Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other Salary

The median health technologists and technicians, all other salary in the United States is $50,290 per year ($24.18/hour). Salaries range from $38,180 at the entry level to $85,270+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 182,610 health technologists and technicians, all other jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 5.2% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Salary
$50,290
per year
Hourly Rate
$24.18
per hour
Employment
182,610
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$38,180
25th percentile
$44,170
Median
$50,290
75th percentile
$64,340
90th percentile
$85,270

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+5.2%
Faster than average

Annual Openings

13,600
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Postsecondary nondegree award

Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for health technologists and technicians, all others.

This is the BLS 'catch-all' bucket for allied health technicians who don't fit a discrete SOC code β€” dialysis technicians (PCTs), polysomnographic (sleep) technologists, surgical scrub techs, sterile processing (SPD) technicians, orthopedic technologists, EEG/neurodiagnostic techs, and ophthalmic techs. Median $50,290, p10 $38,180 (new-hire in low-cost metros), p90 $85,270 (senior lead/charge tech at academic or dialysis chains) across ~182,610 workers. Pay is heavily specialty-driven: dialysis PCTs and sleep techs cluster near the median, sterile processing runs $42-58k, orthopedic techs $48-72k, surgical scrub techs $55-78k, and senior/lead roles at Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser, and the VA push toward the p90. Shift differentials (evenings +$2-3/hr, nights +$3-5/hr, weekends +$1-2/hr) can add $6-14k/yr on top of base.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Aseptic technique & infection control
Hand hygiene per WHO 5 Moments, sterile field integrity, PPE donning/doffing, chlorhexidine skin prep, transmission-based precautions. This is the #1 competency employers screen for β€” a single break in sterile technique in the OR or the dialysis chair costs the employer money and the patient outcomes.
Equipment operation & troubleshooting
Depending on specialty: Fresenius 2008T or NxStage dialysis machines, Philips Respironics or Natus PSG systems, Steris/Getinge sterilizers and washer-disinfectors, Stryker/Zimmer C-arms and cast saws. Employers hire on named equipment familiarity β€” list every model you've run.
Patient prep, positioning & communication
Explain the procedure at a 6th-grade reading level, get informed consent captured on the chart, position for the procedure without pressure injuries or nerve stretch. Sleep techs, dialysis PCTs, and ortho techs all spend as much time on patient rapport as on the machine.
Documentation & EHR charting (Epic, Cerner/Oracle Health, Meditech)
Pre-procedure checklist, intra-procedure flowsheet, post-procedure vitals, machine parameters, medication administration. Charting gaps show up in JCAHO/CMS surveys and directly hit the department's revenue. Fluency in the employer's EHR is a resume must.
Sterilization workflow & instrument tracking
SPD/CSPD: decontamination β†’ cleaning β†’ inspection β†’ assembly β†’ packaging β†’ sterilization (steam, EO, low-temp H2O2, Sterrad) β†’ storage β†’ distribution. Familiarity with tracking systems (Censis, SPM, ORLocator) and biological/chemical indicators is expected. Also required in OR scrub and endoscopy tech roles.
Vital signs, basic assessment & emergency response
Blood pressure, pulse ox, temp, respirations by rote. Recognize impending emergencies (dialysis hypotension, seizure during PSG, malignant hyperthermia in the OR) and initiate response per protocol. BLS/CPR is universal; ACLS is required for many senior roles.
Safety & regulatory (OSHA, CMS, JCAHO, AAMI, AORN)
OSHA bloodborne pathogen standard, CMS Conditions for Coverage (dialysis) or Conditions of Participation (hospitals), AAMI ST79 for sterilization, AORN standards for the OR. Employers use survey readiness as the hiring bar for lead roles.
Specialty certifications
BONENT/NNCC CHT/CCHT (dialysis), RPSGT (sleep), CRCST/CST (sterile processing), NBSTSA CST/CSFA (surgical), NBCOT/ROT (orthopedic), ABRET R.EEG T (neurodiagnostic). Certified pay is typically $3-8/hr higher than uncertified.

How to Become a Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other

  1. 1
    Complete a specialty-specific training pathway (3-24 months)
    Dialysis: employer-paid PCT training (12 weeks) at DaVita or Fresenius; you sit for CCHT within 18 months of hire. Sleep: 9-12 month accredited PSG program at a community college. SPD: 4-6 month CRCST prep + 400 clinical hours. Surgical scrub tech: CAAHEP-accredited 12-24 month program; some hospitals still hire and train. Ortho tech: on-the-job training in an ortho clinic + NBCOT within 3 years.
  2. 2
    Earn BLS/CPR + your specialty certification
    BLS through AHA is $60-90 and mandatory day one. Specialty certs run $200-450 per exam and typically get reimbursed after 6-12 months on the job.
  3. 3
    Land an entry-level tech role at a high-volume employer
    $38-48k. Dialysis chains (DaVita, Fresenius) and large IDNs (HCA, Ascension, Kaiser) run the largest new-grad pipelines. VA hospitals and academic centers (Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, Johns Hopkins) hire more selectively but pay better long-term.
  4. 4
    Cross-train into a higher-pay specialty within 2-3 years
    Dialysis PCT β†’ biomedical technician (Fresenius, DaVita) at $58-78k. SPD tech β†’ OR scrub tech at $55-72k. Sleep tech β†’ EEG/neurodiagnostic tech at $58-78k. Cross-training is usually employer-paid and closes the p50 β†’ p75 gap fast.
  5. 5
    Move to lead, charge, or educator (5-10 years)
    $60-85k+. Lead SPD tech, charge dialysis tech, PSG lab supervisor, or clinical educator. These are the p90 roles. Requires certification, documented survey history, and a track record of training new hires.

