What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called cardiovascular operating room technologist, certified surgical technologist, CST and cvor technologist.
$64,650
Median pay a year
117,460
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Surgical Technologist resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Surgical Technologist
Summary
Surgical technologist assisting in operations by maintaining a sterile field, preparing patients, and providing technical support to surgeons and surgical teams during procedures
Experience
Surgical Technologist
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Counted sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operations
Scrubbed arms and hands and assisted the surgical team with gloves, masks, and surgical clothing
Provided technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists
Prepared patients for surgery, including positioning on the operating table and covering with sterile drapes
Handed instruments and supplies to surgeons and assistants, held retractors, and cut sutures during operations
Monitored and continually assessed operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs
Skills
Assisting during surgery, Maintaining medical supply inventory, Monitoring activities, Cleaning medical equipment and facilities, Maintaining sterile fields, Monitoring facilities, Protecting patients and staff, Sterilizing medical equipment, Preparing biological specimens, Adjusting medical settings or positions
Education
Certificate Your training program, Year
Yours will not say this. It will say what you did, in your own words, and Rung writes it with you one question at a time.
Nothing to write from scratch
What to put on a Surgical Technologist resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Maintained a proper sterile field during proceduresCounted sponges, needles, and instruments pre- and post-operationAssisted surgical team with scrubbing and donning attireProvided technical assistance to surgeons and nursesPrepared patients for surgery and positioned them correctlyHanded instruments to surgeons and assisted during operations
becomes
On your resume
Maintained a sterile field during surgical procedures to ensure patient safety and compliance with health standards
Assisted the surgical team with scrubbing and donning attire, preparing for efficient and safe operations
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Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
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Add what improved in patient safety because of this work
The line
Maintained a sterile field during surgical procedures, leading to fewer infections reported after surgeries
Add what improved in patient safety because of this work
Pick one that fits
Fewer infections reported after surgeriesIncreased confidence from the surgical team
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Mention if you were trusted to lead this process or train others
The line
Assisted the surgical team with scrubbing and donning attire, preparing for efficient and safe operations
Mention if you were trusted to lead this process or train others
Pick one that fits
Trained new staff on proper scrubbing techniquesLed the team in preparing for surgeriesOversaw the attire process for the team
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Surgical Technologist resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Assisting during surgery
Maintaining medical supply inventory
Monitoring activities
Cleaning medical equipment and facilities
Maintaining sterile fields
Monitoring facilities
Protecting patients and staff
Sterilizing medical equipment
Preparing biological specimens
Adjusting medical settings or positions
Operating medical instruments
Recording medical histories
The work itself
What a Surgical Technologist does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
What it pays
How much does a Surgical Technologist make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$54,690
Median
$64,650
75th percentile
$79,750
About 117,460 people do this work in the United States.
This page is about the occupation Surgical Technologists. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.