Please Help!

suzanne4, RN · Aug 13, 2005

You should check out a forum for surgical techs to get information as to salalries in a specific area, or even http://www.salary.com.

Allnurses.com is geared more to the nursing part of healthcare and so most of us do not pay attention to what the other salaries are.......

And yes, they do have surgical techs in every state. :)

melkel619 · Aug 13, 2005

You should check out a forum for surgical techs to get information as to salalries in a specific area, or even http://www.salary.com.
Allnurses.com is geared more to the nursing part of healthcare and so most of us do not pay attention to what the other salaries are.......
And yes, they do have surgical techs in every state. :)

thank you very much! what part of oregon do you live in, and what part of oregon to recommend moving to and/or starting and raising a family?

suzanne4, RN · Aug 13, 2005

I actually have never been to Oregon, but I have worked OR for years.

You will get more of a repsonse if you post about where to live in the state. Most do not have any idea of surgical tech positions if they have never worked in an OR. That is why you have not gotten any responses until now.

edcampbe · Aug 14, 2005

Hopefully I can shed some light for you. Here is a job posting for a hospital in a suburb of Portland, Oregon (in Newberg, Oregon):

"Providence Newberg Hospital, Newberg, Oregon. Full-time/Day shifts are Mon-Fri between 7:00am - 7:30pm. This position is TEMPORARY through October 1, 2005. The Surgical Technician is responsible for maintaining the integrity, safety, and efficiency of the sterile field throughout the operation. The Surgical Tech has a knowledge of and experience with aseptic and sterile techniques to prepare and arrange instruments and supplies, and to assist the surgeon and assistants throughout the operation by providing the sterile instruments and supplies required. High school graduate. Completion of training program in operating room techniques. Prefer at least one year experience as active scrub technician. Understanding of medical terminology.CPR Certification. CST preferred. Minimum $15.40 - Maximum $22.14" (http://www.providence.org/careers/)

Although this job is temporary, this should give you an idea of the comparative salaries for surgical techs in the Portland metro area. Most apartments rent for $600 (one bedroom / one bath) - $700 (two bedrooms / one bath) in Newberg. If you wanted to buy a house, you'd pay between $180,000 (old, 1400 sq. ft. home) - $210,000 (new, 1600 sq. ft. townhome). Gas prices are currently $2.55 / gallon, milk costs about $3 / gallon, there is no state sales tax; however, the state income tax is a little spendy. Property taxes in Newberg are about 1.5% of the value of your home.

Finally, Newberg is a quaint little town of about 20,000, but growing rapidly. Providence Health System is building a brand new hospital (to replace the current hospital) which will be completed spring of 2006. It is a great place to raise a family (low crime, great schools, great weather - if you can handle rain).

Feel free to ask if you have more questions. I hope this will answer some of your initial questions.

Evan

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Aug 14, 2005

Where I work, there are several surgical techs who do everything their CNA II certification allows (this is the 'advanced' CNA role here in Oregon). As far as I know, their salaries are in the $13-15/hour range, which is a decent wage for the mid-Willamette Valley although I'm sure they are paid more in the larger cities, e.g. Portland and Salem.

Good luck to you in pursuing this line of work.........a good surgical tech is worth his/her weight in gold!