Surgical Technology

The SCCC Surgical Technology Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

9355 – 113th St N, #7709

Seminole, FL 33775

ph: 727-210-2350

fax: 727-210-2354

www.caahep.org

Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting

2016-2026

19751 E Main St Suite #339

Parker, CO 80138

Phone: 303-694-9262

Fax: 303-741-3655

www.arcstsa.org

Kansas Degree Statistics link

(1) Apply online to Seward County Community College. (Only if you are not already attending SCCC)

(2) Submission of official high school transcript (or GED scores) and official transcripts for college level coursework must be submitted to the Register’s Office. (Only if you are not already attending SCCC)

(3) The following general education courses must be completed prior to core curriculum courses for the Surgical Technology Program:

Anatomy and Physiology I & II

Microbiology

Medical Terminology

Introduction to Surgical Technology

6 Credit Hours of Communications

6 Credit Hours of Electives

All general education courses must be completed with a minimum letter grade of “C” to be eligible for the Surgical Technology Program. Applicant must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5

(4) Obtain three references (and complete Surgical Technology application below).

(5) Once the packet is completed, a Surgical Technology faculty member will schedule an interview with the applicant. Applicants will be notified via email regarding the application status.

(6) Applicants should apply beginning November 1st. SCCC accepts a class annually with classes beginning each August. Applications received after May 1st are subject to a waiting list.

Surgical Tech application

For further information contact the program faculty or Allied Health department.

Schedule an interview with the Financial Aid Director regarding financial aid.

Basic Life Support Certification and Immunization Requirements

Students admitted to the Surgical Technology program must provide documentation of current American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS) certification for Healthcare Providers, along with official immunization records.

The required BLS certification may be obtained through an authorized AHA training provider outside the institution.

For exact tuition and fee rates, please check the Tuition & Fees page under the Financial Aid Office.

Tuition & Fee Rates

For additional Financial Aid information, contact the SCCC Financial Aid Director. Students are encouraged to complete the SCCC Grants and Scholarships Application.

The future looks bright for surgical technologists

The number of surgical technologists is projected to increase 30 percent through 2022—a number that dwarfs the 11 percent growth projected for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not only that, the median wage for surgical techs in 2012 was $41,790 compared to the $34,750 median wage for all occupations. If that doesn’t catch your interest; the fact it doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree should.

While you might be chomping at the bit to get started, it’s important to understand some of the less-common skills needed to be successful in the field. Surgical techs play a unique, hands-on role in the medical field and the skills needed to succeed are just as unique. The usual descriptors like “team-player” and “dedicated” are all great to have, but these five skills identified by surgical techs will help you stand out.

Surgical tech skill #1: Nerves of steel 

“You need to remain calm in the operating room,” surgical tech Nicole Gumke says. “When you’re tense, everyone else in the room becomes tense too.”

A shaky hand is a surgical tech’s worst nightmare. It is essential for you to remain calm and focus on your duties, no matter how simple or complex a procedure may be. You’re more likely to make a mistake if you’re jittery and even if you aren’t the one making the mistake, nervous energy can become infectious in an operating room.

Surgical tech skill #2: A strong stomach

“You’re going to see and touch some pretty amazing things in the OR—organs, bones, brains, tumors, cysts … you name it, you’ll probably see it,” Gumke says. “But with that comes a strong stomach, so if you’re squeamish this isn’t the right job for you.”

Any hands-on healthcare job has unpleasant to downright disgusting moments, but as a surgical tech you will be smack dab in the presence of more exposed innards than you’d probably care to share. It’s important that you keep your cool and don’t get woozy in the middle of an operation if things get messy.

Surgical tech skill #3: Attention to detail

There aren’t many jobs where knowing whether your coworker is left or right handed is important, but knowing these seemingly minor details are crucial to being an effective surgical tech. Your job is to have everything prepared so operations go as smoothly as possible, so you need to have an eye for detail. You need to pay close attention to the surgeon and be absolutely sure of your actions in the operating room in order to ensure patient safety.

