Certificate Program
39 Weeks/1180 Clock Hours with 500 hours of Clinical Externship
Objectives and goals
The Surgical Technology program is designed to prepare students to become
skilled entry-level Surgical Technologists and work
effectively in the health care environment. The main
objective of this Program is placed on the
students acquiring knowledge of surgical
instrumentations and equipment, scrubbing, gowning and
gloving, setting up sterile fields including sterile and aseptic techniques, and
proper way of handling and passing of surgical
instruments in order to maximize patient safety. This
program is designed to ensure competency levels
essential for employment. Students are trained to become
a multi-faceted members of the surgical team to work
closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered
nurses, and other surgical personnel delivering
patient care and assuming appropriate
responsibilities before, during, and after surgical
procedures. Training also consists of the basic
knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy and
physiology, math skills, pharmacology, microbiology
and patient care concepts.
The core curriculum for Surgical Technology Program is design to prepare individuals to enter the profession of Surgical Technology. Medical Career Institute provides on-campus lectures and work-simulated training with program appropriate equipment needed to successfully prepare students for this highly technical environment. The on-campus classroom and operating room laboratory affords space for lecture, demonstrations and practice for mock surgical procedures. The off-campus Clinical Externship module of the curriculum is structured to include supervised hands-on training (requiring competencies logs and evaluations) at Clinical Externship Site.
Upon successful completion of the program, the diligent graduates will be awarded the Certification of Completion (Diploma) and should be proficient in performing entry-level surgical technician's tasks and responsibilities and can seek entry-level employment in the operating room, labor and delivery and edoscopy/colonoscopy procedures.
Employment
Many surgical technicians are employed in hospital's operating rooms,
labor and delivery
rooms, emergency room departments, ambulatory care centers and Central Sterile
Processing Departments. Some are employed directly by surgeons in the private
scrub role, while others work as Surgical First
Assistants. They are also
utilized in clinics, plastic and general surgery centers,
animal surgery centers, in offices of ophthalmologists,
physicians, and dentists. Their broad educational background, plus specialized
focus, allow surgical technicians to function well in a number of diverse areas
of their field. Employment possibilities in addition to operating room technicians, include
surgery schedulers, materials management, central service managers, organ/tissues
procurement and preservation, cardiac characterization laboratories, product
development, research, and marketing and sales. A number of
Operating Room technicians are instructors and
directors in the Operating Room/surgical technology field.
Working conditions Surgical Technologists work in clean, well lit and cool, controlled and relatively quiet environments. They may be required to stand for long periods of time, and it is vital their attention be focused on the tasks at hand. They may at times be exposed to communicable diseases, unpleasant odors, sights and materials. Most operating room technicians work a regular 40-hour week, although they may be "on call", work nights, weekends and holidays on a rotating basis depending on their facility.