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Surgical Technologists: Valuable Members of the Surgical Team

Modern facilities are used to give students training for the future.

Think the operating room sounds like an exciting work environment? A career as a Surgical Technologist may be for you.

As a Surgical Technologist, you will work side-by-side with Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, and Registered Nurses to provide care to patients during surgery. You will ensure that the operating environment is safe, that the equipment is functioning properly, and that the conditions under which the surgical procedure is performed maximize patient safety.

But being a Surgical Technologist requires a special skill set and personality, says David Alfaro, Surgical Technology Program Director at the ACC Los Angeles Campus. "Not everybody can be in the operating room, taking care of patients who are going through surgery. There are a lot of sights, sounds and smells that you encounter being in the operating room - and in some cases it's not very pretty. This profession is not for everybody."

The ideal individual, he notes, is a person who is responsible, caring and willing to help other individuals - both patients and other members of the surgical team. Although a Surgical Technologist is supervised by a Registered Nurse and a Surgeon, the No. 1 customer is the patient. "You definitely have to be in the frame of mind that you are there to take care of the patient," explains Mr. Alfaro.

As with many medical professions, Surgical Technologists need to be able to empathize with their patient's suffering while not being personally affected by it in order to perform duties and properly care for that patient.

In 2006, Surgical Technologists held about 86,000 jobs in the United States. The majority of those jobs were in hospitals, specifically operating and delivery rooms. The demand for Surgical Technologists is expected to grow 24 percent by 2016 - much faster than the average for all occupations - due to an increasing volume of surgeries performed on our aging population, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.*

A Surgical Technologist has many responsibilities before, during and after surgery, notes Mr. Alfaro. Duties before surgery include making sure all of the equipment to be used during the procedure is in the operating room and in good working order, from the smallest instruments to the most sophisticated microscopes. During surgery, the Surgical Technologist passes instruments to the surgeon, maintains the highest standard of sterile technique, prepares sterile dressings, and keeps track of all countable items, including instruments that were used, so all can be accounted for before the incision is closed. In addition, the Surgical Technologist is responsible for the medications used during the surgery - including the proper dosage amounts - as well as accounting for blood loss and irrigation.

Upon completion of a surgery, the Surgical Technologist breaks down the sterile field. Instruments are taken to the decontamination and sterilization room and the operating room is cleaned and prepared for the next patient.

Besides working in hospitals, Surgical Technologists may also assist in surgeries at surgical centers and doctor's offices. They can also apply their knowledge of instruments and decontamination to the management of sterilization or central supply rooms. Others become sales representatives for medical companies that sell surgical equipment, instruments or supplies. Those who are driven to greater involvement in surgical procedures continue their education to become Surgeons, Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants.

Graduates of the Associate of Occupational Science in Surgical Technology at American Career College are well-prepared for careers in the operating room for a multitude of specialties, says Mr. Alfaro. The curriculum of the CAAHEP- and ABHES-accredited program includes microbiology, surgical techniques and procedures, operating room fundamentals, patient care and case management, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and clinical orientation and practicum. Since so many instruments are used in surgeries, students learn about hundreds of instruments during class and laboratory time, and more specialty instruments during clinical rotations.

Students perform many team assignments to prepare them for the team atmosphere of the operating room. "There is a small amount of space in an operating room, and you must work for hours, often with little movement," says Mr. Alfaro. "Your attitude, behaviors and opinions of other people have to stay outside the operating room or you're not going to be able to perform your job well."

Surgical Technology students at American Career College practice skills in a fully supplied laboratory and then put them to practice during 15 weeks of clinical rotations at sites in multiple surgical specialties. American Career College Clinical Instructors are present at each clinical site to supervise students, make sure they are following the policies and procedures of the site and the school, and address issues immediately. Not only does this ensure that students are performing at the required level, it guarantees that the site is providing a good learning environment for students.

"Students assist in hip replacements, major thoracic cases, even spine cases," notes Mr. Alfaro. "When they graduate from the program, they have completed a minimum of 125 cases."

Many students exceed that minimum number of cases, making them extremely competitive in the job market.

The availability of job opportunities is best for Surgical Technologists who are certified, and American Career College Surgical Technology graduates are given review courses and encouraged to take the CST exam given by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), the certifying agency for Surgical Technologists.

American Career College is currently number eight on the PAE (Program Assessment Exam) Elite Twenty, a list which ranks the top 20 surgical technology programs in the country, and was also ranked in 2007.

*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, Surgical Technologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos106.htm