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  • National Surgical Technologists Week

    You are worth celebrating. You work hard for your team. You make the operating room efficient while ensuring patient safety. You deserve recognition! That’s why, in 1984, the Association of Surgical Technologists Board of Directors dedicated the third week in September to recognizing you and your profession. National Surgical Technologists Week has been celebrated every year since and has become a national phenomenon. 

  • National Surgical Technologists Week 2025

    September 21-27, 2025

    NSTW2025 1

    You Are Essential Contest

    Celebrate surgical technologists who make a difference! Do you know a surgical technologist who is truly essential—not just in the operating room, but in your life, workplace, or community? Now’s your chance to shine a spotlight on their incredible impact! We're inviting coworkers, friends, or anyone who works alongside surgical technologists to nominate someone who inspires them by filling out our "You Are Essential" recognition form.

    Tell us how they make a difference—big or small—and help us celebrate the heroes behind the mask. Do you primarily work solo—and maybe even travel from site to site? Celebrate yourself by sharing the incredible impact you bring to the surgical team!

    Prizes Include:

    • A chance to win 1 of 3, $50 Amazon gift cards.

    • Grand Prize: Free registration to the 2026 AST Surgical Technology Conference in Seattle!

    Here’s the best part: BOTH the person being recognized AND the person who submitted the nomination will win if selected! Winners will be selected at random. Grand prize winners must be AST members to qualify. See all terms and conditions here or in the September 2025 Surgical Technologist Journal. 

    How to Enter:

    1. Fill out the "You Are Essential" nomination form.

    2. Share your story about why your nominee is essential to you or your team.

    3. Include a picture of the surgical technologist you’re nominating.

    4. Submit by September 30, 2025.

    Let’s celebrate surgical technologists who bring skill, heart, and dedication to everything they do—because surgical technologists are essential.


    HIPAA Reminder!

    Please follow HIPAA and your facility’s policies. Your photos/videos do not need to be taken in the OR. Check the Official Rules and Regulations

    You Are Essential Form

    Posters

    Click on the button below to explore NSTW posters and our other printable resources available. Download, print them out, and place them in your hospitals, schools and houses, wherever you want! Help spread awareness for the profession. 

    Click For Posters
    Proclamations

    Fill out a proclamation! Click on the link below for a sample proclamation to recognize National Surgical Technologists Week. Organize a Surgical Technologist Day at your hospital or stage a mock surgery for the week.

    Proclamation PDF

    NSTWProclamation2023



  • Resources to Promote the Profession

    "We are the experts in everything sterile and
    aseptic. Who better to educate our communities
    than the people who work daily to alleviate
    contamination and cross-contamination?"

    -Cindy Mask, CST, FAST

    We are Experts in the Sterile Field.
    Now is the Time to Promote It

    Read Cindy's guest column on why surgical technologists need to take the lead in promoting sterile technique and importance of PPE.


    Watch AST's Career Video and help spread the word about the profession and the critical job surgical technologists perform every day.

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