Number one. No matter what discipline or activity, everybody dreams of being it, but few actually achieve it. However, for the Surgical Technology Program at Southern Union State Community College that distinction is a reality.
The Surgical Technology program at SUSCC topped the list of the Program Assessment Evaluation (PAE) Elite 20 Programs for 2006.
This nationwide recognition is based on a yearly assessment exam given to students by the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology. The Elite 20 Programs list marks the highest achieving programs that undergo program evaluation.
In her sixth year as program director, Dot Nichols, RN, CNOR, said she is very excited about this number one ranking. “Our students are very dedicated, and it is nice to have recognition for their hard work,” commented Nichols.
Acceptance into Southern Union’s surgical technology program is a competitive process. Averaging about 20 members per class, the certificate program is completed in two semesters and consists of classroom instruction and a hands-on skills laboratory. Students then put those skills to work at clinical sites where they assist with and observe surgeries.
Surgical technologists are qualified to assist surgeons in the operating room in all areas of medicine. There is about an eighty percent job placement rate in the field. Students leave the program and go on to work in hospitals, not only locally, but throughout the southeast.
Nichols explained that so many small things go into making a successful surgical technologist. “You have to be particular about everything that you do,” she said. “We really stress keeping instruments and the work area sterile. Things have to be handled with diligence and care.”
Nichols went on to say that the success of the program at SUSCC is due, in a large part, to the support given by area hospitals. “I am very appreciative of the donations given by local hospitals, and their assistance in the training process. We are so fortunate to have a good network of local facilities that support our program.”
She added that the program advisory committee helps keep the latest procedures in the forefront, and she especially thanks Dr. William Lazenby, Sr. for serving as the program’s medical director, the person who students and faculty can turn to for advice if presented with a problem.
She also is proud to have Carolyn Norton, a Certified Surgical Technologist and Certified First Assistant as an adjunct faculty member for the program.
For more information on the Surgical Technology program at SUSCC contact Ms. Dot Nichols at 334-745-6437. The next Surgical Technology class begins in August 2007.
