Surgical technicians work in a variety of medical offices. According to a government survey in 2008, more surgical technicians worked in general medical and surgical hospitals than in any other area, with 62,760 employees. In second place was physician offices, with 9,980 technicians, followed by outpatient care centers with 7,140 employees. After that, it was dentist offices, which employed 3,420 surgical technicians, followed by specialty hospitals (excluding psychiatric and substance abuse facilities), which had 1,260 technicians. Each location required something a little different from its technicians.

General hospitals are the ones most people think of when they think about surgical procedures. These facilities are designed to house patients overnight or longer, and often employ doctors and surgeons from a wide array of specialties. Surgical technicians working in general hospitals will be required to assist in a growing variety of surgical procedures, and to stay informed on the latest tools, operations, and methods used in the field. Hospitals like these will continue to be the biggest employers for qualified techs in the future.

Physican offices are smaller than general hospitals, and many have fewer than 10 employees. Surgical techs are still needed, though, and will be required to perform much of the same things that techs employed at large hospitals would do.

Outpatient care centers offer medical care and treatment but are not designed for overnight or prolonged stays by patients. Thanks to advances in technology, a growing number of procedures are being classified as outpatient and are structured to get patients home the same day as their procedure. Surgeries in this category include mole removal, angioplasty (blood vessel repair), and more.

A number of surgical technicians are also employed in dental offices. While dental surgeries are different from the bigger procedures performed at general hospitals, they’re still intricate operations that require skilled technicians to assist dental surgeons. This might not be an area that most people think of as needing surgical technicians, but job opportunities with dentists are growing just as fast as others in the field.

Specialty hospitals often focus on long-term care for patients who need treatment for certain traumas or other areas not typically addressed by general hospitals. A specialty hospital might also focus on ear/nose/throat issues with a team of doctors and surgeons with localized training, and these physicians will need certified surgical technicians to assist them in performing operations to provide specialty treatment.

There are even more places to work if you’re a qualified, certified surgical technician. The skills you learn in an online training program can take you just about anywhere.