, also in the UK i work in 3 different areas, which are surgery, anaesthetics and post anaesthetic care unit, and would this be the same in the US! also any other info on hours worked, wages and annual leave (holiday leave)would be welcomed. thanks for your help peeps
omar

Hi Omar. The job descriptions for Surgical Technologists and ODPs are very different. In a nutshell, ours is a more technical profession and we do not work in anaesthesia, or post anaesthesia care. Our primary job is the "scrub" role. As there is no licensing of our profession yet, we are relegated to working underneath the nurses. You can find a common job description and salary map on the Association of Surgical Technologists website at www.ast.org. Not to put a damper on your hopes of working the US, as I am sure that you would be able to find work here, I feel that you would find the significant decrease in scope of practice to be a bit stifling. Hope this helps. Cheers! Chris

Chris in Chicago, Illinois said: Hi Omar. The job descriptions for Surgical Technologists and ODPs are very different. In a nutshell, ours is a more technical profession and we do not work in anaesthesia, or post anaesthesia care. Our primary job is the "scrub" role. As there is no licensing of our profession yet, we are relegated to working underneath the nurses. You can find a common job description and salary map on the Association of Surgical Technologists website at www.ast.org . Not to put a damper on your hopes of working the US, as I am sure that you would be able to find work here, I feel that you would find the significant decrease in scope of practice to be a bit stifling. Hope this helps. Cheers! Chris

Thanks chris for your information, will definately look in to it! At this moment in time i'm not to bothered by the decrease in scope of practice, mainly its something i would like to do for 1-2 years just as an experience of working abroad, especially i was in the states for a vacation & loved it! Sorry one more question for you if you don't mind, i read a post (not sure which one as i read many) discussing working as a surgical technologists but moving about at the same time or travelling around the states! Do you feel this would be a good idea? I personally need to look in to living costs & wages & see if i would be able to survive! Thanks for the link will be checking it out & contacting the association of surgical technologists! Thnx
Omar

Omar in London, United Kingdom said: Thanks chris for your information, will definately look in to it! At this moment in time i'm not to bothered by the decrease in scope of practice, mainly its something i would like to do for 1-2 years just as an experience of working abroad, especially i was in the states for a vacation & loved it! Sorry one more question for you if you don't mind, i read a post (not sure which one as i read many) discussing working as a surgical technologists but moving about at the same time or travelling around the states! Do you feel this would be a good idea? I personally need to look in to living costs & wages & see if i would be able to survive! Thanks for the link will be checking it out & contacting the association of surgical technologists! Thnx
Omar

Hi Omar, sorry for the delay in my reply. What you are referring to is called "travelling" or being a "travelling tech". What this means is when a hospital or surgi-center have a open position that they are having trouble filling or if an employee is on an extended leave, they can opt to utilize a "traveller" on a temporary basis. There are several different companies that staff Surgical Techs around the country. You can choose to list yourself with one, or with several and then see which one can find you the location you desire. It works like this: You are an employee of the staffing company. When a hospital has a need, they contact whichever company they either have a contract with or have utilized before. The hospital describes the skill set of the person they need, and then the company searches its' database to match one of its' employees to the hospital's needs. They then contact the employee and say" I have a contract available in (------) city and they need someone who can scrub (------), are you interested? If so, they handle the contract details and then tell you when the contract start date is, where to report, etc....

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Chris in Chicago, Illinois said: Hi Omar, sorry for the delay in my reply. What you are referring to is called "travelling" or being a "travelling tech". What this means is when a hospital or surgi-center have a open position that they are having trouble filling or if an employee is on an extended leave, they can opt to utilize a "traveller" on a temporary basis. There are several different companies that staff Surgical Techs around the country. You can choose to list yourself with one, or with several and then see which one can find you the location you desire. It works like this: You are an employee of the staffing company. When a hospital has a need, they contact whichever company they either have a contract with or have utilized before. The hospital describes the skill set of the person they need, and then the company searches its' database to match one of its' employees to the hospital's needs. They then contact the employee and say" I have a contract available in (------) city and they need someone who can scrub (------), are you interested? If so, they handle the contract details and then tell you when the contract start date is, where to report, etc....

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There are many variables to this scenario......Here are the basics: The staffing company pays you an hourly wage, pays for your transportation to the new city(gas, mileage, etc..) pays for your housing and electric, and many companies now have health insurance available to employees as well, (No NHS here...)The only bills that you are typically responsible for are Television, Telephone, Food, and incidentals. The contracts are typically 13 weeks in length, with some being longer. I have known many people who have done this for short and long periods of time and they all loved it. If you are single and love to travel, it's ideal. Here are some tips that I have picked up: List yourself with several companies.

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Chris in Chicago, Illinois said: Hi Omar, sorry for the delay in my reply. What you are referring to is called "travelling" or being a "travelling tech". What this means is when a hospital or surgi-center have a open position that they are having trouble filling or if an employee is on an extended leave, they can opt to utilize a "traveller" on a temporary basis. There are several different companies that staff Surgical Techs around the country. You can choose to list yourself with one, or with several and then see which one can find you the location you desire. It works like this: You are an employee of the staffing company. When a hospital has a need, they contact whichever company they either have a contract with or have utilized before. The hospital describes the skill set of the person they need, and then the company searches its' database to match one of its' employees to the hospital's needs. They then contact the employee and say" I have a contract available in (------) city and they need someone who can scrub (------), are you interested? If so, they handle the contract details and then tell you when the contract start date is, where to report, etc....

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Hospitals utilize different companies, so it's best to cast your net wide. What many of my friends have done is call each of their companies up and say "I want a contract in (-----) city...what do you have?" Sometimes they have something, sometimes not, but they will get a call when something in that city opens up. They companies usually pay a set hourly rate, with a differential for evening work or for some specialties. The start date can usually be negotiated to fit your schedule. If you like the city and hospital you are working in, and they like you, it's common for them to re-sign you to another contract. I knew one girl who worked at a hospital for almost 2 years doing that! Another benefit is that if you don't get on somewhere, then it's only 13 weeks

Chris in Chicago, Illinois said: Hospitals utilize different companies, so it's best to cast your net wide. What many of my friends have done is call each of their companies up and say "I want a contract in (-----) city...what do you have?" Sometimes they have something, sometimes not, but they will get a call when something in that city opens up. They companies usually pay a set hourly rate, with a differential for evening work or for some specialties. The start date can usually be negotiated to fit your schedule. If you like the city and hospital you are working in, and they like you, it's common for them to re-sign you to another contract. I knew one girl who worked at a hospital for almost 2 years doing that! Another benefit is that if you don't get on somewhere, then it's only 13 weeks

and then you can move on. I hope that this has been helpful! =)

Thank you so much chris, i really appreciate your advice
Thanks
Omar

Thanks a lot chris i really appreciate the advice you have given!
Thank you
Omar