Surgical technologist are allied health professionals, who are an integral part of the team of medical of medical practitioners providing surgical care to patients. Surgical technologists work under the supervision and delegatory authority of a surgeon to facilitate the safe and effective conduct of invasive and non-invasive surgical procedures, ensuring that the operating room environment is safe, that equipment functions properly, and that the operative procedure is conducted under conditions that maximize patient safety. Surgical technologists are experts in the theory and knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures, and implementation and tools and technologies to facilitate a physician's performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.
Surgical technologists are individuals with specialized education who function as members of the surgical team in the role of scrub person. With additional education and training, some surgical technologists function in the role of surgical first assist.
The surgical technologist in the first scrub role handles the instruments, supplies, and equipment necessary during the surgical procedure. He/she has an understanding of the procedure being performed and anticipates the needs of the surgeon. He/she has the necessary knowledge and ability to ensure quality patient care during the operative procedure and is constantly on vigil for maintenance of the sterile field.
Surgical technologists graduate from surgical technology programs accredited through ARC/STSA, a collaborative effort of AST and ACS, by CMHEP. CMHEP is a recognized accreditation agency of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). In addition, surgical technology programs are located in educational institutions that are institutionally accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) or the Joint Commission. The ARC/STSA is also a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). IV. Qualifications And Experience
This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change ( e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush job, or technological developments).