Hire surgical technologists without doing the sourcing
Describe the role. Expa finds the certified surgical technologists in your market, reaches out, screens the ones who reply, and books your interviews.
Free to start. Cancel anytime.
141K+ surgical technologists • 95% with verified personal data
Ten minutes, three steps
What happens after you hit start
Describe the role
Paste a job description or say it in plain English. No boolean strings, no filters to learn, no sourcing skill required.
Approve the shortlist
Expa finds the surgical technologists, contacts them, follows up, and screens the ones who reply. You approve or reject.
Take the interviews
Approved candidates land in your calendar. That is the whole job on your side.
In plain terms
How Expa sources surgical technologists
Expa is an AI-powered healthcare recruiting and clinician sourcing platform. It identifies licensed surgical technologists who are in-market, verifies their contact details, runs outreach over email, SMS and LinkedIn until they reply, screens the ones who respond, and books interviews with the candidates you approve.
There are 141,000 surgical technologists working in the United States, but only about 86,000 people hold NBSTSA certification as a CST or CSFA. If your facility requires certification, your actual pool is roughly 60% of what the job title suggests, before you filter for specialty or geography. Add a service line requirement, cardiac or ortho or neuro, and it narrows again.
Expa searches on NBSTSA certification status, state requirements where certification is mandated, surgical specialty, case type and shift, and covers both working technologists and students finishing accredited surgical technology programs.
How the surgical technologist market compares
| Profession | Employed in the U.S. |
|---|---|
| Speech-language pathologists | 187,400 |
| Physician assistants | 162,700 |
| Occupational therapists | 160,000 |
| Surgical technologists | 141,000 |
| Respiratory therapists | 139,600 |
| Diagnostic medical sonographers | 92,200 |
| Dietitians and nutritionists | 86,300 |
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 and 2025 employment. These are national totals. The number inside your hiring radius is a small fraction of them, which is the entire problem.
Surgical technologists near Boise right now
A sample of what a search returns. Identifying details stay hidden until you start.
Boise, ID · 5 miles
9 years · orthopedic and general
Meridian, ID · 15 miles
13 years · cardiovascular
Nampa, ID · 18 miles
Graduating this term · accredited program
No names, no photos, no current employers, no license numbers.
Why surgical tech roles stay open
The certification gap
141,000 work in the role. About 86,000 are certified. If you require the credential, you are hiring from a much smaller market than the job title implies.
An unstaffed room is a cancelled case
OR vacancies convert directly into deferred surgery and lost revenue, which is why they escalate faster than almost any other clinical role.
Specialty experience does not transfer easily
A tech who has scrubbed ortho for eight years is not an interchangeable hire for a cardiac room. The real pool is specialty by specialty.
Where surgical technologists get hired
Questions
How many surgical technologists are there in the US?
141,000 work in the role, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NBSTSA reports roughly 86,000 people holding CST or CSFA certification. If your facility requires certification, the second number is your real market.
Why is it hard to hire a certified surgical technologist?
Because the certified pool is much smaller than the employed pool, roughly 60% of it, and because specialty experience does not transfer cleanly between service lines. A facility requiring CST certification in a specific specialty in a specific metro is hiring from a very short list, and every hospital and surgery centre nearby is on the same list.
Can you search by surgical specialty?
Yes. Orthopedic, cardiovascular, neuro, general, ENT, robotics and others, plus NBSTSA certification status, state requirements and shift.
Do you source surgical first assistants?
Yes. CSFA-certified first assistants are covered alongside CSTs, and they are scarcer.
Can you find surgical technology students before they graduate?
Yes. Expa surfaces students finishing accredited surgical technology programs, including their clinical rotation specialties, which is how you reach an ortho-leaning graduate before three other facilities do.
What does an unfilled OR position cost?
It shows up as cancelled or deferred cases rather than as a recruiting line item, which is why surgical vacancies get escalated faster than most. Your own case volume determines the figure.
Do I have to do the sourcing myself?
No. You describe the role and approve a shortlist. Expa does the searching, the outreach, the follow-up and the screening, then books interviews with the candidates you approve. It takes about ten minutes of your time.
How fast will I see candidates?
A slate of interested, contactable surgical technologists within 48 hours of starting, often within 24. Time to hire from there depends on your interview process.
How much does Expa cost?
You can start free. For ongoing hiring, Expa pilots start at $6,000 for three months and cover all your open roles, with no per-placement fees. For comparison, a contingency agency placing a single surgical technologist typically charges 15% to 22% of first-year salary.
Start hiring surgical technologists in about ten minutes
Describe the role, approve a shortlist, take the interviews.
Hiring across multiple sites or six or more roles?
Managed sourcing for multi-site groups, health systems and staffing agencies. Pilots from $6,000 for three months, covering all your open roles.