Surgical Technology - SURG.AS

Accreditation and Program Outcomes

This program is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP www.caahep.org) in conjunction with the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA www.arcstsa.org). The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST www.ast.org) is the only national organization that represents surgical technologists and surgical assistants. Graduates of the program are eligible to apply for the national certifying examination in Surgical Technology (CST) given by The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA www.nbstsa.org).

Surgical Technology Program Effectiveness Data

Credentialing Examination Pass Rate (6 year trend):  The number of graduates who pass the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) examination in Surgical Technology on their first attempt prior to graduation.  The ARC/STSA threshold is 70%.

6 Year Trend

Class of 2023 - 88% 7/8 passed (100% within 3 months)

Class of 2022 - 67% 10/15 passed (93% within 12 months)

Class of 2021 - 86% 13/15 passed

Class of 2020 - 83.33% (83%) 10/12 passed, 1 student did not sit for exam due to COVID exposure

Class of 2019 - 61.5% (62%) 8/13 passed, (70% within 16 months of graduation)

Class of 2018 - 85%

The Surgical Technology program at STCC meets or exceeds the required threshold.

	The Commission on Accreditation of Allied   Health Education Programs 9355-113th St.N, #7709 Seminole, FL 33775 727.210.2350 www.caahep.org		Accreditation Review Council on Education in   Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting 6 W. Dry Creek Circle, Suite #110 Littleton, CO 80120 Phone: 303.694.9262 Fax: 303.741.3655 www.arcstsa.org
	Association of Surgical Technologists 6 W Dry Creek Circle, Suite #200 Littleton, CO 80120-8031 800.637.7433 www.ast.org		The National Board of Surgical Technology and   Surgical Assisting 6 W Dry Creek Circle, Suite #100 Littleton, CO 80120-8031 800.707.0057 www.nbstsa.org

Program Goals

The graduates of the STCC Department of Surgical Technology will demonstrate competence to:

• Perform the role of the entry-level Surgical Technologist in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
• Respond to the Perioperative needs of a diverse population ranging from infancy to senescence.
• Respond to cultural values, economic status and disease patterns, which shape health care, needs and values.
• Understand and value technological and scientific changes that will provide quality patient care.
• Practice sound judgment to protect their health and safety and that of the public they serve consistent with evidence-based practice and critical thinking skills.
• Utilize knowledge from a broad academic curriculum to pass the AST certification exam.
• Apply principles of professional communication in a variety of demanding situations.
• Utilize decision-making and problem solving skills in the application of Surgical Technology principles.
• Demonstrate professional behavior consistent with legal requirements and ethical expectations consistent with the AST Code of Ethics.
• Assume responsibility for professional accountability to assess the quality of their care using established standards of clinical practice.

Applying to this Program

• The application review process will begin after March 31 of the acceptance year and will continue until the program is full.
• Fall start only, day program
• This is a competitive program. Student applications will be evaluated and scored based on the admission pre-requisites as noted below.

Admission Prerequisites:

• Proof of High School transcript, GED or HISET

• English
  • Completion of 4 years of high school English (grade of C or higher); OR
  • Placement examination score  at ENG-101  level: OR
  • Successful completion of ENG-095  or a college level English (grade of C or higher)
• Math
  • Completion of high school Algebra 2 (grade of C or higher, within 5 years); OR
  • Placement examination score at (Accuplacer) MAT-101 or (ALEKS) MAT-100p (within 5 years); OR
  • Successful completion of Algebra 2 MAT-097  or Pre-College Algebra MAT 063   or a college level math (MAT 100 or higher)(grade of C or higher, within 5 years)
• Biology
  • Completion of high school Biology (grade of C, within 5 years); OR
  • Completion of a college level Biology with a lab (grade of C or higher, within 5 years)
• Medical Terminology​ 
  • Completion of MED 100   or a college level, 3 credit, Medical Terminology course (grade of C or higher, within 5 years)
  • Passing score on the STCC MED 100  challenge exam
• Program Coursework Requirement Form (formerly Admission Checklist)
  • Effective immediately, for Fall 2025 applicants, the Program Coursework Requirement Form will be included as part of the online STCC application
  • In order to strengthen your application, it is strongly recommended you complete the Program Coursework Requirement Form (found in the online STCC application)
  • We will no longer be accepting the e-form
  • If you are unable to complete the online Program Coursework Requirement Form, a paper version is available. Click here to download/print, this can be mailed or emailed to the Admissions Office

