Also called: Cell Saver Technician, Blood Conservation Technician
Runs the 'cell saver' machine in surgery that collects a patient's own lost blood, cleans it and returns it to them.
Sets up the machine before a big spine or heart operation, then collects blood from the surgical field, spins it in a centrifuge to wash out debris and bags the clean red cells for the anesthesia team to give back. You track every milliliter. Patients who refuse donor blood rely on this.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2.5 years after high school. Many come from surgical technology or allied health; trained by employers, then certified.
Ways in: 2-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Surgical Technology, Allied Health.
Growing about average. Steady with major surgery volume.
Low risk for 10 years. Running the machine in live surgery is hands-on, judgment-based work.
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.