By Ron Kruzel, MA, CAE, CST, FAST

Many thanks to you—all our ARC/STSA educators—who work day in and day out to provide a quality education to your students, develop strong relationships with your partners, including local healthcare centers, and elevate the professions in your communities, states, and across the nation. You make a difference!

We want you to know our work to support you, your programs and the professions continues. ARC/STSA is working nationwide to assist our accredited educational programs and their hospital and ambulatory surgery center partners in establishing innovative ways to address the surgical technologist workforce shortage. Cooperation to accelerate education while maintaining the minimum educational requirements offered in accredited educational programs is the solution to the current workforce challenge.

Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of being invited to speak at several state assembly meetings to share the importance of accredited educational programs.  It has given me the opportunity to speak with many groups of educators about the challenges that you face and the innovative solutions you have implemented.  I am inspired by your dedication and creativity.

Additionally, I had the honor this week of joining colleagues to provide testimony to the Oregon State Legislature House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care in opposition to Oregon House Bill 3956, which modifies House Bill 4106 by removing the requirement that surgical technology apprenticeship programs in Oregon must include a nationally accredited educational program. You can read the full testimony on our website ST Workforce Shortage Resource page.

The complexities of care for the surgical patient demand no less than the current curriculum requirements for a fully accredited educational program in surgical technology. There are many solutions to the ST Workforce shortage, including apprenticeship models, being developed across the country that fully address the immediacy of the shortage while maintaining the current accredited education process that has been 50 years in the making. Nationally, healthcare and hospital organizations are partnering with CAAHEP-accredited education programs in surgical technology to solve this concern. ARC/STSA is facilitating many of these discussions and providing support for innovation that maintains educational standards.

The ARC/STSA is committed to continued outreach, communication, and cooperation.  If you have interesting solutions going on in your community, please reach out to me directly at ron.kruzel@arcstsa.org. Together we can make a difference!