By Ron Kruzel, MA, CAE, CST, FAST
As we come to the close of a successful 2024 and analyze our Annual Report data, we reflect upon the growth in our community and all that we have to be thankful for. Program enrollments are increasing, and placement rates are at a three-year high! With the increase in post-pandemic enrollment, more graduates from our accredited programs are entering the workforce to assist with critical shortages. Our programs are excelling because of the extraordinary commitment of our surgical technology and surgical assisting educators. Your work in driving this turnaround has been nothing short of amazing. Community outreach, program recruitment, and extraordinary innovation in your programs has made it all happen. While challenges still exist, the surgical community cannot deny that graduates from an accredited educational program are the best and only answer to maintain optimal surgical patient care.
ARC/STSA is seeing an increase in the number of inquiries and initial applications for both surgical technology and surgical assisting programs, as evidenced in our eNews recognition of programs achieving initial and continuing accreditation in 2024. Higher education institutions across the country are seeking to develop accredited academic programs to address workforce shortages in their communities and beyond. Partnerships between two-year colleges, universities, and healthcare providers are growing stronger. Over the last two years, ARC/STSA has participated in many of the discussions between the education and healthcare communities on how to facilitate educational partnerships and increase the number of fully educated surgical technologists and surgical assistants in operating rooms across the country. This is not a fleeting trend; hospital providers are recognizing the importance of the partnership with colleges and accredited ST and SA educational programs.
Join us in building on this momentum. Let us make 2025 even more successful than 2024! Enlist the support of ARC/STSA to help you strategize and optimize your clinical relationships and program growth. The message to clinical partners is clear — surgical services BENEFIT from your programs and your graduates.
We have so much planned for 2025! The ARC/STSA Board of Directors, SASA, volunteers and staff are committed to supporting our programs in every way possible. We continue to improve on our existing services, develop new ones, listen intently, and respond appropriately. I have never been more optimistic about the future than I am right now, this very moment. I am always available to listen to and discuss your challenges. ron.kruzel@arcstsa.org. Let us rock 2025!