February 1, 2022

Surgical Techs are a critical part of any surgical care team, and we’re looking for the best and brightest at all levels systemwide – across Alaska, California, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Texas – to help care for our communities. All Surgical Tech roles offer best-in-class benefits, and many have sign-on bonuses up to $10,000.

Wondering what it’s like to work as a Surg Tech at Providence? Here’s what several caregivers from Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane, Washington had to say.

Why did they come to Providence?

The Surg Techs at Sacred Heart came to Providence for a variety of reasons. Angie was recruited after school and has been here for her full career of 22 years. Cortney joined the team after leaving the military and says, “I knew that Providence was one of the best hospitals. My team members are great, everybody works all together. There’s not one person that does more than the other. Everybody has a role and I like that, because you have to function as a team and playing sports growing up, it’s kind of like the same aspect.”

What is the day-to-day role of a Providence Surgical Tech?

Caregiver Caleb says, “We do everything here. I’ll be scrubbing in on a total one day and then the next day we’ll be doing a skin graft and flaps. That’s one of the best things, getting to do and see things that most people won’t get to do or see.”

Angie ads that the Surgical Techs at Sacred Heart spend time opening, maintaining a sterile field for the patients and the surgeons, making sure we have the proper irrigation and labeling on the drugs that are dispensed to the field. “Being the right-hand of the surgeon, I get to make sure that they have what they need. I pass the instruments and I’m there for our patients being that they’re asleep and they don’t have a voice for themselves, so helping be that voice for the patient and helping the surgeon take care of that patient to the best of our ability. Teamwork is essential. There is not a role in that OR that can’t happen without the other.”

Caleb agrees about teamwork. “We all have our individual jobs, but all of our jobs kind of overlap. I rely on my nurses, my nurses rely on me, my doctors rely on me. They’re keeping their mind on the important things and it’s kind of my job to think of some of the underlying things that we might need—or prepare for worst case scenario. The more teamwork we have in the OR, the more cohesive an experience it is for everyone involved in the surgery from the nurses, the doctors, the techs, and the patient will have a better outcome because of it.”

How are they supported in their careers?

Angie looks to team members, saying, “You have supporting team members through your entire educational process and the starting and continuation of your career. There’s always somebody there to help support you, educate you and answer questions. You don’t learn it all in a day, everything comes with time and practice. You’re not alone.”

Caleb is thankful for fellow caregivers that have grown into friends. “Some of my best friends work here, so being able to after the case just unload and decompress a little bit and having someone there who’s like ‘I get it, that happened to me last week,’ it helps a lot.”

One piece of advice for future Surgical Techs at Providence

Caleb says that being a Surgical Tech has prepared him to do anything he wants to do in the future, and that’s because he has taken advantage of opportunities offered to him. He advises, “Be interested. I think if you walk in and you really just show that you’re interested, and you’re there to help in whatever way possible, I think you would do just fine in this field.”

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