Surgical Technology - Radford University Carilion Campus

Program Director

Chase Poulsen, PhD, RRT-NPS, ACCS
Chair, Department of Clinical Health Professions
Associate Professor
540-985-8490 (Office)
540-224-4785 (Fax)
cpoulsen@radford.edu

Mission

The mission of the Surgical Technology Program at Radford University Carilion is to prepare, within a scholarly environment, ethical, knowledgeable, competent and caring surgical technologists who are able to function as part of the surgical team across surgical settings. The Surgical Technology Program supports the University’s Mission and Vision.

Goals/Outcomes

Program-specific competencies

Communicate effectively utilizing spoken, written and technical skills with patients, physicians and coworkers.
Demonstrate behavior that corresponds with an ethical and legal standard of the profession, adhering to their scope of practice, with honesty and moral integrity required to uphold patient care standards.
Demonstrate self-direction, accountability and responsibility for maintaining surgical competency by pursing personal and professional development.
Practice the principles of asepsis and surgical conscience in a knowledgeable manner that provides optimal patient care in the perioperative setting.
Integrate knowledge and incorporate learned competencies for the delivery of patient care as an entry-level surgical technologist during surgical procedures.
Recognize the importance of professionalism through membership in professional organizations, thereby earning the title of Certified Surgical Technologist (CST), and understand the necessity of life-long learning as a contribution to society.
Integrate knowledge of human anatomy, pathophysiology and the surgical procedural steps, to anticipate the surgical team’s needs.

Background

The Surgical Technology program prepares students to become an integral part of the team of medical practitioners providing surgical care to patients in a variety of settings. The Surgical Technology (ST) Program prepares competent entry-level surgical technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. The ST program builds upon a strong foundation of general education courses. The program provides a balanced approach of theoretical and practical application in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. The clinical environment allows the student to apply theory and practice in state-of-the-art surgical settings. The program provides students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary for entry-level employment as surgical technologists, acceptance as a professional, and career advancement. The surgical technologist’s responsibilities include sterilization of supplies and instruments, as well as helping to prepare the operating room by selecting and opening sterile supplies, assembling, adjusting, and checking non-sterile equipment and specialized equipment such as robotic and laser devices to ensure they are working properly before surgery. During a surgical procedure, the technologist is responsible for assembling, checking and passing sterile instruments and devices into the hands of the surgeon and assisting with the procedure. Other common responsibilities include operating sterilizers, lights, suction equipment, electrosurgical units, endoscopic devices and various other types of equipment.

Admissions Requirements

University Admission Requirements
Completion of the following prerequisite course work with a grade of “C’ or higher prior to taking surgical technology (SUR) courses.
- BIOL 310
- HLTH 215

Required science courses must have been completed within the past five (5) years.

Program Requirements

Academic Progression

The ST program of study is designed in a specific sequence. Earlier surgical technology courses (with a SUR prefix) serve as a foundation for later courses and must be taken sequentially. Students must complete the courses successfully in each semester as well as meet prerequisite and/or co-requisite requirements in order to advance to the next semester. Please refer to the course descriptions published in the catalog for pre-requisite and co-requisite requirements.

Any student admitted to the program must maintain satisfactory progress and be considered in good academic standing to remain in the program. Satisfactory progress requires a minimum of a final grade of” C”, in all required science and professional courses (SUR prefix) and a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0.

Once enrolled in the surgical technology program, ST students have up to five (5) years to complete degree requirements.

Minimum Performance Standards

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, surgical technology students must be, with reasonable accommodations, physically and mentally capable of performing minimal standards to meet program objectives. The Minimum Performance Standards for Admission and Progression include:

Essential Mental Abilities

Follow instructions and rules.
Maintain reality orientation accompanied by short and long-term memory.
Apply basic mathematical skills.
Demonstrate safe practice within the defined clinical time.
Display gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective surgical care.
Utilize sufficient critical thinking abilities for clinical judgment.

Essential Communication Skills

Speak clearly in order to communicate with patients, families, healthcare team members, peers and faculty.
Effectively utilize interpersonal abilities to interact with diverse individuals, families and groups.
Demonstrate communication abilities sufficient for clear interaction with others in verbal and written form.
Read and accurately interpret written communications (e.g., test questions, written surgeon’s preference cards, orders, etc.) without assistance.

Essential Physical Abilities

Stand and walk for prolonged periods from one area to another over an eight to twelve-hour period.
Bend, squat and kneel.
Lift and move surgical instrument trays of 25 pounds and move equipment.
Assist in lifting or moving clients of all age groups and weights.
Perform CPR (e.g., move above patient to compress chest and manually ventilate patient).
Work with arms fully extended.
Use hands for grasping, pushing, pulling and fine manipulation.
Demonstrate eye/hand coordination for manipulation of instruments and equipment.
Utilize auditory abilities sufficient to accurately hear speech during surgical procedures.
Demonstrate visual abilities sufficient for observation necessary for participating in surgical procedures.
Display sufficient tactile abilities for safe instrument handling.

Graduation Requirements

The surgical technology program is required to verify through the surgical rotation documentation the students’ progression in the scrub role in surgical procedures of increased complexity as he/she moves towards entry-level graduate competency. The minimum total number of cases the student must complete is 120. VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: In addition to the 120 case requirements, students are required to complete 675 hours to become eligible to graduate.

Students must complete a minimum of 120 cases as delineated below:

Students must complete a minimum of 30 cases in General Surgery; 20 which must be performed in the First Scrub Role. The remaining 10 cases may be performed in either the First or Second Scrub Role.
Students must complete a minimum of 90 cases in various surgical specialties, excluding General Surgery; 60 which must be performed in the First Scrub Role. The additional 30 cases may be performed in either the First or Second Scrub Role.
A minimum of 60 surgical specialty cases must be performed in the First Scrub Role and distributed amongst a minimum of four surgical specialties; a minimum of 10 cases in the First Scrub Role must be completed in each of the required minimum of four surgical specialties (40 cases total required).
The additional 20 cases in the First Scrub Role may be distributed amongst any one surgical specialty or multiple surgical specialties.
The remaining 30 surgical specialty cases may be performed in any surgical specialty either in the First or Second Scrub Role.
Diagnostic endoscopy cases and vaginal delivery cases are not mandatory; however, up to 10 diagnostic endoscopic cases and 5 vaginal delivery cases can be counted toward the maximum number of Second Scrub Role cases. Diagnostic endoscopy must be documented in the category Diagnostic Endoscopy rather than by specialty.
Vaginal delivery cases must be document in the category of Labor and Delivery rather than in the OB/GYN specialty.
Case experience in the Second Scrub Role is not mandatory
Observation cases must be documented, but do not count toward the 120 required cases.

All students in the last semester of the program will be required to take the National Certification Exam (CST) as part of SUR 229.Attendance for SUR 229 is mandatory for graduation from the program.

Gold Student Exam Bundle Package:
During the fall semester on November 1st, students must provide the registrar with funds to purchase the AST Gold Bundle package which includes: AST Student Membership, 1 Year subscription to the AST Journal, Hardcover AST Study Guide, 1 NBSTSA Mock Exam, 1 NBSTSA Comprehensive Exam, and the CST National Certifying Exam. All applications will be completed in class and mailed by the clinical fieldwork coordinator to the AST and NBSTSA.

Academic Programs

Surgical Technology, A.A.S. - Radford University Carilion Campus