Notes:

• Information Sessions are a great way for prospective students to learn about all facets of a program. It is strongly recommended that all applicants attend an information session.  Please click here to see the schedule of events.
• Mid-semester grades for required and prerequisite spring courses will be considered. Students requesting consideration for course work being performed outside of STCC must submit a mid-term grade report to the Admissions office along with their application. Correspondence can be sent to admissions@stcc.edu. Please note, Spring 2 courses do not post mid-term grades.

• Conditional acceptances will be given for applicants who have incomplete courses in the spring semester. The condition will state what final grade must be earned to gain full acceptance. Students not meeting stated conditions will not be granted admission to the program.

• The following are examples of how to strengthen your application for admission:
  • Anatomy & Physiology 1, (C or higher, within 5 years)
  • Anatomy & Physiology 2, (C or higher, within 5 years)
  • College-level Microbiology (C or higher within 5 years)
  • College-level English Composition 1 & 2 (C or higher)
  • Students currently enrolled AND/OR who have completed 12 credits of liberal arts/general education and science courses at STCC.
  • Work experience: If you have direct patient care or experience in an operating room, please submit the Healthcare Experience Verification Form  with your application.

Applying for Re-Admission to this Program

If a student leaves a health program for any reason, and intends to re-enter the following academic year into the semester in which they left, the student must follow the readmission process as outlined in the School of Health & Patient Simulation Readmission Policy. 

Click here  to see full policy and procedures.

The student seeking readmission to a health program must submit a Letter of Intent to Return, to the Dean of Health & Patient Simulation Office (Building 20/Room 320) and to the Program Director, by November 16 for consideration for return in the spring semester, and by February 1 for consideration for return in the fall semester. These dates may change from year to year.

If a student intends to return to a health program after one full academic year has passed, the student must apply as a new applicant through the college admissions website https://www.stcc.edu/apply/.  

All students must follow the readmission policy and guidelines of their specific department/program.

Additional Requirements for Accepted Students

Deposit: If offered admission, a non-refundable $50.00 deposit will be required to secure your acceptance to this Program.

Mandatory Health Records:  All required health records, immunizations, and physicals MUST be filed in the STCC Health and Wellness Center by July 1 for students being admitted in the Fall semester and no later than two (2) weeks prior to the start of the program for students being admitted in the Spring semester of the admission year. The Health and Wellness Center is located in Building 19 Room 177 (413-755-4230). For additional information and required forms please visit the Health and Wellness Center website at http://www.stcc.edu/healthservices. The college/program reserves the right to rescind the admission status of any student not meeting, as well as not submitting, all post-admission requirements in a timely manner. 

Background Check: College programs involving potentially unsupervised contact with children, the disabled, or the elderly, including fieldwork (a clinical affiliation, internship, externship, or field placement) with a private or public healthcare provider or daycare provider, will be required to undergo state-wide and/or national criminal background checks, including but not limited to: Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sex Offender Record Information (SORI), Seven (7) year residential Search, and FBI Fingerprinting checks. The purpose of the background check is to ensure a safe and protective environment for all clients, particularly members of vulnerable populations.

Students choosing not to consent to the required background checks will be ineligible to participate in fieldwork involving vulnerable populations. Ineligibility to participate in fieldwork may affect a student’s ability to successfully complete the program.

Based upon the results of the background checks, a student may be deemed ineligible to participate in academic or clinical activities, which may impact a student’s ability to successfully complete program requirements. Background checks are reviewed by the College’s CORI Board. The CORI Board determines eligibility to participate in academic and/or clinical activities.

