How to Become a Surgical Tech in Utah

With the aging population in the United States, the prospects for employment in the surgical technology field will continue to be positive.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that there will be an increase of 5% in the number of surgical technology job openings.

The prospects look even better in Utah and for those who choose to enter the field, the likelihood of finding employment is excellent.

Licensing Requirements to Become a Surgical Technologist

In the state of Utah there are no licensing requirements.

Many employers may require that their surgical technology employees be certified.

Utah Tech University

Utah Tech University is located in St. George, Utah.

Graduates earn an Associate in Applied Science Degree.

The Surgical Technology Program is certified by CAAHEP.

The program is a 63 credit course.

All program prerequisites must be passed with a minimum grade of C.

Many classes on this program have an additional $105 fee per credit.

Students will do clinical work at local area medical centers and surgeries.

Students must work as first scrub in the first semester clinical rotation.

To graduate, students must have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Upon graduation, students may sit for the national certification exam.

Tuition is $3153.52 per semester for residents, $4512 for good neighbors, and $9123 for non-residents.

Davis Technical University

Davis Technical University is located in Kaysville, UT.

The surgical tech program requires 16 months to complete.

A total of 46 credits are required to complete the program.

Class time is 24 hours per week and clinical is 40 hrs per week.

Classes are held on the main campus.

Tuition is $5671 plus some additional fees.

Students must bring headphones and a USB drive for computer work.

Scrubs and shoes will need to be purchased.

The program has an open start date, but students will be given a close date that must be adhered to.

The program combines classroom, lab work and 495 hours of clinical externship in a real operating room.

At the completion of the Surgical Tech Program, students are eligible to sit for the national certification exam at a cost of $199.

Utah State University

The Surgical Technology Program can be completed in four semesters and one semester of prerequisites.

After the classroom work is done, a 120 surgery externship must be completed to prepare for graduation.

Those applying must be fully immunized, get a background check, undergo drug screening and be CPR certified.

Graduates of this program will receive an Associate Degree in Applied Science.

Students are required to sit for the national surgical technology exam before graduation.

A GPA of 3.0 must be maintained throughout the program.

Applicants will be interviewed to determine their suitability for the program.

This program is available at the Utah State University locations in Blanding, Price, and Moab.

Labs must be completed at the Blanding or Price locations.

Those in the program must visit the site of their externship for orientation and there may be more than one location.

The tuition for the program is approximately $13,000 for Utah residents.

Salt Lake Community College

Salt Lake Community College has 10 campuses.

Tech courses are taught at six of them, including three in Salt Lake City, West Jordan, West Sandy, and West Valley City.

All prerequisite courses must be taken before applying to the program.

All applicants must be at least 18 years old.

The surgical technology program takes 3 semesters to complete.

Applicants must be CPR certified.

The program is composed of 42 program credits and 22 prerequisite credits.

One cohort of a maximum of 18 students is admitted every summer semester.

The surgical courses must be passed with a C+ grade.

Accepted students must attend the new student orientation day.

The program is accredited by the CAAHEP.

All participants must take part in 120 surgeries as part of their clinical work.

30 will be in general surgery and the other 90 in various surgical specialties.

60 must be in the role of first scrub.

Graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science.

Graduates are eligible to take the national certification exam to become certified.

The tuition for the program is $7400, including fees.

Southwest Technical College

The Southwest Technical College main campus is located in Cedar City, UT.

The program takes approximately nine months.

All students must be CPR certified and if not, the class is included in the fees.

The Surgical Technology Program requires 26 credits.

This surgical technical program is a certificate program.

The externship is 360 hours and comes after classroom and lab work is complete.

Tuition is $3,976.50 including books, fees, and supplies.

Fees include a Chromebook and scrubs and the fee for the national certification exam.

Surgical Technician Schools in Utah – Summary Table

Salary

The average salary for surgical technologists in Utah is $50,000.

The salary range is from $40,000 for new employees recently graduated from school to about $62,000 for more experienced surgical technologists.

Regional Salary in Utah