By Chris Ahearn, AAS, CST Surgical Technology educators from around the country met virtually on February 24 for our third Better Together brainstorming event of 2022. Recruiting and retaining top surgical technology students was on everyone’s mind, and the ideas shared will help shape the future of surgical technology education for the betterment of our students, our programs, and especially our [...]
The ARC/STSA is honored to join the Association of Surgical Assistants and the National Surgical Assistant Association this week, April 18 -22, 2022, to pay tribute to surgical assistants during National Surgical Assistants Week. Many thanks to each of you for your hard work, long hours and fervent commitment to patient safety. We would also like to express our gratitude to [...]
By Tracey Houston, CSFA, CST The Third Annual Joint Conference of the Association of Surgical Assistants and National Surgical Assistant Association took place on April 1-2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference offered a range of workshops and discussions on emerging trends in the world of surgical assisting, including scientific presentations, multi-station workshops featuring the latest in surgical techniques, and legislative [...]
ARC/STSA is proud to celebrate our golden anniversary this year – 50 years of accreditation and program excellence. Throughout the year, we’ll be looking back at the last five decades — from our humble beginnings in December 1972 as the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs for the Operating Room Technician (JRC-ORT) to today, as we provide national accreditation services for [...]
We are thrilled to announce that two outstanding professionals have joined the ARC/STSA team. Join us in welcoming Accreditation Manager Rob Blackston and Operations Coordinator Kari Allen. Accreditation Manager Rob Blackston, MEd, CSFA, CST, FAST Rob Blackston, MEd, CSFA, CST, FAST, joined the ARC/STSA as its Accreditation Manager on April 1, 2022. Blackston will serve in accreditation services and will [...]
By Ron Kruzel, MA, CAE, CST, ARC/STSA Executive Director Valentine’s greetings from all of us here at the ARC/STSA! Who do we love?! Our surgical technology and surgical assisting educators! So much is happening at the ARC/STSA with the start of 2022. November and December saw CAAHEP approval of the surgical technology Standards and Guidelines, launch of the Core Curriculum [...]
Featuring Katie Towler, EdS, MA, and Niki Coughlin, BS, RCS, RVS, from Sioux City Career Academy, Sioux City, Iowa. The heart is one of the most complex and vital organs within the human body. However, studying the heart can be challenging because of its intricacy, and not all institutions have access to a cadaver lab and human organs on campus. [...]
By Stephanie Austin, MA, CST, FAST Surgical technology has a long history in the medical community. The education for this profession began as on-the-job training only. As the profession grew, more education was required to hold this position. Beginning this year, in 2022, the official transition to an associate degree has begun. As educators, it is our job to train [...]
ARC/STSA 2022 Scholarships – Share the ! It's Valentine's Day, so why not share the love and spread the word about ARC/STSA's 2022 scholarship opportunities for students and educators! Share this article and encourage your students and fellow educators to apply today for the ARC/STSA 2022 Student and Chris Keegan Memorial Educator Scholarships. Applications are available on the ARC/STSA website’s scholarship page. All completed applications [...]
By Chris Blevins, BSCJ, AAS-ST, CST, CNA Growth of a Podcast Once upon a time, a girl and her dislike of PowerPoint group presentations decided to venture into the world of podcasting. Who knew that less than four years later, this little project would reach over 8.4K downloads, in three countries, and provide a team project that students look forward [...]
