Surgical Technologists build operations monitoring, service orientation and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Surgical Assistants (82%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surgical Assistants | 82% | $66,800 | +3% | None |
| 2 | Radiation Therapists | 82% | $105,310 | +63% | None |
| 3 | Respiratory Therapists | 77% | $82,280 | +27% | None |
| 4 | Endoscopy Technicians | 77% | $48,430Pay for the broader BLS group “Healthcare Support Workers, All Other” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | Embalmers | 68% | $58,780 | −9% | None |
| 6 | Medical Equipment Preparers | 67% | $47,700 | −26% | None |
| 7 | Physical Therapist Assistants | 65% | $68,380 | +6% | None |
| 8 | Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | 64% | $110,240Pay for the broader BLS group “Nuclear Technicians” | Not compared | None |
| 9 | Dental Assistants | 63% | $48,070 | −26% | None |
| 10 | Chemical Technicians | 62% | $60,390 | −7% | None |
Compared with Surgical Technologists, median $64,650. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as surgical technologists (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
82% skill match · $66,800 · +3% pay
Coordination · Programming · Negotiation
82% skill match · $105,310 · +63% pay
Operations Analysis · Programming · Social Perceptiveness
77% skill match · $82,280 · +27% pay
Social Perceptiveness · Service Orientation · Complex Problem Solving
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Surgical Assistants (82% skill match, median $66,800), Radiation Therapists (82% skill match, median $105,310) and Respiratory Therapists (77% skill match, median $82,280), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than surgical technologists at the median. The biggest increases: Nurse Anesthetists (+266%, $236,590), Nuclear Technicians (+71%, $110,240) and Radiation Therapists (+63%, $105,310).
23 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. One usually needs a graduate degree: Nurse Anesthetists.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.