Best programs to become a surgical assistant
You do not need a college degree to become a surgical assistant. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Surgical Technology/Technologist (IPEDS completions).
1 college program at 460 schools trains surgical assistants, graduating 8,514 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $66,800 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About surgical assistants
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
Best programs to study to become a surgical assistant
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.0909 | 8,514 | 100.0% | 460 | $53,520 | $20,250 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What surgical assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $62,540 | 1,210 | 0.47× | 27 | 892 |
| Tennessee | $81,640 | 750 | 1.60× | 17 | 858 |
| Texas | $64,930 | 2,840 | 1.41× | 38 | 815 |
| Florida | $62,550 | 1,260 | 0.89× | 33 | 599 |
| New York | $60,070 | 470 | 0.34× | 12 | 322 |
| Illinois | $80,210 | 2,300 | 2.63× | 17 | 302 |
| Georgia | $49,520 | 840 | 1.21× | 15 | 301 |
| Ohio | $77,450 | 970 | 1.21× | 23 | 270 |
| Michigan | $56,430 | 560 | 0.89× | 16 | 255 |
| Arizona | $111,170 | — | — | 9 | 231 |
| North Carolina | $59,920 | 670 | 0.95× | 23 | 220 |
| Kentucky | $84,600 | 480 | 1.69× | 11 | 212 |
| Oklahoma | $40,160 | 220 | 0.90× | 12 | 197 |
| Mississippi | $50,810 | 120 | 0.70× | 9 | 189 |
| South Carolina | $85,580 | 480 | 1.45× | 14 | 184 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,550 | 240 | 0.28× | 17 | 171 |
| Colorado | $107,440 | — | — | 8 | 155 |
| Indianamoderate | $56,620 | 690 | 1.51× | 4 | 152 |
| Utah | $44,990 | 290 | 1.16× | 7 | 151 |
| Wisconsin | $78,030 | 810 | 1.93× | 14 | 144 |
| Missouri | $49,400 | 510 | 1.22× | 12 | 142 |
| Minnesota | $75,950 | 360 | 0.86× | 9 | 139 |
| Massachusetts | $56,430 | — | — | 7 | 124 |
| Arkansas | $49,600 | 80 | 0.43× | 9 | 121 |
| Alabama | $41,710 | 470 | 1.55× | 7 | 120 |
| New Jersey | $90,710 | — | — | 6 | 112 |
| Washington | $65,440 | 100 | 0.20× | 8 | 109 |
| Virginia | $78,910 | 1,000 | 1.69× | 8 | 106 |
| Idahomoderate | $56,460 | — | — | 4 | 85 |
| Kansas | $57,810 | 180 | 0.88× | 6 | 65 |
| Oregonmoderate | $80,450 | 220 | 0.77× | 3 | 65 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $62,010 | 130 | 1.06× | 3 | 60 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $53,190 | 80 | 0.56× | 4 | 58 |
| Maryland | $58,130 | 670 | 1.69× | 6 | 57 |
| Nevadalimited | $100,820 | 230 | 1.03× | 2 | 54 |
| Iowa | $66,030 | 30 | 0.15× | 5 | 52 |
| West Virginia | $50,870 | 280 | 2.74× | 7 | 49 |
| Connecticutlimited | $67,580 | 320 | 1.32× | 1 | 34 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $61,900 | — | — | 2 | 31 |
| Montanamoderate | $67,370 | 100 | 1.31× | 3 | 24 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $77,670 | 130 | 1.37× | 2 | 13 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
- Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
- Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
Skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Writing3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Active Learning3.0
Knowledge areas
- Medicine and Dentistry4.2
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
- English Language3.6
- Biology3.4
- Education and Training3.4
- Computers and Electronics2.9
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.1
- Near Vision4.0
- Arm-Hand Steadiness4.0
- Finger Dexterity4.0
- Oral Expression3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others5.0
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.6
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.5
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.5
- Getting Information4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
How to get in
How to become a surgical assistant
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Surgical Assistants1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.0909Surgical Technology/Technologist
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a surgical assistant?+
You do not need a college degree to become a surgical assistant. BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award (a certificate) as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Surgical Technology/Technologist (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a surgical assistant?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Surgical Technology/Technologist (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 program to this job, which graduates about 8,514 people a year.
How much do surgical assistants earn?+
The median is $66,800 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,690 at the 10th percentile to $107,610 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for surgical assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +5.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 1,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
460 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 program that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do surgical assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Surgical First Assistant, Surgical Technician (Surgical Tech), Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-9093.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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