Surgical Technology Applications Due October 1

October 1 is the application deadline for the Surgical Technology Program that begins next spring at ACTC.

The Surgical Technology program prepares students for the national certification exam and employment in operating rooms, private or public hospitals and clinics. "The program requires a lot of study, but it pays off when our graduates do well on the national certification exam,said Jacqueline Cavins, Associate Professor and Program Coordinator.

Last year, 100% of the ACTC program graduates taking the national certification exam passed the test and became Certified Surgical Technologists. The program received a Certificate of Merit from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

Employment of surgical technologists is projected to grow 30 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average growth for all occupations according to the US Department of Labor Job Outlook.

Graduates work in health facilities throughout the region. "I regularly get calls from hospitals in the Tri-State seeking surgical technologists," Cavins said. Many of our students have job offers before they graduate, and quite a few of those jobs are at the hospitals that serve as our clinical sites.

The hospital sites also sometimes hire our students to work in support positions while they're still finishing their classes, Cavins added.

Surgical Technologists assist in preparing operating rooms for surgery and assist doctors during surgery by handing them needed instruments and counting sponges and needles before and after the operation, and deliver specimens to hospital labs for analysis.

ACTCs Surgical Technology program is accredited by the Committee on Allied Health Education.

The three-semester diploma program at the College Drive Campus includes basic sciences, surgical decorum and protocol, and technical skills for assisting surgeons in the operating room. Students learn on real operating room equipment, with hundreds of surgical instruments, before going to clinicals at area hospitals.

Graduates may go on for an Associate in Applied Science General Occupational/ Technical Studies degree. The degree requires at least 15 additional hours of transferable general education.

Surgical Technology is a selective admission programs. Prospective students need to complete a Surgical Technology application, and applicants who are not current ACTC students also need to complete the ACTC application process.

To be admitted to the program, students must pass the COMPASS/ACT at the required level and attend a pre-conference session, available on line. Before starting classes, CPR certification must be obtained and prerequisite courses and a health profile must be completed.

The applications are available at ashland.kctcs.edu. Application to the program does not guarantee admission. For more information, contact Professor Cavins, 606-326-2006 or email: jaqueline.cavins@kctcs.edu.