Category: surgical tech

My surgical tech program

As of this post, I’m in my second term of an accelerated surgical tech degree program. My program is 15 months start to finish and consists of six, ten-week terms, and the last two terms are our clinicals. Here’s a quick break down of each term:

  • Term 1:
    1. Surgical Technology Theory I
    2. Surgical Technology Lab I
    3. Foundations for Health Professionals (online)
    4. Anatomy and Physiology I
    5. English Composition I (online)
  • Term 2:
    1. Surgical Technology Theory II
    2. Surgical Technology Lab II
    3. Anatomy and Physiology II
    4. Contemporary Topics in Mathematics (online)
  • Term 3:
    1. Surgical Technology Theory III
    2. Surgical Technology Lab III
    3. Surgical Technology Theory IV
    4. Surgical Technology Lab IV
    5. Elements of Human Communications (online)
  • Term 4:
    1. Surgical Procedures I
    2. Surgical Procedures II
    3. Surgical Technology Lab V
    4. Surgical Technology Lab VI
    5. Human Growth and Development (online)
  • Term 5:
    1. Surgical Technology Clinical I
    2. Surgical Technology Clinical Review I
  • Term 6:
    1. Surgical Technology Clinical II
    2. Surgical Technology Clinical Review II

As you can see, most terms are pretty jam-packed with classes. My cohort began with 12 students and as of term 2, we have 10 students in total. I really love how small my class is, I feel like we get a lot of great individual attention.

My cohort is actually the first degree program at my school, but so far it’s been a great experience. I’ll get more in depth about my classes in a separate post, but I wanted to fill you guys in on the structure of my ST program!

Talk to you later!

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What is a surgical technologist?

What is a surgical technologist? I’m glad you asked! A Surgical Technologist, also called a scrub or scrub tech, is an allied health professional who assists in delivering surgical care. In the operating room, scrub techs are there to make each procedure run as smooth and efficient as possible. We do this by anticipating the needs of the surgeon, knowing hundreds of surgical procedures and instruments, and maintaining sterile and aseptic technique.

Scrub techs are found in all surgical specialties including OB/GYN, urology, ENT, plastics, orthopedics, neurology, cardiovascular, and general surgery. We work with a team of health professionals including the surgeon, anesthesiologist, first assist, and nurse. There are quite a few other roles involved in surgery, but those are the main members of a surgical team.

Scrubs also act as preceptors for students and nurses. As preceptors, we help students learn and develop their skills in the perioperative setting.

Currently, I’m in the second term of my surgical tech program at Concorde and I couldn’t be more excited! I still have quite some time before I head off to my clinicals (seven months to be exact), but I’m so excited to share my education and journey with you!

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