Mississippi Surgical Technologist Requirements

Overview

Mississippi does not require state licensure, registration, or state‑mandated certification for surgical technologists, and there is no Mississippi practice act that creates a personal state surgical technologist credential.^[1][2][3] A multi‑state licensure disclosure from Southwestern Community College notes that “in Mississippi, the profession of surgical technology is not regulated, meaning there are no laws regarding certification, education or licensure.”^[1]

Because the state does not regulate surgical technologists directly, hospitals and surgical facilities in Mississippi use internal hiring and credentialing standards and commonly prefer graduates of accredited surgical technology programs who are eligible for or hold national certification such as CST®.^[1][2][4] This employer‑driven model allows Mississippi practice to align with national expectations even though the state itself does not issue a surgical technologist license or registry card.^[2][4]

State Classification

Mississippi 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 statute or administrative rule.^[1][2][3] Southwestern Community College’s licensure disclosure table lists Mississippi as a state where surgical technology “is not regulated” and where there are no state laws regarding certification, education, or licensure, and AST’s legislative overview does not include Mississippi among states that have passed surgical technologist laws.^[1][3]

Statutory Requirements

As of 2026, Mississippi statutes and administrative regulations do not establish licensure, registration, or title‑protection requirements specifically for surgical technologists, and the titles “surgical technologist” and “certified surgical technologist” are not reserved for a licensed group in state law.^[1][2][3] The Southwestern Community College disclosure explicitly states that Mississippi has no laws regarding certification, education, or licensure for surgical technology, confirming that minimum qualification standards are not set by statute.^[1]

The Mississippi State Department of Health’s facility rules address licensure and minimum standards for health facilities, including ambulatory surgical centers, but they regulate institutions rather than creating a separate surgical technologist license category for individuals.^[2] As a result, surgical technologist qualifications are determined by facility policies and national certification expectations rather than by a Mississippi practice act.^[1][3]

Employer Standards in Mississippi

In the absence of state licensure, Mississippi employers rely on accredited surgical technology education, supervised clinical experience, and national certification to set their hiring and privileging standards for operating‑room staff.^[1][2] Licensure‑disclosure resources describe Mississippi as a state with no statutory requirements but emphasize that employers may require formal surgical technology education and national certification for employment in the operating room.^[1][4]

Mississippi surgical technology programs accredited by CAAHEP upon the recommendation of ARC/STSA follow curricula that combine classroom instruction, laboratory practice, and clinical rotations and that explicitly prepare graduates to sit for the CST® examination and enter perioperative practice.^[4][5] Hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in Mississippi use these nationally recognized standards when defining job descriptions, onboarding requirements, and competency assessments for surgical technologists.^[2][4]

Certification Requirements

Mississippi law does not require surgical technologists to hold CST®, TS‑C, or any other national credential, and there is no Mississippi state exam or state surgical technologist certification board.^[1][2][3] However, licensure‑disclosure tables and program materials note that national certification is strongly encouraged and often required by employers, who use credentials such as CST® to verify that technologists have met national entry‑level competency standards.^[1][4][5]

According to the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), CST® certification eligibility typically requires graduation from a CAAHEP‑ or ABHES‑accredited surgical technology program or an approved military program and successful completion of the CST® examination, followed by continuing‑education or periodic re‑examination requirements to maintain certification.^[4] While not mandated by Mississippi statute, CST® and similar national credentials can improve employment prospects in Mississippi and support mobility to states that regulate surgical technologists.^[1][3][4]

Registration or Licensure Requirements

No Mississippi agency issues a surgical technologist license or maintains a dedicated surgical technologist registry, and there is no Mississippi application, fee schedule, or renewal process tied specifically to the title “surgical technologist.”^[1][2][3] The Southwestern Community College licensure disclosure lists the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Professional Licensure Division as the relevant health‑profession contact but notes that the profession of surgical technology is not regulated and that there are no laws governing certification, education, or licensure for surgical technologists.^[1][2]

Surgical technologists in Mississippi who also hold other licenses—such as nursing or respiratory therapy licenses—remain regulated by those respective licensing boards for activities within those scopes of practice, while their surgical technology duties are governed by facility policies and national standards rather than by a Mississippi ST license.^[1][2][3]

Renewal Requirements

Because Mississippi does not issue a surgical technologist license or registration, the state does not impose profession‑specific renewal schedules, renewal fees, or continuing‑education requirements for surgical technologists.^[1][2] Renewal obligations instead come from national certifying bodies—such as NBSTSA for CST® and NCCT for TS‑C—which require continuing‑education credits or periodic examination, and from employer policies that may require technologists to keep national credentials current as a condition of employment.^[3][4]

Background Checks

Mississippi does not operate a background‑check or fingerprinting process that is specific to surgical technologists because there is no state surgical technologist license to issue or renew.^[1][2] Instead, licensure‑disclosure materials and facility regulations indicate that hospitals and other health‑care employers use their standard onboarding and credentialing procedures—which may include criminal background checks, drug screening, and immunization verification—for all direct‑patient‑care staff, including surgical technologists.^[2][5]

