Ochsner Health is one of the largest independent health systems in the Gulf South and the dominant employer of surgical technologists in Louisiana, spanning New Orleans through the River Parishes into the Baton Rouge corridor. LCMC Health competes with it across the metro. Browse live scrub tech and OR technician openings across the state below.
Written by Matthew Sorensen, executive recruiter with 15+ years and 500+ skilled trades and healthcare placements, including OR and perioperative roles. Author of four books on hiring and interviewing.
What Louisiana Pays
01
$47,990 Median
BLS statewide median annual wage. The mean is $48,590. Both sit well below the national median for the occupation, and that is the single most important fact on this page.
02
Above the Median
Ochsner, LCMC, and trauma center facilities in New Orleans. Acuity is what pays here. Trauma volume and complex case exposure are the two things a Louisiana tech can trade for a higher number.
03
Below the Median
Smaller community hospitals and rural facilities. In a market this far under national, the gap between a rural posting and a metro trauma center is a career-defining spread, not a rounding difference.
Louisiana is a low-wage state for this occupation, which makes two moves disproportionately valuable: specialty and travel. Trauma and cardiovascular experience earned inside a New Orleans system converts into leverage anywhere in the country, and travel surgical tech pay is not indexed to Louisiana's local wage. Model your own case with the salary estimator.
Where the Jobs Are
Ochsner Health
Statewide
The dominant employer, with a network from New Orleans through the River Parishes into the Baton Rouge corridor. Expects CST certification as a practical standard.
LCMC Health
New Orleans
Growing presence across the metro and the only real counterweight to Ochsner in the state's largest surgical tech market.
Our Lady of the Lake / FMOLHS
Baton Rouge
The primary system in Baton Rouge, with Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System extending coverage across central Louisiana.
Willis-Knighton / Ochsner LSU Health
Shreveport
Anchor the northwest corner. Ochsner LSU Health is a significant academic employer, which makes Shreveport a real option for new grads and for techs chasing case complexity outside New Orleans.
Lafayette and Lake Charles each support regional markets through independent health systems, and ambulatory surgery centers are active throughout the New Orleans and Baton Rouge metros. Academic and trauma centers are generally better set up to onboard new grads straight out of clinicals than a lean community ASC is, and in a below-median state they are also where the pay is. The two goals point the same direction here. Compare settings in the ASC vs hospital breakdown.
Certification and Training
Louisiana has no mandatory licensure requirement for surgical techs. Ochsner Health and most New Orleans and Baton Rouge system employers expect CST certification as a practical standard, and while some allow new hires to certify within a defined period after starting, credentialed candidates carry consistently stronger positioning statewide.
CAAHEP and ABHES accredited programs run 9 to 24 months through community colleges and technical schools. Delgado Community College in New Orleans is one of the primary accredited pathways, with clinical placements at Ochsner and LCMC facilities, which is worth noting: your clinical site is frequently your first employer. Details in the CST certification guide and the state requirements page.
FAQ
Does Louisiana require a license to work as a surgical tech?
No. Louisiana has no mandatory licensure requirement for surgical techs. Ochsner Health and most New Orleans and Baton Rouge system employers expect CST certification as a practical standard. Some employers allow new hires to obtain certification within a defined period after starting, but credentialed candidates have consistently stronger positioning throughout the state.
What does a surgical tech make in Louisiana?
BLS reports a statewide mean of $48,590 and a median of $47,990, both well below the national median for the occupation. Ochsner, LCMC, and trauma center facilities in New Orleans tend to pay above the state median. Smaller community hospitals and rural facilities typically fall below it.
Why is Louisiana surgical tech pay so far below national?
Statewide wage levels track the local economy, not the difficulty of the work. A Louisiana tech scrubbing a complex trauma case is doing the same job as one in Seattle for meaningfully less money. The practical answer is that Louisiana experience travels well even when Louisiana wages do not, and specialty credentials earned here carry full value in any market.
Where should a new grad surgical tech start in Louisiana?
Follow your clinical site if you can. Delgado places students at Ochsner and LCMC facilities, and clinical rotations are the most reliable hiring pipeline in this profession. Failing that, target academic and trauma centers in New Orleans or Shreveport. They are set up to train, and in a below-median state they also pay above it.
