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For the people who work past the red line.

Career guides, honest advice and OR stories for surgical technologists and surgical assistants. Written by a CST and CSFA who has been there.

Find your pathRead Mayo Stand Talk

Wherever you are in your career, start here.

Most of us follow the same road: getting into the field, growing in it, and for some, moving up to first assist. Pick your stage.

  1. Thinking about it

    Become a surg tech

    What the job really is, how to get into a program, and how to pass the CST exam.

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  2. Already scrubbing in

    Grow your career

    Specialties, travel contracts, better pay, and keeping your CST current.

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  3. Moving up to assist

    First assisting

    The road from CST to CSFA, and how the surgical assistant roles differ.

    See all guides

Mayo Stand Talk

Short, honest posts about OR life, surgical cases and getting into the field.

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Cover of Unseen Heroes of the OR: Memoir of a Surgical Technologist by AJ Vazquez

The story behind the site

Unseen Heroes of the OR is the story of my first year as a surgical technologist at a Level I trauma center: the mistakes, the surgeons, and the cases nobody warns you about. It’s why this site exists.

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