As a surgical technology graduate, you should create a career-specific resume which highlights your required clinical experience and other work experience in a medical setting. (Use the Surgical Technology Resume Template and the instructions below to create your resume.)
Instructions for creating a surgical technology resume:
A. Heading
List your contact information at the top center like this:
CHRIS JONES
Street Address, City, MI 00000
(000) 000-0000 cjonesemail@gmail.com
LinkedIn (Hyperlink this phrase to your own LI profile.)
B. Professional Qualifications
Begin your resume with a summary of your professional qualifications. To write the bulleted statements in this section, be sure to begin each statement with an action verb or strong adjective and use keywords, requirements and preferences mentioned in the job posting. (See Begin Your Resume with Professional Qualifications and 185 Action Verbs That Will Make Your Resume Awesome.) Below is an example:
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- Communicate with team members quickly and clearly during preparation and completion of surgical procedures
- Consistently excellent in assuring that the environment is safe, sterile, and stocked with the appropriate equipment
Key Terms: surgical conscience, patient care, critical thinking, adaptability, flexibility, sterile techniques, teamwork
C. Licenses/Certifications
List licenses or certifications granted by a governing body. Look at requirements listed in job posting and choose optimum placement on the resume for this information. Below is an example:
LICENSES/CERTIFICATIONS
Completed the required caseload by the ARC/STSA accrediting body Pending/Obtained 00/0000
National Board of Surgical Technologists and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA)
Basic Life Support (BLS) with AED/CPR certification, Expires 00/0000
American Heart Association approved
D. Clinical Experience
A surgical technologist’s clinical experiences are important examples of professional experience. List your TWO clinical experiences in reverse chronological order using the following format:
CLINICAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Name of Hospital/Organization City, MI Spring 0000/Hours: 256
Surgical Technologist Intern/Extern
• Followed proper protocols proactively to ensure patient safety and the success of the procedure
• Provided suction and retraction quickly with keen anticipation of the surgeon’s need
Name of Hospital/Organization City, MI Spring 0000/Hours: 256
Surgical Technologist Intern/Extern
• Able to work in different positions with flexibility and calmness
• Skilled in attention to detail which was complimented by the supervising RN
E. Education
Place your EDUCATION section directly after CLINICAL EDUCATION. You may include any colleges at which you have completed courses or from which you have obtained a degree. See the example below which shows how to list your degree:
EDUCATION
Baker College City, MI Expected graduation 00/0000
Associate of Applied Science Honors: Dean’s List
Surgical Technology GPA 0.0
If you had a relevant major or a specific education track, you may list them below your degree. Other optional information: honors and GPA if 3.5+
F. Work Experience
List non-medical work experience with two to three bullets which highlight hard and soft skills. Also, be sure to list related medical experience outside of your clinical education and experience which would be desirable to the employer (e.g., Medical Assistant, CNA, sterile processing) and highlight transferable skills.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Name of Organization City, MI 00/0000–00/0000
Job Title
• Do not simply list job duties; state an accomplishment or a skill you have shown in this job, beginning with an action verb
G. Optional Sections
Affiliations/Volunteer Activities
List professional organizations, student organizations, as well as community affiliations and involvement that would be relevant to your field. See the example below:
AFFILIATIONS/VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
Association of Surgical Technologists 0000–0000
Blood Services Team Member-American Red Cross 0000–0000
• Volunteer activities can simply be a list of the organizations and your titles or can include duties/achievements as in the CLINICAL EXPERIENCE section.
Relevant Coursework
This section may be placed after your education section; only mention specific coursework required for or desirable for the position. Highlight courses that may not be part of a typical surgical technologist’s degree which show important skills for the job. Example: Laparoscopic Simulations
Revised 7 January 2025