Surgical Tech Requirements

Here are some requirements and selection information about Pima's CTD Surgical Technologist program:

- It costs a little more than $11,000, which the CTD reassured me could be covered by financial aid and student loans

- Only 14 people are chosen for the program each year

- The clinical studies, which take place in actual hospitals, comprise more than half of the course.

- Students must pass the Accuplacer entrance test with adequate scores, obtain a Public Safety Fingerprint Card, and meet the physical requirements for the job.

The enrollment requirements and program modules are listed on the PCC website.

Classroom Experience

Wednesday, I went to observe a Surgical Technologist class day at Pima's NE location. The experience gave me a greater insight on what it takes to become a surgical tech.

The class puts a great emphasis on anatomy and physiology. The day began with a review of the upcoming test on the digestive system. With my limited knowledge, I was only able to answer one of the questions asked: What is a liver disease that can be classified as either A, B, C, D, or E? Hepatitis, of course.


Later came a demonstration of some of the duties of a surgical tech. When I had asked Trudy (program instructor) as to whether I could observe the class for a day, I was promised a "dog and pony show" of the students' abilities. Here's what I observed:

Surgical Hand washing, or "scrubbing out"

Putting on a Gown

Proper application of clean gloves, making sure hands do not contaminate the outside of the gloves

Draping the patient: Only the location of the surgery will be visible

Performing "the count" of the necessary tools. Note: the Circulator (student not dressed in gown) is not sterile and does not contact the patient or tools.

The "incision". This part is only simulated because students can't actually cut the surgical dummy.

The "operation"

Handing off a tool to the surgeon

A simulated suture, or stitching

"Federico"

Some of the tools students are trained to use

I came across a few issues during my experience. One student asked me if I actually knew what it was like to work in a hospital, if I could handle blood, and if I really knew if I actually wanted the job. The troubling thing was that I could only answer "I don't know" to all the questions. I will have to learn more before I sign anything.

The surgical technologist students had some concerns about the job program. Some students were worried about the availability of jobs once they finished the program. One student said that she would be moving to Phoenix once she completed the program to take advantage of the greater job market there. Virtually all of the students I spoke to had originally wanted other health care jobs such as radiology technology and nursing, but settled for surgical technology because of the speed of the program and a smaller waiting list.

One student was worried about her inability to memorize the ton of vocabulary necessary to finish the course. I can identify with that concern. In my PSY 101 class, test material included the anatomy and function of the brain. I was easily able to learn most of the other topics of the class, but had trouble memorizing brain structures such as "hypothalamus" and "amygdala". But in the Surgical Tech class, memorizing complex body systems is par for the course.

In the end, though, I liked what I saw and think I can enter the class and pass it with a considerable measure of effort. Most notably, I liked the hands-on nature of the work and the camaraderie that I assume is also present in the actual work environment. I also appreciated the time instructor Trudy and the students lent me to observe their class. This class observation will positively influence my decision on whether to join the class or not.

Job Search

An informal search on Craigslist today yielded no surgical tech job listings in Tucson, and only three in Phoenix: "Oral Surgery Assistant", "Surgical Scrub Tech", and "Surgical Assistant--Oral Surgery"

On CareerBuilder, there were no surgical technologist jobs in Tucson, only openings for operating room nurses.

At Monster, there were no jobs for either surgical techs or OR RNs.

This was looking pretty grim for a prospective surgical tech who wants to stay in Tucson. So, I contacted Pima Community College's Center for Training and Development. I was told that the CTD is just meeting the need for surgical techs in Tucson and that hospitals recruit directly from the them. I was even told that some students from previous classes have not yet been employed as surgical techs.

This reality in Tucson was sobering, and in direct contrast to the optimistic outlook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics's Occupational Outlook Handbook. It states, "Employment of surgical technologists is expected to grow 24 percent between 2006 and 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations, as the volume of surgeries increases". Of course, we are in a recession, but I had thought that health care job cuts would mean a greater emphasis on lesser trained personnel such as LPNs and surgical techs. In any case, job opportunities for surgical techs are somthing prospecting students should keep in mind.

Overview

The goal for this project is to:
-Present a career search for surgical technologists
-Review the Job Overview from the bls.gov occupational outlook handbook
-Explore the what it takes to become a surgical tech from an actual classroom experience