This surgical tech skills checklist is the biggest one we run, and for good reason. At 248 items, it covers the service lines a working CST actually scrubs: general surgery, orthopedics, neuro, cardiothoracic and peripheral vascular, plastics, GU, OB/GYN, and more, plus a 39-item equipment section that tells us what you can set up without a picture guide.
Junxion was founded by a traveling surgical tech, so this page is personal. We know the gap between “scrub tech, 5 years” on a resume and what you can really do when the case cart shows up. Facilities know it too, which is why they trust a detailed skills picture over a job title every time. Rate yourself honestly and let the checklist do the talking.
One sitting is all it takes, and your results land in your inbox on submit.
What does the surgical tech skills checklist cover?
Every corner of the OR. The fundamentals are here, from Sponge and Lap Counts and Time Out to aseptic technique and procedure set-up, then it goes service line by service line: 25 general surgery procedures, 21 orthopedic items, 21 neuro including craniectomies and laminectomies, 23 cardiothoracic and vascular, plus MIS and robotic-assist cases. The equipment section alone runs 39 items. Two ratings each: proficiency, up to Supervise/Teach, and recency.
What happens after you submit?
A recruiter who came up in surgical services reads your ratings and matches them against open contracts by service line. Heavy ortho depth sends you one way, cardiac another, and a broad generalist profile opens the most doors of all.
The board shows what’s open across every state we staff, and your checklist stays on file so new contracts get matched against it automatically.
FAQ: Surgical Tech Skills Checklist
How is the surgical tech skills checklist scored?
Two ratings per item: proficiency, from Supervise/Teach at the top down to None, and how recently you’ve scrubbed it. There’s no passing score. With 248 items across every major service line, the checklist becomes a map of your OR strengths that your recruiter uses to match you to rooms you already know how to run.
Do I really need to rate all 248 items?
Rate what’s true and move fast through the rest. Nobody scrubs every service line, and the checklist is built to show your shape, not to test your completeness. A tech who is elite in ortho and thin in ophtho is a great match for half the contracts out there, and your honest ratings are what surface those matches.
Does my CST certification cover this?
Your NBSTSA certification gets you in the door, and facilities absolutely check it. The checklist answers the next question: which cases can you run on day one. Certification plus a current, honest skills picture is the combination that moves your file to the top of a facility’s stack.
I want to move toward first assisting someday. Does this help?
It does. A completed checklist documents the case depth that first assistant programs and CSFA eligibility build on, and it shows us when you’re ready for contracts that stretch you. When that day comes, our surgical first assistant hub shows you what the next level looks like.