Maryland Surgical Technologist Requirements

Overview

Maryland does not require state licensure, registration, or state‑mandated certification for surgical technologists, and there is no Maryland practice act that creates a personal state credential for this role.^[1][2][3] Academic licensure‑disclosure tables and national professional overviews describe Maryland as a state where surgical technologists work under employer‑defined standards rather than under a state surgical technologist license or registry.^[1][2][3]

In this non‑regulated environment, hospitals and surgical facilities in Maryland decide what qualifications they expect and commonly look for graduates of accredited surgical technology programs who are eligible for or hold national certification such as CST® or TS‑C.^[2][4][5] As a result, national certification serves as the practical standard for hiring in many Maryland perioperative settings, even though the state does not license surgical technologists directly.^[2][4][5]

State Classification

Maryland is classified as a non‑regulated state for surgical technologists because it does not issue a surgical technologist license, maintain a profession‑specific registry, or restrict the “surgical technologist” title through a dedicated practice statute.^[1][2][3] The Association of Surgical Technologists’ legislative materials identify which states have enacted surgical technologist laws and indicate that Maryland is not among the states with statutory education, certification, or registration requirements for this profession.^[2]

Statutory Requirements

Maryland’s Health Occupations Article establishes licensure frameworks for many health professions but does not create a license, registration, or title‑protection requirement specifically for surgical technologists.^[3] A 2024 Fiscal and Policy Note for House Bill 1006 explains that, under current law, “surgical technologists are not required to register with or receive a certification/license from any health occupations board in the State,” underscoring that Maryland treats surgical technologists as an unlicensed group.^[4]

The same Fiscal and Policy Note summarizes a proposed framework in which hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities would be required to ensure that surgical technologists meet specified education, certification, or experience criteria, but it also makes clear that these provisions are proposed and do not reflect existing Maryland statute as of 2026.^[4]

Employer Standards in Maryland

Because Maryland does not license surgical technologists, employers rely on accredited education, clinical experience, and national certification to set minimum standards for hiring and privileging surgical technologists.^[1][2][4][5] Academic licensure‑disclosure tables list Maryland as a state where programs “meet” educational requirements and note that no license is required to work as a surgical technologist, implying that hospitals and surgery centers evaluate candidates based on program completion and credentials rather than state licensure.^[1]

Maryland community colleges describe surgical technology curricula that follow CAAHEP and ARC/STSA standards—combining classroom instruction, labs, and supervised clinical rotations—and emphasize preparation for the CST® exam and entry‑level perioperative employment.^[5] These program outcomes align with employer expectations in Maryland operating rooms, even in the absence of a profession‑specific state license.^[2][4][5]

Certification Requirements

Maryland law does not require surgical technologists to hold CST®, TS‑C, or any other national credential, and there is no Maryland state examination or certification board for surgical technologists.^[1][3][4] However, the Association of Surgical Technologists and NBSTSA both recommend that surgical technologists graduate from CAAHEP‑ or ABHES‑accredited programs and obtain CST® certification, and many employers in non‑regulated states such as Maryland adopt these national standards in their hiring policies.^[2][5][6]

NBSTSA’s CST® certification requires graduation from an approved educational program—typically a CAAHEP‑ or ABHES‑accredited surgical technology program or an approved military pathway—and successful completion of the CST® exam, followed by continuing education or periodic re‑examination to maintain certification.^[6] Maryland surgical technology programs highlight CST® eligibility as a key outcome, and employers frequently expect applicants either to hold or to be pursuing CST® or an equivalent national credential as part of their professional development.^[2][5][6]

Registration or Licensure Requirements

No Maryland agency issues a surgical technologist license or maintains a state registry for surgical technologists, and the Health Occupations Article contains no license category specific to this role.^[3][4] Academic licensure‑disclosure resources and state legislative analyses both affirm that surgical technologists are not required to register with or receive a license from a Maryland health occupations board, and that eligibility for hire is determined by individual hospitals and surgical facilities.^[1][4][5]

Surgical technologists in Maryland who also hold other Maryland licenses—such as registered nurse or respiratory care practitioner licenses—are regulated under those licensure statutes for activities performed within those scopes of practice, while their surgical technologist duties themselves remain governed by facility policy and national practice standards rather than a separate Maryland surgical technologist license.^[3][4]

Renewal Requirements

Because Maryland does not license or register surgical technologists, there are no state‑specific renewal deadlines, renewal fees, or continuing‑education requirements for a Maryland surgical technologist credential.^[1][3][4] Renewal requirements instead come from national certifying bodies—such as NBSTSA for CST® and NCCT for TS‑C—which require continuing education or re‑examination, and from employer policies that may require technologists to maintain active national certification and document ongoing professional development as a condition of employment.^[2][5][6]

Background Checks

Maryland does not operate a background‑check or fingerprinting process that applies exclusively to surgical technologists, because there is no state license for this occupation.^[1][3][4] Instead, Maryland hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers apply their standard hiring and credentialing procedures—such as criminal background checks, drug screening, immunization and TB verification, and reference checks—to surgical technologists alongside other perioperative staff, consistent with facility policies and accreditation standards.^[1][5]