Furthermore, please be advised that eligibility to participate in College academic and/or clinical activities following a background check does not guarantee eligibility to sit for a professional credentialing examination(s) or for employment upon program completion. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the certification or licensure board for a particular healthcare or other service profession to determine the standards that must be met for credentialing, licensing and/or employment in that field.

Programmatic Technical Standards: Technical Standards reflect performance abilities and essential skills that a student must demonstrate in order to successfully complete the requirements of a specified program.  These Standards must be satisfied by all students in all aspects of the program, with or without reasonable accommodations, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), including in the classroom, laboratories, and externship. If you are an individual with a documented disability who seeks reasonable accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services at (413) 755-4785 or stop by Building 19, Room 141 as soon as practicable for information concerning the College’s accommodation process. Additional information can also be found on the Office of Disability Service’s website: https://www.stcc.edu/resources/academic-support/ods/. Please note that Program Technical Standard forms found in your admission acceptance packet must be submitted to the Health and Wellness Center by July 1. The Health and Wellness Center is located in Building 19, Room 177 and can be reached at (413) 755-4230.  

Drug Screening: The School of Health & Patient Simulation is committed to providing high quality education and excellent clinical experiences to students in the health professions. Students are expected to perform at their highest functional level during all educational and clinical experiences in order to maximize the learning environment and ensure patient safety. Thus a student’s performance at all times must be free of any impairment caused by prescription or non-prescribed drugs including alcohol, marijuana, and cannabis-derived products. Students enrolling in Health Professions programs are required to undergo and pass a drug screening analysis in order to be eligible for placement in a clinical facility. STCC student program fees cover the cost of this screening. Additional scheduled and random drug and/or alcohol screenings may be required depending upon clinical facility and/or program guidelines.

Students who are notified of a negative-dilute result will submit to an observed urine drug test within 24 hours of the previous test (or soonest appointment made available to STCC Health Compliance by the testing agency) in order to confirm the negative or positive finding status of the drug screening. If a student continues to receive a negative-dilute or inconclusive drug screening result, the subsequent drug test will be of the hair collection method until a conclusive negative or positive result is confirmed.

Students with a positive drug screening may challenge the results by filing a written appeal to the College’s Director of Health Compliance within five (5) business days of notification of the test results. An appeal by a student who claims that the positive test was due to a prescription drug and was unable to clarify this matter with the medical review officer (MRO) from the drug testing lab shall include evidence from a health care provider of the type of prescription, dates of permissible use and dosage amounts. Students may be responsible to pay for additional drug screening conducted as part of an appeal. Students excluded from a program due to a positive screening, failure to submit appeal, denied appeal, or refusal to submit to a screening may re-apply for re-entry into a program after one year. Requests for re-admission will be considered on a case by case basis and in accordance with the program criteria.

Health Program Latex Policy  

Program Requirements and Advancement

• Minimum Grade Requirements: To continue in the progression of courses offered in the Surgical Technology program, a student must obtain a grade of “C” (73%) or better in all courses. Students not meeting the minimum grade requirement of “C” (73%) will be withdrawn from the program.

• All courses from each semester must be successfully completed prior to progressing to the next semester.

• Graduates of this accredited program are eligible to take the only national certifying exam in Surgical Technology (CST) given by The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTA www.nbsta.org.

• Students are expected to adhere to a strict attendance policy for lecture, on-campus labs and clinical practicum.

• Program Length and Hours: It should be noted that the clinical experience in the operating room is scheduled to begin at 6:45 a.m. and the afternoon shift may be used, rather than the routine College schedule. This will involve laboratories in SUR-114L, SUR-128L, and clinical times in  SUR-217 and SUR-229. Clinical time is scheduled to provide learning opportunities.
• Programmatic Technical Standards: Students with disabilities must be able to meet the technical standards of the program with reasonable accommodations as defined by the ADA. Click on the link below for full policy information. (provide link)
• Additional Expenses: Students will be expected to pay for the application fee, study guide and student membership to professional association, the total of these fees is approximately $247

• Students are required to demonstrate professional behaviors that are outlined in each Surgical Technology course syllabus.

(SURG.AS) Curriculum

Program Personnel