How to become a Surgical Tech in Florida

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If you wish to become a surgical technician (surgical tech) in Florida (FL) you will need to complete an accredited surgical tech program. Surgical tech programs are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) as well as the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).

A high school diploma or similar is typically a requirement for admittance into such programs. Some schools may require certain subjects such as biology or maths as a prerequisite. You may also be required to undergo some background checks and health screening as part of the admittance process.

We have information on all the top accredited surgical tech schools near you in Florida below.

Once you have graduated from an accredited program, you can then choose to sit the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) certification exams to become a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST). Certification is not essential but it is generally preferred by employers and will help greatly with career advancement.

As of yet, licensing for surgical technicians is only a requirement in a small number of states, including Colorado, Illinois, Washington, Indiana, and DC.

Best Surgical Tech Schools in Florida in 2023

CollegeMetro AreaAccreditationProgram Page
City CollegeAltamonte SpringsABHESVisit
Keiser UniversityClearwaterCAAHEPVisit
Eastern Florida State CollegeCocoaCAAHEPVisit
Daytona State CollegeDaytona BeachCAAHEPVisit
Southern Technical CollegeFort MyersABHESVisit
Indian River State CollegeFort PierceCAAHEPVisit
Santa Fe CollegeGainesvilleCAAHEPVisit
City CollegeHollywoodABHESVisit
Concorde Career InstituteJacksonvilleCAAHEPVisit
Florida State College at JacksonvilleJacksonvilleCAAHEP
Visit
Palm Beach State CollegeLake WorthCAAHEPVisit
Traviss Technical CollegeLakelandCAAHEPVisit
Southeastern CollegeMiami LakesCAAHEPVisit
Concorde Career InstituteMiramarCAAHEPVisit
Lorenzo Walker Technical CollegeNaplesCAAHEPVisit
Pasco-Hernando State CollegeNew Port RicheyCAAHEPVisit
College of Central FloridaOcalaCAAHEPVisit
Rasmussen UniversityOdessaCAAHEPVisit
Fortis CollegeOrange ParkCAAHEPVisit
Concorde Career InstituteOrlandoCAAHEPVisit
Orange Technical CollegeOrlandoCAAHEPVisit
Gulf Coast State CollegePanama CityCAAHEPVisit
Pensacola State CollegePensacolaCAAHEPVisit
Southern Technical CollegePort CharlotteABHESVisit
Tallahassee Community CollegeTallahasseeCAAHEPVisit
Concorde Career InstituteTampaCAAHEPVisit
Hillsborough Community CollegeTampaCAAHEPVisit
Southern Technical CollegeTampaABHESVisit
Southeastern CollegeWest Palm BeachCAAHEPVisit

Before enrolling in any surgical tech school, it is strongly recommended that you confirm that it is fully accredited.

There are 29 accredited surgical tech programs in Florida in 2023- listed above.

The following schools have recently been removed from the list of CAAHEP and/or ABHES surgical technician schools in Florida;

  • Keiser University, Tampa
  • Lindsey Hopkins Education Center, Miami
  • Manatee Technical College, Bradenton
  • Pinellas Technical College, St. Petersburg
  • Riveroak Technical College, Live Oak
  • Sheridan Technical College, Hollywood
  • Suncoast Technical College, Sarasota

How long does it take to become a surgical tech in Florida?

Most surgical tech programs will typically take between 9 months and 2 years to complete depending on whether it is a certificate or degree program.

You can also view the map below for more information on surgical technician programs in Florida.

Surgical Tech Salary Florida

Average Salary$43,300
Hourly Wage$20.82
Top 10% of Earners$55,950
Bottom 10% of Earners$32,760
# Employed7,070

According to the most up-to-date Bureau of Labor Statistics data released in March 2018 the average surgical technician salary in Florida is $43,300 – 10% less than the national average of $48,060.

This equals an hourly wage of $20.82.

Those in the top pay brackets for the profession in Florida earn an average salary of $55,950 whilst those in the lower pay brackets and in entry level positions earn an average of $32,760 per annum.

There are currently 7,070 persons working as surgical technicians in Florida.

Florida Surgical Tech Employment and Salaries by Metro Area

The table below details the salary and employment levels for surgical technicians in the main cities and metro areas in Florida.

As can be seen from the table the highest average salaries for surgical techs in Florida are in the Port St. Lucie area whilst the highest number of surgical tech jobs are in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville.

Metro AreaAverage SalaryTop 10%Bottom 10%# Employed
Cape Coral-Fort Myers$49,330$68,530$34,060590
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin$38,640$51,960$28,52060
Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$42,720$60,310$26,2101,110
Gainesville$47,750$61,530$34,600120
Jacksonville$49,920$63,200$39,55060
Lakeland-Winter Haven$52,100$62,990$33,300160
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$38,940$51,510$28,570210
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island$41,270$54,910$27,560740
North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton$45,600$62,060$27,490-
Ocala$39,790$48,610$28,870240
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$45,390$60,690$33,44040
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$49,730$65,440$31,7802,570
Panama City$50,500$69,500$32,1601,610
Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent$41,610$55,350$31,46080
Port St. Lucie$52,240$64,520$39,070280
Sebastian-Vero Beach$40,580$49,750$29,30030
Tallahassee$39,100$50,560$28,630120
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$52,190$66,820$41,310900
Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach$41,230$52,590$32,500130
Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall$42,140$57,350$28,6001,040
West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach$42,280$57,900$28,7301,870

Surgical Tech V’s Related Careers

A career as a surgical technician offers great income potential and excellent job prospects with growth of over 11% projected between 2016 and 2024.

The table below compares the average surgical technician salary and employment in Florida with salary levels for related healthcare careers in the state. As can be seen from the table those working as surgical techs in Florida earn one of the highest salaries when compared with similar healthcare roles.

Salary# Employed
Surgical Technologist$43,3007,070
Medical Assistant$31,98054,220
Nursing Assistant$25,93092,190
Dental Assistant$37,92019,040
EMT Paramedic$33,54011,210
Pharmacy Technician$27,0801,210
Respiratory Therapy Tech$48,900490
Veterinary Technician$31,9308,070
Phlebotomy Technician$31,1408,280

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