Scope of Practice

Mississippi statutes do not define a detailed scope of practice or protected title for surgical technologists; instead, duties are set by employer job descriptions and guided by national occupational standards.^[1][2][3] National descriptions such as O*NET and BLS portray surgical technologists as assisting in operations under the supervision of surgeons and registered nurses by preparing operating rooms, arranging instruments and sterile supplies, assisting with gowning and gloving, maintaining the sterile field, passing instruments, handling specimens, and participating in sponge and instrument counts, which reflects typical responsibilities in Mississippi facilities as well.^[3][4][5]

Surgical technologists in Mississippi do not independently diagnose conditions, prescribe medications, or determine treatment plans; those responsibilities remain within the scopes of licensed physicians, advanced‑practice providers, and other licensed health professionals under Mississippi law and facility bylaws.^[2][3]

Governing Agency

Southwestern Community College’s licensure disclosure identifies the Mississippi State Department of Health’s Professional Licensure Division as the primary contact agency for health‑profession licensing information in Mississippi but notes that surgical technology is not a regulated profession in the state.^[1][2] In practice, this means that while MSDH licenses and inspects health facilities and administers licensure for certain professions, it does not issue a surgical technologist license, and internal credentialing offices within hospitals and surgery centers determine the qualifications required for surgical technologist roles.^[2][3]

Statute Citations

• Current status: Southwestern Community College’s “Surgical Technology – Licensure Disclosure” table explicitly states that in Mississippi “the profession of surgical technology is not regulated, meaning there are no laws regarding certification, education or licensure,” and lists the Mississippi State Department of Health as the relevant state contact agency.^[1][2]
• Facility regulation: Mississippi State Department of Health facility‑licensure rules for health facilities, including ambulatory surgical centers, address institutional licensing and minimum standards but do not create a separate surgical technologist license or practice act, leaving surgical technologist qualifications to employer policies and national certification standards.^[2]

Mississippi 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 full‑time surgical technologists as of May 2023, based on employee wage and salary data across all industries.^[4] State‑level OEWS estimates for Mississippi show that wages for full‑time surgical technologists tend to fall below the national average, which is consistent with the state’s overall lower cost of living and regional wage patterns for health‑care workers.^[4][5] BLS projects ongoing national demand for surgical technologists tied to surgical procedure volumes and aging populations, suggesting a steady job outlook for graduates of accredited programs and nationally certified surgical technologists seeking full‑time employment in Mississippi’s hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.^[3][4]

Summary

Mississippi does not license or register surgical technologists, and there are no Mississippi laws that require specific education or national certification for this occupation.^[1][2][3] Even so, academic licensure‑disclosure resources and national standards show that Mississippi employers typically rely on graduates of accredited surgical technology programs and prefer or require national credentials such as CST®, so individuals who wish to work as surgical technologists in Mississippi should plan for accredited education, national certification, and compliance with facility‑specific credentialing policies.^[1][3][4][5]

References

• [1] Southwestern Community College. “Surgical Technology – Licensure Disclosure” – multi‑state professional licensure disclosure table stating that in Mississippi “the profession of surgical technology is not regulated, meaning there are no laws regarding certification, education or licensure,” and listing the Mississippi State Department of Health as the contact agency. Available at: https://southwesterncc.edu/state-authorization/licensure-disclosure-surgical-technology.^[web:836]
• [2] Mississippi State Department of Health. “Professional Licensure” and related health‑facility rules – agency information describing licensure and certification functions for Mississippi health professionals and facilities; surgical technology is not listed as a regulated licensed profession, and facility rules address institutional standards rather than individual ST licensure. Professional Licensure Division overview: https://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/30,0,82.html; example facility standards: Health Facilities Licensure and Certification rules for ambulatory surgical facilities.^[web:1010]
• [3] Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). “Legislative Overview – State Law Map” – national overview identifying states that have enacted surgical technologist laws; Mississippi does not appear in the list of states with surgical technologist statutes, indicating that it remains a non‑regulated state for this profession. Available at: https://www.ast.org/Public_Policy/Legislative_Overview/.^[web:881]
• [4] National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). “CST® Certification” – official information describing eligibility requirements (CAAHEP‑ or ABHES‑accredited programs or military training), CST® examination details, and continuing‑education or re‑examination requirements for maintaining certification, which Mississippi programs and employers use as a national standard even though the state does not require certification. Available at: https://www.nbstsa.org/cst-certification.^[web:983]
• [5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023 – 29‑2055 Surgical Technologists” and “May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates – Mississippi” – OEWS national and state data providing a national annual mean wage of about $60,900 for full‑time surgical technologists and Mississippi‑specific estimates used to contextualize wages and job outlook. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes292055.htm; https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_ms.htm.^{[web:408][web:1011]}