Instructors:            

Greg Maughan, CST

Jana Mitchell, BS, CST

Program Description: 

The Surgical Technician program is a laboratory – based course designed to prepare students for entry level positions as surgical technicians. Students will learn to perform vital functions in an operating room during surgical procedures. They will facilitate the work of the surgeon in a sterile field. Students will set up and pass surgical instruments and supplies, and perform other tasks as directed by the surgical team.

Program Objectives:

The Surgical Technician program at Jordan Applied Technology Center is a one-year program that prepares senior level high school students to become Certified Surgical Technologists.  This enables them to work in the operating room facilitating the work of surgeons in the sterile field.  The goal of this program is to prepare competent entry-level surgical technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.

Upon completion of this program, students will be eligible to take the national certification exam and work as a surgical technologist in a variety of surgical settings across the nation.

Program Expectations: 

Applicants should have excellent organization and prioritization skills with the ability to think and act quickly.  Students should also have good eye-hand coordination, the ability to see and manipulate very small objects, and an ability to understand and speak English.  The student should also be able to stand for very long periods of time and lift 30 pounds.  Students should also be prepared to face significantly stressful and emotionally challenging situations.  All courses required for this program must be completed earning a grade of C+ or better in order to move on to the next phase of the program.

Students will learn techniques, as well as, patient care through laboratory practice, classroom instruction and supervised externships in area clinical settings. Students must provide their own transportation.  The externship site may require random drug testing.

High School Credit:

Four (4) high school CTE or AAS (third year) Science Applied credits

Concurrent Credit:

MA 1100 Medical Terminology (Summer Semester – 2 Credits)

BIOL 1610 College Biology I (Summer Semester – 4 Credits)

BIOL 1615 College Biology I Lab (Summer Semester – 0 Credits)

COMM 1010 Elements of Effective Communication (Summer Semester – 3 Credits)                       

BIOL 2320 Human Anatomy (Fall Semester – 4 Credits)

BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy Lab (Fall Semester – 0 Credits)

SURG 1200 Intro to Surgical Technology (Fall Semester – 6 Credits)

SURG 1250 Advanced Surgical Theory (Spring Semester – 6 Credits)

(Note:  After graduation from high school, students will still have 12 credits they need to complete, and they will need to pay regular college tuition for these remaining credits.  They may wait until Fall Semester to finish them, or they may continue with Summer Semester and finish in Fall Semesters at SLCC.)

Educational Opportunities:

Students have the opportunity to further their education at community colleges and/or universities upon completion of this program.

Possible Careers:

Hospital Operating Room, OB Department, Outpatient Surgical Centers, Specialization, Private Scrub, Traveling Tech, Veterinary Tech, Product Rep, Research and Product Development, Materials Management/Central Processing, Supervisory, Instructor, Military, Volunteer, Technical Writing, Illustration and Photography, and Consultation

Misconceptions:

Some students think that this is only a one year program when in reality the total length is 19 months. The program begins in June following the student’s junior year of high school and ends after Fall Semester of the student’s freshman year at Salt Lake Community College.  Some students think this is not a difficult program, but it is very difficult and requires both sacrifice and determination.

Classes Required for Entrance:

Biology

Recommended Classes:

Biology, Medical Terminology, Anatomy/Physiology, and Algebra 2

Program Length:

Full secondary school year plus 3 semesters at Salt Lake Community College. The program starts in June at end of the student’s junior year of high school and continues through the end of fall semester of the student’s freshman year of college.  The total program length is 19 months.

Eligibility:

Seniors based on entrance exams, GPA, strength of schedule, interview, and attendance

Costs/Fees:

Salt Lake Community College concurrent enrollment fee: $40

Set of scrub clothing: $ 22

Protective eyewear: $ 10

SLCC picture ID card: $ 10

Immunizations (variable)

Physical exam (variable)

Tuberculosis skin test (variable)

Criminal back ground test: approx $30

Text books for all courses: approx $650

Parking Pass for SLCC campus: $30

Students are encouraged to join: $50 HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) (September)

HOSA sweatshirt: $50 (optional)

Students are encouraged to join the Association of Surgical Technologists: $45 (January).

Membership allows graduates to receive a significant discount on the certification exam.  This exam is taken after completion of the program: $197

Fall Semester or Summer and Fall Semester at SLCC after graduation, students will enroll as regular SLCC students and will be required to pay the current tuition and fee rates (Approximately $1470 per semester for a full-time student)

Total Cost:  JATC & Concurrent Enrollment Costs (Approximately $1134.)

SLCC Tuition for the Remaining 12 Credits (Approximately $1470)