The surgical workforce hiding in plain sight

Becker’s Hospital Review – Tuesday, June 9, 2026
By Mariah Taylor

Athletic trainers are licensed healthcare providers and are qualified to scrub into the operating room as surgical first assists in most states, which offers hospitals a valuable pipeline to fill surgical technologist gaps.

In 2024, health systems reported that surgical tech shortages were on par with nursing shortages. In 2025, there were 117,460 employed surgical techs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found, with Colorado and California having the most. Surgical tech positions are projected to grow 5% in the next 10 years, and surgical assistants are projected to grow 4%.

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