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Air Force AFSC · Medical

4N1X1 Surgical Technologist

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

A Surgical Technologist assists surgeons during operations and supports patient care throughout surgical procedures. The technologist sterilizes tools, prepares the operating room, and helps with anesthesia.

Minimum ASVAB: G 44

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: dafecd-atch4-2025-10-31 (source date 2025-10). Policy applicability has not been established.

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Skill levels: 4N111 helper · 4N131 apprentice · 4N151 journeyman · 4N171 craftsman

Core Skills

  • Post-anesthesia patient recovery support
  • Sterile supply processing and distribution
  • Surgical patient support during contingency operations

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Surgical Technologists

Military scrub and circulating duties, perioperative patient care, and sterile supply processing directly overlap with civilian surgical technology work.

How to prepare: Compile a record of your scrub and circulating experience, procedures supported, and sterile processing duties for a prospective operating-room employer to assess against its position requirements.

What the civilian work involves
  • Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.
  • Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.
  • Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Electronic medical record EMR software

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (2 documents)
  1. DAFECD, 30 Apr 26: SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST (4N1X1)

    [1] Specialty Summary section "SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST"; normalized cached text lines 13003-13028; explicit AFSC match for 4N1X1

    Supports: Post-anesthesia patient recovery support, Sterile supply processing and distribution, Surgical patient support during contingency operations, Surgical Technologists (O*NET 29-2055.00)

  2. O*NET: Surgical Technologists

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Surgical Technologists (O*NET 29-2055.00)

Defense contractor jobs for 4N1X1

Predecessor codes

Historical codes with documented links to 4N1X1. Each history page explains the change.

90212Surgical Service Helper90232Apprentice Surgical Service Specialist90252Surgical Service Specialist90272Surgical Service Technician

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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