Scope of Practice

Maryland statutes do not establish a profession‑specific scope of practice for surgical technologists or reserve particular tasks for this title; instead, duties are defined in employer job descriptions and guided by national professional standards.^[2][3][4] The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET describe surgical technologists as assisting in operations under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel by preparing operating rooms, arranging equipment and sterile supplies, passing instruments, handling specimens, and participating in counts, which reflects the typical perioperative role in Maryland facilities.^[4][7]

Surgical technologists in Maryland do not independently diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, or determine treatment plans, as those responsibilities remain with licensed physicians and advanced‑practice providers under the Health Occupations Article and facility bylaws.^[3][4][7]

Governing Agency

Academic professional‑licensure disclosures identify the Maryland Department of Health as the state agency responsible for health‑care facility licensing and oversight, but they also note that no license is required to work as a surgical technologist in Maryland.^[1][5] In practice, this means that while the Department of Health and other regulatory bodies oversee hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, internal hospital credentialing and medical‑staff offices decide what education, certification, and competencies are required for surgical technologists working in their operating rooms.^[1][2][4]

Statute Citations

• Current law: Maryland’s Health Occupations Article does not include a surgical technologist license or registration category, and the Fiscal and Policy Note for House Bill 1006 states that surgical technologists “are not required to register with or receive a certification/license from any health occupations board in the State.”^[3][4]
• Proposed legislation: House Bill 1006 (2024 Regular Session) would require hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to employ or contract only with surgical technologists who meet specified education, certification, or experience criteria, but this bill has not been enacted as of 2026 and therefore does not create a current licensure requirement.^[4]

Maryland Surgical Technologist Salary & Job Outlook

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for Surgical Technologists (SOC 29‑2055) report a national annual mean wage of about $60,900 for surgical technologists as of May 2023, based on full‑time employee wage and salary data rather than traveler or per‑diem rates.^[8] BLS state‑level tables show that surgical technologist wages tend to be higher in states and metropolitan areas with higher costs of living and substantial hospital systems, which places Maryland—home to major academic medical centers and urban hospitals—among the states where experienced and certified surgical technologists may earn at or above national averages on a full‑time basis.^[8] The BLS also notes that employment of surgical technologists is projected to grow in line with surgical procedure volumes and aging populations, suggesting steady or growing demand for qualified surgical technologists in Maryland as facilities seek graduates of accredited programs who hold national certification.^[4][8]

Summary

Maryland does not license or register surgical technologists, and neither CST® nor TS‑C is mandated by state law; qualifications for these roles are set by hospitals and surgical facilities rather than by a Maryland health occupations board.^[1][3][4] In practice, however, academic disclosures, legislative analyses, and professional standards show that many Maryland employers prefer or require graduates of accredited surgical technology programs who are eligible for or hold national credentials such as CST®, aligning workforce expectations with national norms even in the absence of a formal state surgical technologist license.^[1][2][5][6]

References

• [1] Southwestern Community College. “Surgical Technology – Licensure Disclosure” – multi‑state licensure table indicating that a license is not required to work as a surgical technologist in Maryland and listing the Maryland Department of Health as the relevant agency. Available at: https://southwesterncc.edu/state-authorization/licensure-disclosure-surgical-technology.^[web:836]
• [2] Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). “Surgical Technologist and Surgical Assistant State Law Map / Legislative Overview” – professional overview describing AST’s advocacy for state regulation and identifying states with surgical technologist laws; Maryland is not listed as a state with an ST practice act or licensure requirement. Available at: https://www.ast.org/Public_Policy/Legislative_Overview/.^[web:881]
• [3] Maryland Code. “Health Occupations Article” – statutory framework for licensed health professions in Maryland, which does not include a license or registration category for surgical technologists, indicating that surgical technologists are not regulated as a separate profession. Available via Maryland General Assembly statute database: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov.^[web:988]
• [4] Maryland General Assembly. “Fiscal and Policy Note – House Bill 1006 (2024 Regular Session)” – legislative analysis stating that surgical technologists are not required to register with or receive a license from any health occupations board under current law and summarizing proposed education/certification/experience standards that would apply if the bill were enacted. Available at: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/fnotes/bil_0006/hb1006.pdf.^[web:988]
• [5] Technical College of the Lowcountry. “Licensure Disclosures – Surgical Technology” – professional‑licensure disclosure prepared under federal regulations, listing Maryland as a state where the program may meet educational requirements and noting that a license is not required to work as a surgical technologist in Maryland. Available at: https://www.tcl.edu/wp-content/uploads/Licensure-Disclosures-Surg-Tech.pdf.^[web:974]
• [6] National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). “CST® Certification” – official certification information describing eligibility pathways, exam content, and continuing‑education or re‑examination requirements for maintaining CST® certification, which many Maryland employers adopt as a preferred credential. Available at: https://www.nbstsa.org/cst-certification.^[web:983]
• [7] O*NET OnLine. “29‑2055.00 – Surgical Technologists” – national occupational profile describing typical surgical technologist duties, supervision, and work context, which align with the perioperative responsibilities assigned to surgical technologists in Maryland facilities. Available at: https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/29-2055.00.^[web:831]
• [8] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 – 29‑2055 Surgical Technologists” – OEWS table providing national employment and wage data for surgical technologists (including a national annual mean wage of about $60,900 for full‑time employees) and state‑level estimates used to benchmark Maryland wages and job outlook. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes292055.htm.^[web:408]