How To Become A Scrub Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a scrub technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Scrub technicians are those who assist surgeons in the operating room. Although a scrub tech's primary duties revolve around providing sterile equipment to the surgeon, scrub techs also help prepare the patient for surgery, sterilize equipment to be used in the surgery, and help the surgical team "scrub in" before operating procedures.

A scrub technician should also have to keep the operating room clean before and during each surgery, sterilize reusable instruments, and replenish the supply chamber with materials throughout the process.

You are required to complete a diploma, certificate, or associate's degree program before they can legally work in the field to indulge in scrub technician jobs. Most employers prefer to hire scrub techs who are certified. To become a certified surgical technologist, you must graduate from an approved program and pass the certifying exam.

ScoreScrub TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,718

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 4.84%

Black or African American 13.24%

Hispanic or Latino 14.36%

Unknown 4.15%

White 62.98%

Gender

female 79.49%

male 20.51%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a scrub technician

Explore scrub technician education requirements

Most common scrub technician degrees

Associate

43.4 %

Bachelor's

21.4 %

High School Diploma

11.5 %

Start to develop specific scrub technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	24.24%
BLS	11.88%
Surgical Procedures	8.41%
Aseptic Technique	7.21%
CPR	6.76%

Complete relevant scrub technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New scrub technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a scrub technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real scrub technician resumes.

Research scrub technician duties and responsibilities

Manage sterilization of field during surgical procedures, ensuring cleanliness and sanitation meet organization protocol.
Perform EKG's, blood draws (PKUs) and bed baths.
Administer medications, perform EKG, venipuncture, and dressing changes.
Observe, ensure and provide sterility, safety and preventative measures of OSHA and other mandate regulations at each command.

Prepare your scrub technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your scrub technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a scrub technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable scrub technician resume templates

Build a professional scrub technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your scrub technician resume.