Surgical Technology - Associate of Applied Technology Degree
Prepares students to work as part of a team of surgeons, anesthesiologists and registered nurses in the operating room. Successful graduates of this program are educated in surgical technology under the guidelines of the Association of Surgical Technologists.
The structured curriculum includes basic sciences, patient care, surgical procedures, and human anatomy combined with clinical rotations in area health care facilities. Classroom instruction, labs, and clinical internships prepare students to assume the role of a perioperative team member in a variety of health care delivery settings. Included in this program are academic courses in communication, quantitative reasoning, and social sciences that provide knowledge and abilities that enhance personal development and serve as a foundation for technical skills.
Students are required to carry personal health/medical insurance throughout their clinical rotations.
No student will be allowed at a clinical site without proof of insurance.
Program Accreditation
The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) has granted accreditation to the Surgical Technology program upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 113th Street North, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
Phone: 727-210-2350 Fax: 727-210-2354
www.caahep.org
Physical Activity Requirements
Students cannot require use of assistive devices. This occupation requires the ability to stand, sit, and walk for extended periods of time and the ability to lift and hold 50 lbs. Students must be able to meet these physical requirements in order to complete lab requirements, be assigned to a clinical rotation and get a job in this field.
Employability Requirements
Most employers prefer national certification. Seven hours of AIDS education and training as required under WAC 246-939. A comprehensive background check will be conducted to screen for prior convictions prior to state registration.
Persons with some types of criminal convictions may not be eligible for employment.
Program Length
This program is a combination of on-line, classroom, laboratory and clinical experiences. It is approximately six quarters long, depending on the time students need to satisfactorily complete all graduation requirements.
Admission Dates
Fall and spring quarters
Program Outcomes
• Correlate the knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and microbiology to their role as a surgical technologist.
• Use principles and practices related to personal patient safety devices and procedures.
• Apply the ethical, legal, moral, and medical values related to the patient and the operating room team during the perioperative experience.
• Correlate the elements, action, and use of medications and anesthetic agents used during the perioperative experience.
• Demonstrate safe practice techniques in regards to perioperative routines, patient transportation, positioning, and emergency procedures.
• Demonstrate principles of surgical asepsis as part of the perioperative experience.
• Analyze the biopsychosocial needs of the surgical patient in order to address those needs.
• Perform as a competent entry-level surgical technologist in the cognitive, psychomotor, and effective learning domains according to ARC/STSA standards.
• Model the professional attributes of the surgical technologist.
Completion Requirements
Prerequisite(s)
Students pursuing the AAT degree must have a high school diploma or high school equivalency diploma, per the governing body for surgical technology, AST. In order to participate in the clinical aspect of the program, students must pass multiple background checks. A non-refundable fee is charged to each student for the background check. Students must have current American Heart Association CPR for the Healthcare Provider certification and immunizations or laboratory verification of immune status. This includes, but is not limited to, Covid, Hepatitis B series, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Tuberculosis Test, Measles/ Mumps/Rubella, and Varicella, as required by contracts with clinical facilities and CDC recommendations. Proof of immunizations and CPR should be completed by the first day of class of the third quarter of the SURG courses. No student will be allowed at a clinical site without completion of immunizations. A physical is required for each student prior to clinical rotation. Must be at least 18 years of age by the time clinical experience starts, usually in September and April.
This program requires that the following general education courses be completed prior to beginning the first quarter of SURG courses. These general education courses are BIOL& 241, CAH 102, COLL 102, CMST& 220. Students must maintain a “B” or better in all general education and Core Allied Health courses.
Students must receive a “C” or better in all technical courses to satisfy graduation requirements. Students pursuing an AAT or AAS-T degree must complete all college degree requirements prior to graduation. This includes courses that meet the requirements for diversity, computer literacy, and the capstone project.
Program Course List
Computer Literacy Requirement: Complete an approved computer literacy course or successfully pass the computer literacy exam.