Announcements2022-04-15T15:27:40-06:00

Announcements

The ARC/STSA 2025 Annual Report2025-05-07T08:47:04-06:00

The ARC/STSA 2025 Annual Report will open Thursday, May 1 and will close Thursday, July 31.  Please click here for access to the Annual Reporting portal and resources, including registration links to Office Hour sessions and an Annual Report walkthrough instructional video.

 

Welcome New ARC/STSA Board Member, Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, MD, MPH2025-05-07T08:48:58-06:00

Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph joined the ARC/STSA’s Board of Directors in December. Dr. Joseph is Professor of Surgery and Population Health at NYU Langone Health. She is also Vice Chair for Diversity and Health Equity for the NYU School of Medicine Department of Surgery/Transplant Institute and co-director of the Welters Breast Health Outreach and Navigation Program.

Dr. Joseph currently serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Surgical Oncology, American Board of Surgery as an Examination Consultant for the Complex General Surgical Oncology Continuous Assessment, chairs the Research and Education Committee for the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Vice Chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee to Advance Surgical Excellence and Inclusion, sits on the SSO Training Committee, the ASBrS Breast Fellows Education Committee, the NAPBC Standards and Accreditation Committee, the Society of University Surgeons Publications Committee, SSO Continuing Medical Education Committee, and chairs the ASBrS Selected Readings Committee.

From 2010-2021, Dr. Joseph served as Chief of Breast Services at Bellevue Hospital and in 2015 was named H+H/Bellevue Physician of the Year. Dr. Joseph graduated from Harvard College and received her medical degree and master’s in public health degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians of Surgeons and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, respectively. She completed her internship and general surgery residency training at NYU Langone Medical Center and her breast surgical oncology fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Joseph was president of the Columbia VP&S Alumni Association and started the Columbia VP&S Women in Medicine Collaborative to support women medical students. She received the Columbia VP&S Gold Medal and the Columbia Alumni Medal from President Bollinger in 2022 for her service.

Dr. Joseph said of her new board appointment:

“The Committee on Interprofessional Education and Practice of the American College of Surgeons addresses interprofessional team members’ educational needs and educates surgeons about their roles. By serving on the board of directors of ARC/STSA, I am helping fulfill the American College of Surgeons’ mission: to work collaboratively in our shared goal to improve patient outcomes and the standards of care in the surgical field.”

Dr. Joseph joins current board member, Dr. Kellie McFarlin, MD, FACS, to represent the American College of Surgeons on the ARC/STSA Board. Dr. McFarlin was appointed by the American College of Surgeons Board of Regents to succeed Dr. Richard Royal, MD, FACS, whose term concluded in December 2024. The ACS has sponsored the ARC/STSA since its inception in 1972, and provides representation and guidance through two board appointments, which are nominated by the ACS’s Committee on Interprofessional Education and Practice.

Message from ARC/STSA President Recognizing National Surgical Technologists Week and the Value of Accredited Programs – Sept. 16, 20242024-10-23T11:37:10-06:00

Celebrate National Surgical Technologists Week and Share the Value of Accredited Programs

In recognition of National Surgical Technologists Week, which has been celebrated during the third week in September since 1984, the Accreditation Review Council in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) would like to express our sincere appreciation for surgical technology educators and program directors who support and encourage students to become surgical technology professionals. We appreciate all that our educators have done and continue to do to advance the profession. Equally, we would like to acknowledge all the surgical technologists who have graduated from a programmatically accredited surgical technology program and have earned national certification as a surgical technologist.

While progress has been made, much work is in front of us, especially with workforce shortages in many states. Please take the time to read the linked statement that outlines the value of accredited surgical technology programs, the challenges that the profession faces, and the outreach that ARC/STSA has undertaken to promote fully qualified professionals in the operating room. We encourage you to share the statement with your school administrators, program advisory committee members, clinical affiliates, local community hospitals, as well as state assemblies and state leadership.

We look forward to supporting you and your programs and educating the public about the essential work of our accredited educational programs.

Thank you,

Erin White-Mincarelli, PhD, MS, CST, FAST

President, ARC/STSA Board of Directors

Board of Directors Call for Nominations – April 1, 20242024-04-01T08:08:15-06:00

ARC/STSA Seeks Board of Directors Applicants

The Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) is seeking applicants for two positions on its Board of Directors.  Applications/nominations are open immediately for two surgical technology educators. The three-year term will begin July 1, 2024.  The ARC/STSA Board meets four times a year, twice in person (March/September) and twice via digital conferencing (July/December). Please see the description of board roles and responsibilities.

To apply or nominate an interested, qualified candidate, please send a cover letter that includes a description of qualifications along with a résumé/curriculum vitae by Wednesday, May 1, 2024, to Executive Director Ronald Kruzel at info@arcstsa.org. Please contact Mr. Kruzel at info@arcstsa.org with any questions.

2025 Schedule of Fees — January 26, 20242024-01-26T10:37:33-07:00

The 2025 ARC/STSA Schedule of Fees is now available on the ARC/STSA website (https://arcstsa.org/fees/). Fees for 2025 will become effective January 1, 2025. Please note that 2025 program fees have been adjusted due to significant increases in operating costs.

Please contact the ARC/STSA at info@arcstsa.org with any questions or for additional information.

International Museum of Surgical Science Opens “The Operating Room: Surgical Technology Then and Now” Exhibition – April 21, 20232023-06-19T16:53:41-06:00

The ARC/STSA is proud to be a leading sponsor of the International Museum of Surgical Science’s newest exhibit “The Operating Room: Surgical Technology Then and Now” opening on May 25, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois, with AST.  This exhibit, which is the first exhibition dedicated to the profession of surgical technology, and the first of its kind, was championed by ARC/STSA President Janice Grewatz, BS, CSFA, CSPDT, CST, FAST, after taking her students to visit and seeing that there was not an exhibit on the role of the surgical technologist.

The exhibition will feature how the role of the surgical technologist was created and evolved into the present day’s integral part of the surgical team, and will highlight the future of one of the fastest-growing professions in the country and the importance of the educational preparation of surgical technologists.

The International Museum of Surgical Science (IMSS) is a division of the International College of Surgeons in Chicago and maintains 10,000 square feet of public galleries committed to the history of surgery and a renowned permanent collection of art and artifacts from the history of medicine.

Read the complete news release here for more information regarding the exhibition and its sponsors, or visit the IMSS website by clicking here.

Addressing the Surgical Technologist Workforce Shortage – February 8, 20232023-02-09T09:40:13-07:00

Click here to access the full announcement.

Important Policy Update & CCST-7e Implementation Reminder – February 2, 20232023-02-02T14:54:46-07:00

Click here to access the full announcement.

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