Rasmussen College surgical tech program coordinator Lori Groinus encourages would-be surg techs to keep a personal perspective. “Precision and accuracy are the goal one hundred percent of the time,” Groinus says. “You need to provide the type of care you’d want for your loved ones, because every patient is somebody’s loved one.”

Surgical tech skill #4: Thick skin

“There isn’t always the time to applaud or compliment a job well done—besides, doing a good job is the expectation,” Groinus says. “It’s true there are some tough doctors and nurses out there, but it’s just like any workplace—some are just fine, some are not so nice and some are awesome.”

Thick skin is always important when your job involves handling sharp objects regularly. But seriously, mistakes happen and with that you can expect to catch some strongly worded criticism from the operating surgeon. You need to be able to take criticism without getting flustered and learn from your mistakes. It may seem like a tongue-lashing for a small mistake is harsh, but a mistake in surgery can be the difference between life and death.

“When you’re new and finding your way you’re going to mess up and get yelled at,” Gumke says. “You have to take it with a grain of salt and learn from it as it takes a while to learn all the likes and dislikes of each surgeon.”

Surgical tech skill #5: Adaptability

“Thinking on your feet is very important for a surgical tech,” Groinus says. “There isn’t time to wait and be told what to do.” Everyone in the operating room would love for each procedure to be a perfectly orchestrated series of snips and slices followed by some tidy stitching. Unfortunately reality tends to get in the way—things can go wrong and unexpected issues can come up. When this happens you need to be able to think on your feet and keep calm, no matter how intense the situation can be.

The unexpected is inevitable in the operating room; the key is to quickly get yourself a step ahead.

Do you have what it takes?

This list may seem a little intimidating, but the good news is that these skills can all be improved with practice and experience, even developing a strong stomach. You will see and experience some truly amazing things as a surgical tech and have the opportunity to help save lives on a regular basis. That’s what makes all the blood, guts and pressure worthwhile.

CIP Code: 51.0909
CIP Name: Surgical Technology/Technologist
Definition: A program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and surgical nurses, to maintain, monitor, and enforce the sterile field and adherence to aseptic technique by preoperative, surgical team, and postoperative personnel. Includes instruction in instrument and equipment sterilization and handling, surgical supplies management, wound exposure and closure, surgical computer and robot operation and monitoring, maintenance of hemostasis, and patient and team scrubbing.

To ensure the safety of all patients for whom our allied health students provide care, all allied health students over the age of 18 will be required to complete the criminal background check. If a student is found guilty of any felony crime against a person, the student must meet with the appropriate program director to determine the student’s ability to participate in clinical placement. Students who are unable to complete the clinical component of their respective program will be withdrawn from the program.

The following list of felony crimes against persons will prevent clinical placement for any allied health student:

• Murder in the first degree
• International second-degree murder
• Capital murder
• Domestic battery
• Murder in the first degree
• Aggravated kidnapping
• Murder in the first degree; Conspiracy
• Murder in the second degree (reckless)
• Murder in the first degree; Solicitation
• Voluntary manslaughter
• Kidnapping
• Aggravated robbery
• Aggravated battery on LEO-intentional, great bodily harm
• Injury to a pregnant woman in the commission of a felony
• Aggravated battery – intentional, great bodily harm
• Injury to a pregnant woman in commission of K.S.A. 21-342 (aggravated assault), K.S.A. 21-3413 (a)(1), battery or K.S.A. 21-3517, sexual battery
• Involuntary manslaughter
• Robbery
• Aggravated battery – reckless, great bodily harm
• Aggravated assault on law enforcement officer
• Mistreatment of a dependent adult – physical
• Aggravated assault
• Aggravated interference with parental custody
• Blackmail
• Battery against a correctional officer, youth center office, juvenile detention office or city/county correctional officer/employee
• Aggravated battery – intentional, bodily harm
• Aggravated battery – intentional, physical contact
• Stalking when the offender has a previous conviction within 7 years for stalking the same victim
• Aggravated battery – reckless, bodily harm
• Assisting suicide
• Criminal threat
• Stalking in all other cases
• Interference with parental custody in all other cases

Learn more about Gainful Employment

The following language reflects the program outcomes reported in the 2024-2025 ARC/STSA Outcomes Tracking Tool.