Career Progression

Entry-level Tech (PCT / Sleep Tech Trainee / SPD I / Scrub Tech I)
0-2 yrs$38k-48k ($18-23/hr) + shift differential
  • β€’Complete employer-paid specialty training and pass certification exam within 12-18 months
  • β€’Run routine cases under a preceptor: dialysis runs, PSG hookups, instrument decontam, scrub-in on level 1 cases
  • β€’Chart complete pre/intra/post-procedure documentation in Epic or Cerner
  • β€’Maintain aseptic technique and PPE compliance at 100%
Next: Certified Tech II at 2-4 years once cert is earned and preceptor sign-off is complete.
Certified Tech II (CCHT / RPSGT / CRCST / CST)
2-5 yrs$46k-58k ($22-28/hr) + shift diff + cert pay
  • β€’Independent case load β€” no preceptor oversight required
  • β€’Handle complex cases: high-acuity dialysis (fluid overload, difficult access), split-night PSG, orthopedic surgical assists
  • β€’Precept new hires for their 12-16 week onboarding
  • β€’Own equipment QC checks and troubleshoot mid-case failures
Next: Senior/Lead at 5-8 years once you have precepting history and cross-training in a second modality.
Senior Tech / Lead / Cross-trained Specialist
5-10 yrs$56k-72k ($27-35/hr) + charge diff $2-4/hr
  • β€’Charge tech duties: assignment sheets, break coverage, escalations
  • β€’Cross-modality coverage (SPD + OR scrub, PSG + EEG, dialysis PCT + biomed)
  • β€’Run in-service education, competency check-offs, JCAHO/CMS survey prep
  • β€’Chair or co-chair the department's practice committee
Next: Clinical Educator, Supervisor, or Biomedical Equipment Tech at 8-12 years.
Clinical Educator / Supervisor / Biomed Tech
8-15 yrs$68k-85k salaried, weekends off for most educator roles
  • β€’Own onboarding curriculum, competency validation, and continuing education for the department
  • β€’Interview and hire techs; disciplinary partner with the manager
  • β€’Represent the department in survey visits (JCAHO, CMS, state health department)
  • β€’Biomed track: preventive maintenance, calibration, equipment repair at $75-95k
Next: Manager, Regional Educator, or move into MedTech/OEM field-service roles at $85-115k.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 16 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through your sterile technique on a routine case.technical
Start with the WHO 5 Moments for hand hygiene, then describe surgical scrub or hand rub per the facility protocol (5 minutes first case, 3 minutes subsequent for most AORN-compliant ORs). Describe gowning and gloving from a sterile field, closed-glove technique, and how you verify sterile integrity β€” no touching non-sterile surfaces, sterile front-to-nipple-line, sterile from mid-thigh to fingertips. Name the moment you would break scrub (contaminated glove, dropped instrument, torn drape) and what you'd do next: step off the field, replace the contaminated item, re-scrub if needed. Interviewers screen for the specifics β€” vague answers get you rejected because sterile breaks are how patients get SSIs.
Q2. A dialysis patient drops their blood pressure to 78/44 mid-run β€” what do you do?situational
First, lower or stop UF (ultrafiltration) immediately and put the patient in Trendelenburg if the chair allows. Give a 100-200 mL normal saline bolus per standing order or nurse direction. Recheck BP in 2-3 minutes. Notify the charge nurse and the physician on call. Check the patient's estimated dry weight, target UF, symptoms (cramping, nausea, chest pain), and last hemoglobin and calcium. Chart everything. If BP doesn't recover after two boluses, prep to terminate the run early per protocol. DaVita and Fresenius both run this scenario in the interview because they want to hear you name UF, bolus, notify, chart β€” in that order.
Q3. How do you handle a sterile processing tray that fails a biological indicator?technical
Quarantine the entire load immediately β€” nothing gets released from the sterilizer bay. Notify the SPD supervisor and the OR charge nurse. Pull the sterilizer from service until repeat BI testing on an empty chamber passes. Investigate root cause: chamber temperature log, steam quality, load configuration, packaging integrity. Recall any items from that load that made it to the OR β€” Censis or SPM tracking tells you exactly what tray is where. Document the failure in the sterilizer log and file the AAMI ST79 required incident report. Employers screen for the recall step because a missed BI failure that reaches a patient triggers a mandatory CMS/JCAHO event report.
Q4. Why did you choose this specialty over nursing or medical school?culture
Two honest reasons that resonate. First, tech roles let you go deep on the equipment and the procedure without the medication-management burden and 12-hour med-pass grind of an RN. Second, the training pipeline is 6-24 months instead of 4-6 years, which lets you start earning $40-50k with employer-paid certification while still leaving open the option to bridge to RN, PA, or perfusion later. Avoid saying 'nursing school was too hard' β€” interviewers screen for people who chose the specialty, not people who fell into it. Naming specific parts of the job you like (equipment troubleshooting, patient rapport, the pace of the OR or the dialysis chair) is what closes it.
Q5. How do you keep up with continuing education and certification renewal?closer
Concrete answer: I keep my CCHT/RPSGT/CRCST current on the 3-year cycle, log CEUs monthly instead of cramming at renewal, and use the employer's tuition benefit for the annual specialty conference (BONENT for dialysis, AAST for sleep, IAHCSMM/HSPA for SPD). Also name the free resources β€” CMS/CDC/AAMI/AORN publish standards updates and I read the revisions when they drop. Employers screen for this because expired certs mean the tech comes off the schedule, which costs them coverage.

