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The program is designed to prepare graduates to function in surgery and other areas where surgical/sterile technique is of paramount importance. The graduate is capable of preparing supplies and equipment for surgical procedures, serving as second assistant to the surgeon, participating in the sterile area as a scrub technologist and assisting the surgical team as a circulating technologist.
Contact Information for Surgical Programs
Accreditation
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in cooperation with the Association of Surgical Technologists.
(Accredited to 2027)
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775
727/210/2350
www.caahep.org
Health Requirements
Documentation of the following must be in the surgical office by the deadline date provided. This deadline is strictly enforced. Getting the necessary testing completed is not enough, students must also submit the documentation to the office to be in compliance.
The following are clinical health requirements for students enrolled in any surgical program:
A physical examination, health statement that you are free from communicable disease yearly, and yearly flu vaccination.
Proof of immunity to the following communicable diseases:
Rubella, Rubeola (not required if born prior to 1957), Mumps, and Varicella immunity screening.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen, no more than three months prior to the beginning of the series, or during the series if the series has been started but not completed.
Hepatitis B Antibody if the series is complete upon entrance to the Surgical Technology department.
Immunizations:
Tdap with a booster required every ten years
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) two immunizations after the age of 1 year.
Hepatitis B, series of 3 immunizations, dates required.
Tuberculosis Skin Testing:
A Two-Step PPD (Mantoux Test) is required every three years.
One-Step PPD is required each year, in the intervening years.
Date test administered, date read, and result of each step must be submitted. Students are responsible for getting a One-Step PPD annually and submitting the results. A Chest X-Ray is required only if the Mantoux is positive. X-Rays must be done for three consecutive years after the positive test.
CPR
All students must be certified in CPR through the American Heart Association (AHA) - Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers.
All costs are the responsibility of the student. Failure to comply will result in denied access to the clinical area.
Background Checks
A BCI & I and a BCI & I and FBI criminal records check will be done prior to beginning the program. The type of criminal records check will be determined by the State of residence and length of time of residency in the State.
Technical Standards
Technical Standards are defined by the Owens Community College Surgical Faculty and the Association of Surgical Technologist as the functional abilities determined to be essential to the practice of surgical technologist.
The purpose of this document is to notify prospective surgical technology students of these technical standards to enable them to make an informed decision regarding enrollment in the Surgical Technology Program at Owens Community College.
The delivery of safe, effective care requires that students be able to perform functions related to the Technical Standards. The inability of a student to perform these functions may result in the student being unable to meet course objectives and to progress in the Surgical Technology Program. Additionally if a student is unable to perform these required functions, the student may pose a risk of harm to the patient(s) for whom care is provided.
If you have a disability or acquire one, you may be entitled to receive individualized services and/or accommodations intended to assure you an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from the program. To receive more information or to apply for services, please contact the Disability Resource Center at (567) 661-7007 or email disability@owens.edu. English as a second language is not considered a disability and as such the student will not be given extra time for any timed activities.
All prospective and current Surgical Technology students must be able to meet these standards, with or without reasonable accommodations.
The following chart outlines the Technical Standards and the related functions required by the Owens Community College Surgical Technology Program:
- view the Technical Standards Chart
Clinical Experience
The program provides students with the opportunity to work with Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) and scrub nurses to gain valuable clinical expertise. As part of the curriculum, the clinical affiliations demand students reach standard case requirements. In addition this experience allows graduates to successfully enter the field as a competent professional. Due to limited clinical experience availability the surgical technology program is limited to 20 students each fall semester.
Surgical technology students will rotate through the clinical affiliates as scheduled in the course sequence. The standard clinical case requirement is 120 cases as defined in the AST Core Curriculum, 6th edition.
All student activities associated with the curriculum, especially while students are completing clinical rotations, will be educational in nature. Students will not be substituted for hired staff personnel within the clinical institution, in the capacity of a surgical technologist.
- view Clinical Affiliations
- view Core Curriculum
Certification Exam
Upon fulfillment of program requirements, students will be eligible to take the certification examination administered by The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), website: nbstsa.org/.
Employment Opportunities
Approximately 90% of the graduates of the surgical technology program reported (2013 - 2018) being employed in their field of study or a closely related field within 6 months of graduation. The majority of graduates obtain employment at facilities that are engaged as clinical sites. While most graduates choose to be employed locally, some are working in states other than Ohio, opportunities are nationwide. Graduates can be employed in acute care facilities, out-patient facilities, physician office/private scrub, purchasing and material management departments, labor and delivery area, surgical sales and instrument processing. Career titles include: Scrub Surgical Technologist, circulating Surgical Technologist, and Second Assisting Technologist
In a recent study on the job outlook for surgical technologists published by the US Department of Labor’s bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), they report: employment is expected to grow much faster that average. Job opportunities will be best for technologists who are certified and for those who are willing to relocate. Employment of surgical technologists is expected to grow 12 percent, much faster that the average for all occupations, as the volume of surgeries increases. The number of surgical procedures is expected to continue to rise at the population grows and ages. Significant points made by the BLS that have been published at http://www.bls.gov.
- The mean hourly wage is $22.74
- The mean annual wage is $47,300
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Owens Community College maintains an Office of Student Financial Services on each campus. The Office of Student Financial Services is the place for you to ask questions related to scholarships and financial aid. Contact: 1-800-GO OWENS ext. 2387 or (567) 661-2387 Email: studentfinancial@owens.edu.
Transfer Information
Graduates may pursue a Bachelor of Science of Allied Health degree at Bowling Green State University or a Bachelor of Arts degree at Lourdes College. Meet with an Advisor or the Department Chair for more information.
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