Program Retention

Program Outcome: At least 60% of students admitted to the program and enrolled in core courses will graduate or complete the program.

Result: For the 2024-2025 academic year, 71% of admitted students graduated or completed the program (10 of 14).

Certified Surgical Technologist Exam

Program Outcome: 100% of program graduates will participate in the national Certified Surgical Technologist examination, with a minimum first-attempt pass rate of 70%.

Result: For the 2024-2025 academic year, 100% of program graduates took the national examination (10 of 10). The first-attempt pass rate was 70% (7 of 10).

Job Placement

Program Outcome: At least 80% of graduates seeking employment will be employed in surgical technology or a related field.

Result: For the 2024-2025 academic year, 90% of graduates seeking employment were employed in surgical technology or a related field (9 of 10).

Employer Satisfaction

Program Outcome: The program will achieve at least a 50% employer-survey return rate, with at least 70% of respondents rating graduate performance at 3 or higher on a five-point scale.

Result: For the 2024-2025 academic year, the employer-survey return rate was 66% (6 of 9), and 100% of respondents (6 of 6) rated graduate performance at 3 or higher.

Graduate Satisfaction

Program Outcome: The program will achieve at least a 50% graduate-survey return rate, with at least 70% of respondents rating their satisfaction at 3 or higher on a five-point scale.

Result: For the 2024-2025 academic year, the graduate-survey return rate was 100% (10 of 10), and 100% of respondents (10 of 10) rated their satisfaction at 3 or higher.

Goal Statement

The goal of the Surgical Rotation Case Requirements is to contribute to the development of a well-rounded, competent, entry-level surgical technologist. As stated in CAAHEP Standard II. Program Goals, C. Minimum Expectations:

“To prepare competent entry-level surgical technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.”

Objectives

The surgical technology program is required to verify through the surgical rotation documentation the students’ progression in the scrub role in surgical procedures of increased complexity as he/she moves towards entry-level graduate competency.

While it is understood that no program is able to control surgical case volume or the availability of various surgical specialties, it is the responsibility of the program to provide students with a diversified surgical rotation experience.

No information in this document prevents programs from exceeding the minimum established by the Surgical Rotation Case Requirements.

Students must complete a minimum of 120 cases as delineated below.

General Surgery Cases

• Students must complete a minimum of 30 cases in General Surgery; 20 which must be performed in the First Scrub Role. The remaining 10 cases may be performed in either the First or Second Scrub Role.
• A minimum of 60 surgical specialty cases must be performed in the First Scrub Role and distributed amongst a minimum of four surgical specialties.

A minimum of 10 cases in the First Scrub Role must be completed in each of the required minimum of four surgical specialties (40 cases total required).

• The additional 20 cases in the First Scrub Role may be distributed amongst any one surgical specialty or multiple surgical specialties.
• Diagnostic endoscopy cases must be documented in the category of “Diagnostic Endoscopy”, rather than by specialty.
• Vaginal delivery cases must be documented in the category of “Labor & Delivery” rather than in the OB/GYN specialty.

Cases will be counted and documented according to surgical specialty (exception being diagnostic endoscopic cases).

Examples of counting cases

• Trauma patient requires a splenectomy and repair of a LeFort I fracture. Two cases can be counted and documented since the splenectomy is general surgery specialty and repair of LeFort I is oral-maxillofacial surgical specialty.
• Patient requires a breast biopsy followed by mastectomy. It is one pathology, breast cancer, and the specialty is general surgery; therefore, it is counted and documented as one procedure – one case.
• Endoscopic cases that convert to an open case (e.g.: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy converted to an Open Cholecystectomy) are counted and documented as one (1) procedure – one case.

Optional surgical specialties

• Diagnostic endoscopy cases and vaginal delivery cases are not mandatory. However, up to 10 diagnostic endoscopic cases and 5 vaginal delivery cases can be counted toward the maximum number of Second Scrub Role cases.

Case experience in the Second Scrub Role is not mandatory.

• Observation cases must be documented, but do not count towards the 120 required cases.