Surgical technologist in California: licence, certification and what employers require (2026)

California does not license surgical technologists; no licence in most states; employers ask for the CST (NBSTSA) certificate. This page says what a surgical technologist licensed or working in another state has to do to work in California, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

Most states do not license surgical technologists; hospitals hire on the CST certificate, which carries over to California unchanged. A minority of states regulate the title or require registration or certification by law, and in those you register with the state health department before the first shift.

What to have ready before you move

• CST certificate
• Continuing education record
• Immunisation records; hospitals ask on day one

Start the paperwork before you give notice. There is no California licence to wait for, so the only clock is the employer's.

What people get wrong

• Letting CST lapse; most hospitals will not hire without it
• Not checking whether ${STATE} requires registration

Who hires surgical technologists in California

Surgical technologists in California are hired by hospitals, ambulatory surgery centres and surgical staffing agencies. The metros with the most of that work are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the California openings page.

For the money side: the median surgical technologist in California earned $81,120 a year ($39 an hour) in May 2024 across 10,570 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and California has a progressive state income tax with a top rate of 13.3%. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about California, on one page

The California page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of California employers hiring from out of state.