Memorial Satilla Health

Just wrapped up my first contract as a travel surgical tech and I want to share for other surg techs considering the travel life. This hospital's OR does about 30 cases per day across 14 rooms. Case mix: general surgery, orthopedics (including total joints), spine, urology, gynecology, ENT, and some vascular. No cardiac or neuro, which meant the complexity was moderate. I was assigned to primarily ortho and general rooms with occasional float to cover other services. The surgeons here have strong preferences (they all do) but most are willing to tell you what they want if you ask. One spine surgeon was difficult to work with but the OR manager was aware and supportive when I raised it. Instrumentation was well-organized with proper preference cards in the system. The SPD department was responsive and trays were consistent. Turnover expectations were 15-20 minutes between cases which is doable with good teamwork. The circulating nurses were mostly experienced and we worked well together. Scrub attire was provided. Call was every 5th night which is lighter than many places. I got called in maybe 4 times in 13 weeks, usually for emergency appendectomies or fracture fixations. The facility itself is modern with laminar flow ORs and recent equipment. The Da Vinci robot was used for urology and gynecology cases. If you're a surg tech wanting to travel, I'd recommend starting at a medium-volume, varied-service hospital like this one. You'll see enough to build confidence without being overwhelmed. The pay was competitive and the team was professional.

Got invited to a staff holiday party. Made me feel included.

OR contract here was excellent. Cases start on time, turnover is efficient, surgeons treat staff with respect for the most part. One attending was difficult but the rest of the team was professional. Block schedule was nice - four 10s, had 3 days off every week.

Took a contract in their GI lab. Endoscopies and colonoscopies all day, 5 days a week. Sounds repetitive and it kind of is, but the skill of managing moderate sedation, monitoring patients, and assisting with procedures kept it interesting. The GI docs were efficient and pleasant. Volume was 20-25 cases per day for the suite. If you like procedural nursing and regular hours, GI lab is underrated.