Certified Surgical Technologist (CST)
Median salary, education path, job outlook, and related careers — based on U.S. labor data.
Median salary
$57,000/yr
Typical range
$47,000 – $70,000
Education
Associate degree
Time to entry
About 2 years
What a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) does
Prepares operating rooms, sterilizes instruments, and assists surgeons directly during surgical procedures.
Education & path
The typical entry point is a associate degree. About 2 years.
Estimated cost of that path: ~$7,500. Estimated payback: ~1 year. Estimates only — actual cost varies widely by school and financial aid; payback assumes ~20% of income applied.
Related careers
- Clinical Data Analyst — $85,000/yr
- Clinical Pharmacist — $142,000/yr
- ICU Registered Nurse — $92,000/yr
- Labor and Delivery Nurse — $85,000/yr
- MRI Technologist — $78,000/yr
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