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The holidays are right around the corner, and there’s no better gift to give yourself than that of a scholarship. We are continuing to accept applications for our 2019 Scholarship Program, benefitting surgical technology and surgical assisting students and educators.

Calling all interested program directors! We are looking for individuals to join the ARC/STSA Site Visitor team and help advance the profession. You’ve likely undergone a site visit for your own program – maybe even recently. Now is the time to give back by becoming a site visitor. We encourage you to join the ARC/STSA Site Visitor Beginner/Refresher and Advanced Training sessions, on February 8, 2018, during the Educators Conference in Tempe, Arizona.

Teaching post-secondary vocational education is exciting, rewarding and challenging. An increase in multiple generations enrolled in the same class can challenge educators to reach and support each generation effectively; however, technology can serve as the bridge to connect the generations.

Choosing to become a surgical technology or surgical assisting student comes with the understanding that academic, professional and personal challenges lie ahead – as well as a great deal of support. At the end of the day, programs want their students to succeed. It becomes a true community effort, with layers of support that go beyond program directors and instructors.

When I arrived in Alaska four-and-a-half years ago, there was no chapter for the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), no surgical technologist program, and no real requirement for surgical technologists to be or become certified. Since this time, we have had major changes in our community of surgical technologists, including the formation of the Alaska State assembly. Initially the Assembly consisted of only officer positions and a few board of director roles. Today, all board positions are full and we have an attendance of around 30 for our workshop and meeting.

ARC/STSA is pleased to announce the launch of our 2019 Scholarship Program, benefitting surgical technology and surgical assisting students and educators.

Soft skills such as professionalism aren’t always taught in the classroom, but for students, they are a critical companion to the technical skills learned in the laboratory  and clinical rotations. We spoke with Paula Marentay, educational nurse coordinator at the University of Michigan Health System, to get her thoughts on the soft skills students should hone. Considering clinical rotations can be “a 12- to 13-week job interview,” as Marentay notes, it never hurts to keep these soft skills sharp. Here are a few tips for students, that educators can emphasize in the classroom.

In this article, Logan Threet, CST, Director of Surgical Technology at Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology, shares his perspective on a site visit from the perspective of a program director, as well as an ARC/STSA Site Visitor team member. Learn how participating as a site visitor can help you learn new concepts for your own program, while helping advance the profession, as well.

With the month of August upon us, surgical technology and surgical assisting educators are back on campus, student orientation is underway and classes are resuming.  It will be time for the graduating class of 2019 to walk across the stage and into their careers as surgical technologists and surgical assistants before we know it. August 1, 2018, marked three years until the recommended date of August 1, 2021, for Associate Degree (AD) implementation for surgical technology programs. As the date draws closer, the ARC/STSA is working with CAAHEP to initiate a surgical technology Standards and Guidelines review with possible revision moving into the next year.