Coastal Alabama Community College issued the following announcement on Aug. 28.
For the third time, 100 percent of Coastal Alabama Community College’s Surgical Technology students passed their recent certification exams, and all have been hired to jobs in allied health. Over the last five years, more than 70 percent of students have passed the Certified Surgical Technologist exam.
“Our students have no problem getting jobs,” said Surgical Technology Director Dr. Yvette Jackson. “If you go into the local hospitals here, and elsewhere, you will hear them say that our program has excellent students who are well-trained.”
Classes start during fall semester each year, and during the two-year path to their associate degree, students take courses which build a solid knowledge of sterilization technique, anatomy and physiology, microbiology and medications utilized in the sterile field. Once they graduate, they will be able to function as part of a surgical team in any surgical setting.
On average, surgical technologists earn more than $23 an hour, which is over $48,000 per year. And students who earn their associate degree take most of the same prerequisite classes required of registered nurses, which offers plenty of options no matter their career goals. There is a constant shortage for nursing jobs, which pay an average of $35 per hour, and $73,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although safety concerns due to the coronavirus pandemic caused tremendous challenges in terms of one-on-one instruction, the time for extra practice tests helped the class achieve a flawless CST exam pass rate, Jackson said. And when it was time for real-world experience, the department’s two new simulated, functional operating rooms were a tremendous resource, as were the clinical rotations each student must complete prior to taking the exam.
Prior to beginning their rotations, the students must learn to identify more than 200 instruments, in addition to all other instruction.
“It’s definitely been wonderful that the students pressed through during these unprecedented times, and the instructors did, as well,” she said.
To create greater opportunities for incoming students, Jackson said the department is currently developing a separate Central Sterile Processing rotation, which will train them for additional allied health jobs, such as surgical instrument technician and sterile processing technician. The rotation will be available over the coming semesters.
“It’s exciting and it gives us a lot of pride that we’ll do whatever it takes for our students to be successful,” Jackson said.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up