Certified Surgical Technologist
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Abbott Northwestern Hospital

Neuro Surgery CST: Certified OR Tech / Surgical Tech (CST)

Overview

• Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Specialty: Surgical Services
• Employment Type: Travel/Contract
• Contract Length: 13 weeks
• Shifts: Day (5x8 hours), 7:00 to 15:30 or 9:30 to 18:00
• Hours: 8 per day, 40 per week

Requirements

• Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) with 1 year of experience, including experience within the last year
• BLS issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• Experience working with spine patients, including ortho spine and neuro spine surgery
• Experience with craniotomies
• Experience with VP shunts
• Experience with spinal cord tumor surgery

Scheduling

• On-Call: None
• Weekends: One weekend shift per contract
• Return-to-Office Restrictions: Ideally no more than 5 days
• Guaranteed Hours: The client may cancel up to 3 shifts at any time without penalty or obligation to pay for cancelled time. On-call hours do not count toward guaranteed minimum hours.

Case Volume and Surgical Focus

• Daily Average Surgical Case Volume: 60-75
• Average Daily Tray Volume: 500
• Neuro Surgery: Neuro spine (fusions, decompressions, ACDFs), craniotomies, VP shunts, spinal cord tumors

  • Preferred: DBS
• Spine Surgery: Ortho spine (AP fusions, fusions, TLIFs, ACDFs, decompressions)

Pre-Start Requirements

• Background Checks:

  • Criminal background check (7-year standard search, including MN statewide, SSN trace, counties, nationwide, sex offender, and FACIS Level 3) within 1 year of start
  • EPLS/GSA/SAM and HHS/OIG checks within 1 year of start
  • MN DHS NetStudy fingerprint clearance. Candidates cannot start with fingerprints pending unless they have a clearance letter, a "more time needed" letter, or a MN DHS NetStudy Clearance Exemption.
• Drug Testing: 9-panel or instant test within 1 year of start
• Physical Exam: Within 12 months prior to start
• Tdap: Required, administered after age 11. Declinations are not accepted. Exemptions are accepted with a Tdap attestation and a physician statement or religious letter, subject to facility approval. Approved exemptions mean no direct patient care in Peds, NICU, PICU, or Mom/Baby, and a droplet mask must be worn at all times.
• TB: 1 PPD or TSpot/QFT within 12 months of start, plus a TB symptom screen and no close contact with infectious TB
• Measles, Mumps, and Rubella: 2 vaccines or a positive titer required. Negative or equivocal titers require a first booster before start.
• Hepatitis B: Positive IgG titer, proof of 3-dose series, or signed declination
• Varicella: Positive IgG titer or 2 vaccines on or after first birthday. History of disease is acceptable. Medical or religious exemptions are not accepted.
• OSHA Clearance (RespSafety): Required before start for facility fit testing, completed through a virtual questionnaire reviewed by a licensed healthcare professional
• Influenza Vaccine (2026-27): Not required, but strongly recommended
• Pre-Orientation Modules: Must be completed within 72 hours of receiving login. Modules take 3-9 hours and must be completed before clearance to start.
• Badge Photo: Passport-style headshot on file within 48 hours of signing