How much do urology surgical techs make?

Urology surgical technologists typically earn $62,000 to $74,000 annually, close to the staff CST national mean of $63,060 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 29-2055). Robotic urology (da Vinci prostatectomy, nephrectomy, cystectomy) adds 5 to 12 percent over staff CST. Academic medical centers with high robotic case volume and dedicated robotic CST credentialing pay at the top of the range.

What case mix does a urology surg tech cover?

Routine outpatient: cystoscopy, transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), ureteral stent placement, transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), and endoscopic stone management (ureteroscopy, laser lithotripsy). Inpatient: robotic prostatectomy, robotic partial nephrectomy, cystectomy with urinary diversion, and complex stone surgery. Pediatric urology adds congenital case mix. Many urology departments cross-train with general surgery robotic teams.

Close to staff mean | Robotic premium 5 to 12%

Urology Surgical Tech Salary 2026: $62K to $74K

Urology surgical technologists scrub for a wide range of outpatient endoscopic procedures and inpatient robotic cases. Pay typically tracks the staff CST mean of $63,060 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 29-2055). Robotic-credentialed urology techs at high-volume academic centers reach the top of the $74,000 band, with additional CSFA-track opportunities in robotic prostatectomy.

$62,000 - $66,000

Cystoscopy / endoscopic

Outpatient urology CST

$66,000 - $74,000

da Vinci credentialed

Robotic urology CST

$72,000 - $80,000

Senior + robotic + CSFA

Academic high-volume

The robotic premium driver

Robotic-credentialed urology techs typically earn 5 to 12 percent above non-robotic peers. The credential is internal to each employer, but typically requires 20 to 40 supervised cases on da Vinci system docking, instrument exchange, and emergency undocking, plus an Intuitive Surgical training module. Academic centers running 8 to 15 robotic prostatectomy or nephrectomy cases per week reward credentialed CSTs with case-mix premiums.

Cross-training matters: CSTs credentialed for both urology robotic and general surgery robotic command stronger negotiating positions at hospitals running consolidated robotic services. The combined credential typically adds another $2,000 to $4,000 in base pay.

High-volume urology employer profiles

Mayo Clinic (Rochester) - the high-volume robotic urology referral center
Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urological Institute - strong robotic and stone-disease volume
Memorial Sloan Kettering (NYC) - urologic oncology specialty volume
Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute - historically the highest-volume prostatectomy program
Vanderbilt University Medical Center - large robotic and pediatric urology program
Henry Ford Vattikuti Urology Institute (Detroit) - one of the highest robotic prostatectomy volumes globally

Sources

BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 29-2055: bls.gov/oes/current/oes292055.htm
AST Annual Salary Survey (robotic premium estimates)
Intuitive Surgical robotic credentialing program documentation

Robotic Surgery Orthopedic All Specialties Salary Calculator