Surgical Technology

1. All students applying to the clinical portion of the Surgical Technology Program must be enrolled at SOWELA. Please review the Surgical Technology Admission Guide (PDF) prior to requesting a Surgical Technology clinical application.
2. The program has a separate Surgical Technology Program Clinical Application Process that needs to be completed.
   • Request a Surgical Technology Program Clinical Application and checklist from the SOWELA Morgan Smith Campus (by phone at (337) 421-6567 or by email at kristi.shuff@sowela.edu or jacinda.denison@sowela.edu) or by using our Application Request Form (opens new window).

It is our goal is “to prepare entry-level Surgical Technologists who are competent in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession”.

The faculty of SOWELA Technical Community College, Surgical Technology Program, believes that a Surgical Technologist works efficiently in the role of an allied health professional in the operating room and other related areas. The surgical technologist works closely with multi-disciplinary team members delivering patient care in all phases of the peri-operative experience. Clinical activities in accredited hospitals are part of this competency-based program.

It is also our belief that the synergistic approach to surgical patient care is vital to the patient's safety, human dignity, individual uniqueness, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The surgical technologist's commitment to excellence, as well as expertise, knowledge, and clinical judgment must be of the utmost consideration in the performance of related duties. The surgical technologist must be flexible, alert, and prepared to meet the needs of the profession. Personal continuing education will keep the surgical technologist abreast of the changes and technological advancements of their profession as well as to develop new skills.

Surgical Technologists have an obligation to practice their profession safely and to protect their patients from harm. We will assist surgical technology students to acquire a solid foundation of basic information to which further depth and breadth of knowledge can be added.

We believe, as with all areas of health care, that the surgical environment is very dynamic with ever emerging trends, and the surgical technologist must be willing to make a lifelong commitment to the learning process. Changes will be made in the program curriculum to reflect these advancements and will be consistent with the core values and objectives of SOWELA Technical Community College and the School of Nursing and Allied Health.

Students will be evaluated throughout the program by the Surgical Technology faculty, preceptors, clinical affiliation management, and peers. Students are encouraged to perform self-evaluations as well, based on criteria indicated in course syllabi and on clinical evaluations. For a student to be recommended to be eligible for graduation with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Surgical Technology and be eligible to sit for the National Certification Exam administered by NBSTSA, the student must have:

• Met all college and programmatic entrance requirements.
• Completed the pre-requisite courses required in the curriculum.
• Completed all courses with a grade of 70% (C) or greater.
• Satisfactorily complete all clinical and didactic make up work.
• Earned a minimum of 60 credit hours (more is possible).
• Earned at least 25% of the required hours in the program at SOWELA and at least 2/3 of the Core courses (STEC) earned at SOWELA.
• Participated in the minimum 120 clinical cases in the proper role and specialty as detailed in the program's Clinical Case Requirements and Roles policy (updated 2022). The program's policy meets the requirements as required by CAAHEP Standards and defined in the current AST Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology 7th Edition. The current requirements are available under the program resources on this page.
• Have the correct major (AAS-Surgical Technology) declared on file with the Office of the Registrar. If you need to change your major, use the Change of Major Request Form.
• Have no outstanding financial responsibilities or debts to the college.
• Has sat for the National CST® Certification Exam administered by the NBSTSA.

It is essential for students to perform these activities in the clinical portion of the program with or without reasonable accommodation. Students who have chronic illness or conditions must be managed and maintained on a current treatment plan and be able to function during a clinical day without impairment. Students are not required to disclose any chronic or recurrent illness and/or disability. Students who identify potential difficulties or may not have the ability to meet these standards or perform these skills, should contact the Surgical Technology program director and communicate their concerns.