Surgical Technology, AAS

The Surgical Technology program trains individuals to become entry level surgical technologists. Surgical technologists are integral members of the surgical team who work closely with surgeons, anesthesia care providers, registered nurses and other surgical personnel delivering patient care before, during and after surgery. This program prepares the student for national certification testing.

Employment in surgical technology is expected to grow as the volume of surgeries increase and technological advancements require expert assistance during those surgical procedures. Hospitals continue to be the primary employer of surgical technologists, although other career options include physicians’ office assistant, obstetrical unit technician, and outpatient care centers, including ambulatory surgical centers, sterile supply management and/or technician, surgical supply representatives, and surgical technology education.

Median annual earnings of surgical technologists were $48,300 in 2019. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Prerequisites:

The student will need to demonstrate proficiencies in reading, English, and mathematics based on the ACCUPLACER assessment test, ACT or SAT scores, or by taking the recommended/ required classes. Some of the courses in this curriculum have specific prerequisites as indicated.

Program Outcomes:

The goal of the surgical technology program is to provide students with the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to gain employment as a surgical technologist and become contributing members of the health care team and leaders in surgical technology. This will be accomplished by preparing competent graduates in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains:

Cognitive Domain: The Graduate will:

Correlate the knowledge of surgical procedures, anatomy and physiology, microbiology to their role as a surgical technologist and recognize their relationship to safe patient care.
Demonstrate the principles of safe patient care in the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative settings.

Psychomotor Domain: The Graduate will:

Develop and apply fundamental surgical assisting skills through practice and evaluation in the laboratory and clinical settings.
Accurately apply the principles of asepsis across the spectrum of common surgical experiences.

Affective Domain: The Graduate will:

Recognize the variety of patients’ needs and the impact of their personal, physical, emotional, and cultural experiences on the rendering of patient care.
Demonstrate professional responsibility in performance, attitude and personal conduct.
Practice within the confines of the recognized scope of practice within the healthcare community to provide optimal patient care.

The program is offered as a 66 credit hour associate’s degree program in Applied Science of Surgical Technology.

Course Sequence:

The listing that follows reflects courses required for the AAS degree. This particular sequence is recommended. Individualized schedules can be developed with the help of an advisor. The core surgical courses must be taken in the order presented, and concurrently when applicable.