Surgical Technology SUT.S.AAS

Associate of Applied Science - 60 Credit Hours

Division: Health Sciences
Department: Surgical Technology
Effective as of Fall 2021

To become an important member of the surgical team, elbow to elbow with the surgeon, making a meaningful difference in people's lives.

What is the program about?

The Surgical Technology program at Sinclair Community College has been CAAHEP approved since 1998 and offers the opportunity to prepare for a career as a member of a surgical team. A surgical technologist works together with the surgeon, registered nurse, and anesthesiologist as a member of the surgical team. To ensure proper surgical case management, the surgical technologist prepares and passes all sterile instruments during the surgical procedure while maintaining the sterile field and anticipating the needs of the surgeon. The surgical technologist helps to meet the needs of patients in the operating rooms of hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician offices, diagnostic facilities and other agencies where surgery is performed. The Surgical Technology program is designed to be completed in five (5) semesters on a full-time basis. The degree program consists of open enrollment courses (general education and division specific) and program specific courses with limited enrollment. The open enrollment courses may be taken prior to entry into the limited enrollment courses. A cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required, as well as a grade of C or higher in all program courses. The program includes both didactic instruction and supervised clinical practice in all areas required by the ARC/STSA (in collaboration with CAAHEP). Supervised clinical practice in area operating rooms include participating in procedures in general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, plastic surgery, urology, orthopedics, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, cardiovascular, and peripheral vascular surgery. Note: For students under age 18 there may be restrictions on participating in certain Health Sciences programs. Any student under age 18 must contact the program director/department chair to discuss whether he or she may enroll.

Program Outcomes

• Demonstrate safe performance of perioperative skills.
• Utilize critical thinking as a basis for clinical judgment and anticipatory decision making when providing perioperative care.
• Utilize effective interpersonal communication and group process skills.
• Assume the role of an involved, supportive surgical team member.
• Provide for physiological safety and emotional security of patient and surgical team.
• Demonstrate professional behaviors of caring, accountability, responsibility, and respect for the patient's rights of privacy, confidentiality, dignity, comfort, and quality of care.

Career Opportunities

A Surgical Technologist helps to meet the surgical needs of patients in the operating rooms in a variety of different environments. Employment may be found in hospital operating rooms, same day surgery centers, labor and delivery units, endoscopy units, and many other settings where invasive therapeutic or diagnostic surgical procedures are performed. Surgical Technologists may also be employed privately by a surgeon or by surgeon group practices that have specialized teams.

Transferability

Formal articulation agreements with other colleges and universities indicate how Sinclair programs and courses will transfer to other institutions.

Prerequisites

• ALH 1101 AND BIO 1121 AND MAT 1130 AND ENG 1101 AND HIM 1101
• and Restricted to Majors

Credentials

Graduates of CAAHEP accredited Surgical Technology programs are eligible and required to take the Certified Surgical Technologist exam (CST), a standardized national exam in Surgical Technology administered by the NBSTSA (National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting). All students in the Surgical Technology program at Sinclair Community College take the CST exam prior to graduation.

Program Accreditation Information

Accredited by CAAHEP, (Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs), Sinclair's Surgical Technology program provides students with the opportunity to work as a Certified Surgical Technologists. In this program, students will be required to complete the academic classroom requirements, but will also have the opportunity to gain valuable supervised clinical practice. As part of the curriculum, the students will rotate through the clinical affiliates as scheduled in the course sequence. The standard surgical rotation case requirements that students must achieve is 120 cases, following the Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology, 6e (CCST6e). Students are required to complete a minimum of thirty (30) cases in General Surgery, twenty (20) of of which should be in the First Scrub Role. In addition, students are required to complete a minimum of ninety (90) cases in various surgical specialties. Sixty (60) of those cases should be in the first scrub role and evenly, but not necessarily equally distributed between a minimum of four (4) surgical specialties.