Student Catalog and Handbook 2019-2020

Surgical Technology AAS (ST13)

The Surgical Technology associate degree program prepares students for employment in a variety of positions in the surgical field. The surgical technology degree program provides learning opportunities which introduce, develop, and reinforce academic and technical knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement. In addition, the program provides opportunities to upgrade present knowledge and skills or to retrain in surgical technology. Graduates of the program receive a surgical technology associate of applied science degree and are qualified for employment as surgical technologists as well as eligible to sit for the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA).

NOTE: Once students have completed the selection process and have been accepted into the Surgical Technology program, they will be required to purchase all textbooks for the program during their first semester. (Information regarding costs can be found on the West Georgia Technical College website.)

Career Opportunities

Graduates may find employment as surgical technologists in hospitals, operating rooms, physicians’ offices, emergency rooms, ambulatory/day surgery centers, central supply and management roles.

Competitive Selection Process

Surgical Technology Preparatory/Core courses

The annual competitive selection deadline is June 1. To be eligible for the Surgical Technology program selection, the student must complete the following requirements by the applicable deadline.

The student must complete the following courses with a minimum grade of C: ALHS 1090, BIOL 2113/BIOL 2113L, BIOL 2114/BIOL 2114L, ENGL 1101, MATH 1111 or 1103, and PSYC 1101.

Surgical Technology Competitive Selection

In addition to completion of the core courses listed above, the Surgical Technology program requires students in competitive selection to complete the Psychological Service Bureau (PSB) Health Occupations Aptitude Examination, Edition 3. Please refer to the Admissions section of this catalog for details of the Competitive Selection Process applicant requirements and scoring method. Additional information is also available on the ST program web page.

Students ranked with the highest overall scores for required course completion and PSB Exam will be selected for program admission.

Surgical Technology Occupational and Clinical Courses

Students selected for admission to the Surgical Technology program will complete the occupational and clinical program courses in a prescribed sequence as a cohort. A class is admitted beginning each fall semester.

Credit Required for Graduation: Minimum of 70 credit hours

Curriculum

All Associate of Applied Science Degrees require a minimum 15 credit hours of general education courses using the curriculum structure outlined in the beginning of this degree program section. All course prerequisites must be met. Please see Associate Degree General Education Requirement Section for Area I, Area II, Area III, and Area IV requirements.

General Core Courses

Area I requirements (minimum 3 hours; must include ENGL 1101)

Area II requirements (minimum 3 hours)

Area III requirements (minimum 3 hours; must include MATH 1111 or MATH 1103)

Area IV requirements (minimum 3 hours)

Additional 3 hours from Area 1, 11, 111, or IV

Occupational Courses

ALHS 1090Medical Terminology for Allied Health Sciences

2

BIOL 2113Anatomy and Physiology I

3

BIOL 2113LAnatomy & Physiology Lab I

1

BIOL 2114Anatomy and Physiology II

3

BIOL 2114LAnatomy & Physiology Lab II

1

BIOL 2117Introductory Microbiology

3

BIOL 2117LIntroductory Microbiology Lab

1

SURG 1010Introduction to Surgical Technology

8

SURG 1020Principles of Surgical Technology

7

SURG 1080Surgical Microbiology

2

SURG 1100Surgical Pharmacology

2

SURG 2030Surgical Procedures I

4

SURG 2040Surgical Procedures II

4

SURG 2110Surgical Technology Clinical I

3

SURG 2120Surgical Technology Clinical II

3

SURG 2130Surgical Technology Clinical III

3

SURG 2140Surgical Technology Clinical IV

3

SURG 2240Seminar in Surgical Technology

2