Career
Path Forecast
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics,
employment
of surgical technologists is expected to grow 25 percent between 2008
and 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations, as the
volume of surgeries increases.
The number of surgical
procedures is expected to continue to rise as the population grows and
ages. Older people, including the baby-boom generation, which generally
requires more surgical procedures, will continue to account for a larger
portion of the U.S. population. In addition, technological advances,
such as fiber optics and laser technology, have permitted an increasing
number of new surgical procedures to be performed and also have allowed
surgical technologists to assist with a greater number of procedures.
Hospitals will
continue to be the primary employer of surgical technologists, as they
try to reduce costs by replacing nurses in the operating room. However,
because of better paying opportunities, much faster employment growth is
expected in offices of physicians and in outpatient care centers,
including ambulatory surgical centers.
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by the US Department
of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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