This major is a program that prepares individuals, under the supervision of physicians and surgical nurses, to maintain, monitor, and enforce the sterile field and adherence to aseptic technique by preoperative, surgical team, and postoperative personnel.
Includes instruction in instrument and equipment sterilization and handling, surgical supplies management, wound exposure and closure, surgical computer and robot operation and monitoring, maintenance of hemostasis, and patient and team scrubbing.
What can you do with a major/degree in Surgical Technology/Technologist Major?
If your job is that of a Surgical Technologist, you assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
Job opportunities for surgical technologists are very likely in the future as this career subsector is expected to see a seven percent (7%) growth 2019-2029.
Surgical technologists typically need an associate degree. Certification can be beneficial in finding a job. A small number of states regulate surgical technologists.
Trade Associations and Professional Organizations in Surgical Technology/Technologist Major
Professional associations are groups of professionals dedicated to topics in specific fields. Professional associations provide a wealth of online resources, some of which are geared specifically towards students. These organizations typically also host conferences and events, providing great opportunities for learning and networking across your field of interest.
- Association of Surgical Technologists
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
- The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting
Publications/Magazines in Surgical Technology/Technologist Major