Surgical Tech Jobs in Alabama

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Alabama Surgical Tech Jobs

With roughly 2,330 surgical technologists employed statewide and no mandatory certification law, Alabama is an accessible entry point for scrub techs at any stage of their career, though most Birmingham and Huntsville hospital systems treat the CST credential as a practical requirement regardless of what state law says.

Browse live surgical tech and OR technician openings across Alabama below.

Where surgical techs work in Alabama

The bulk of Alabama's operating room jobs are concentrated in four metro areas: Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery. UAB Health System is the state's dominant academic medical employer and consistently one of the largest hirers of surgical technologists in the Southeast. Huntsville Hospital Health System, Baptist Health, and USA Health in Mobile round out the major systems. Ambulatory surgery centers are expanding across the state and represent a growing share of scrub tech openings outside the major hospital networks.

Surgical tech salaries in Alabama

BLS data puts the mean annual wage for surgical technologists in Alabama at $46,060. Pay climbs with experience, CST certification, and specialty. Techs working in high-volume trauma or cardiovascular programs at systems like UAB typically sit at the higher end of the range compared to those in outpatient or rural settings.

Certification in Alabama

Alabama has no statewide licensure requirement for surgical techs. In practice, UAB and most of the larger hospital systems post jobs requiring or strongly preferring the CST credential from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. Getting certified before job searching removes that barrier entirely.

Becoming a surgical tech in Alabama

CAAHEP and ABHES accredited programs are available through community colleges and hospital-affiliated training programs across the state. Most run 12 to 24 months and combine didactic coursework with hands-on clinical hours in actual operating rooms. Completion makes graduates eligible to sit for the CST exam.

Cost of living

Alabama's below-average cost of living means a $46,000 salary goes meaningfully further here than in coastal or Northeastern markets. Housing costs in Birmingham and Huntsville in particular are low relative to comparable healthcare job markets.

Take a look at open surgical tech positions hiring across Alabama now.