Resume Template β€” Entry-level Tech (0-2 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Entry-level Tech (0-2 yrs)
  • β–ΈCompleted employer-paid 12-week dialysis PCT training at DaVita; passed BONENT CCHT within 14 months of hire.
  • β–ΈRan 8-10 patient chair-turns per shift with zero infiltration events and 100% pre/post-run documentation compliance in Epic.
  • β–ΈBLS through AHA + CCHT certification + facility-specific 90-day onboarding sign-off. HS diploma + 12-week accredited program.
  • β–Έ$44,200 base ($21.25/hr) + $2.50/hr evening differential + $3.50/hr weekend diff = $52k annualized on the 3x12 schedule.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Sterile technique breaks β€” the #1 disqualifier. One preceptor sign-off failure on aseptic technique kills the offer.
  • βœ—Expired or lapsed specialty certification (CCHT, RPSGT, CRCST, CST) β€” schedulers cannot use you until it's current.
  • βœ—Documentation gaps in the EHR β€” CMS/JCAHO surveyors trace charts on their audits and a pattern of missing entries hits the manager's dashboard.
  • βœ—Missed BLS/CPR renewal β€” most employers pull you off the schedule the day it expires.
  • βœ—History of needlestick without post-exposure protocol compliance β€” employers screen the OHS record.
  • βœ—Weak communication with RNs or physicians β€” techs who don't speak up during a run-time complication put patients at risk and get flagged in incident reports.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“Specialty certification pay: BONENT CCHT, RPSGT, CRCST, or NBSTSA CST typically adds $2-4/hr β€” negotiate this at offer, not at annual review.
  • βœ“Shift differentials: evenings $2-3/hr, nights $3-5/hr, weekends $1-3/hr, holidays 1.5-2x. On a 36-hr night+weekend rotation this stacks to $8-14k/yr on top of base.
  • βœ“Sign-on bonus: dialysis chains (DaVita, Fresenius) and understaffed hospitals routinely offer $3k-10k sign-on with 12-24 month commitment. VA and Kaiser rarely pay sign-on but offer better long-term benefits.
  • βœ“Cross-training/float pay: if the employer wants you covering SPD + OR or PSG + EEG, negotiate a $1-3/hr differential for the cross-covered role.
  • βœ“Metro premium: Bay Area, NYC, Boston, and Seattle pay 20-35% over national median. Kaiser Northern California and UCSF pay some of the highest tech wages in the country.
  • βœ“Tuition benefit for RN, PA, or perfusion bridge programs β€” if you want to advance out of tech into a licensed role, this benefit is worth $30-60k over 3 years at HCA, Ascension, and academic medical centers.

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  • βœ“ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
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Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$39K
$81Kβ–  No data

Top Paying States

Wyoming
$81K
+60%
Delaware
$79K
+56%
Washington
$62K
+23%
Maine
$61K
+22%
Massachusetts
$61K
+20%
California
$60K
+20%
Oregon
$60K
+20%
New York
$60K
+20%
Hawaii
$60K
+19%
Minnesota
$60K
+18%
Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.
StateMedianvs. National
Wyoming$80,520+60.1%
Delaware$78,650+56.4%
Washington$62,090+23.5%
Maine$61,490+22.3%
Massachusetts$60,500+20.3%
California$60,390+20.1%
Oregon$60,390+20.1%
New York$60,320+19.9%
Hawaii$59,900+19.1%
Minnesota$59,540+18.4%
1–10 of 51

Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
Kennewick-Richland, WA$105,650+110.1%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$81,170+61.4%
Virgin Islands$72,450+44.1%
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$71,360+41.9%
Vallejo, CA$68,960+37.1%
Albany, OR$68,700+36.6%
Lexington-Fayette, KY$66,890+33.0%
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$64,970+29.2%
Madison, WI$64,580+28.4%
Napa, CA$64,400+28.1%
1–10 of 340
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
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View Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other salary trend (2011–2024) β†’