Mission:
To provide eligible Suffolk County residents with the opportunity to attend a 12-month, full-time educational program in Surgical Technology leading to a career as a surgical technologist.
Program Goal Defining Minimum Expectations:
To prepare competent entry-level surgical technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
Program Outcomes:
Graduates of the program will be able to:
- Correlate the knowledge of anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, and microbiology to their role as a surgical technologist.
- Demonstrate a safe and professional level of practice and knowledge in their role as surgical technologists.
- Acquire an understanding of the ethical, legal, moral and medical values related to the patient and the surgical team during the perioperative experience.
- Perform proficiently and competently as an entry level surgical technologist in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning domains.
- Value the professional attributes of a surgical technologist.
Outcomes Assessment for Surgical Technologist:
Retention
| Cohort | Period | Enrolled | Completed | Retention Rate |
| 1 | May 2019 – April 2020 | 12 | 11 | 91% |
NBSTSA-Secure Practice Examination
| Cohort | Number of Students Eligible to Take Exam | Number of Students Sitting for Exam | Participation Rate |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | 100% |
Surgical Technologist: Nature of the Position
A Surgical Technologist must be able to:
- Stand, Bend, stoop, and/or sit for long periods of time in one location with minimal or no breaks
- Refrain from nourishment or restroom breaks for long periods of time
- Demonstrate sufficient visual and tactile ability to load fine suture onto needles and needle holders while wearing safety glasses
- Hear and understand muffled communication without visualization of the communicators mouth/lips
- Manipulate instruments, supplies and equipment with speed, dexterity and good hand-eye coordination
- Assist and/or move, lift, position, and manipulate patients
- Perform tasks such as mentally tracking surgical supplies and performing anticipation skills intraoperatively
- Make appropriate judgements and decisions
- Demonstrate the use of positive coping skills under stress
- Demonstrate calm and effective responses, especially in emergency situations
- Exhibit positive interpersonal skills in patient, staff and faculty interactions
- Maintain concentration for long periods during sometimes stressful situations
Admission Criteria:
The Surgical Technologist Program is open to 10 applicants in a cohort who meet the program criteria and income eligibility. Interested applicants must meet the income eligibility requirements* as specified by the grant program, as well as the application criteria, which includes a high school or high school equivalency transcript (TASC), one year of high school algebra, a 70 or higher on the TEAS exam, two essays and an interview.
*Income Eligibility Requirements
| Household size | Annual |
| Single person | $23,606 |
| Couple | $31,894 |
| Family of three | $40,182 |
| For each additional child, add: | +$8,288 |
Source: 2020-2021 Perkins Grant Guidelines
Program Contact:
Please contact Christopher Ahearn by email at ahearnc@sunysuffolk.edu or call 631-451-4559 for application information.
Graduation Requirements:
The graduation requirements for the program include the completion 1,304 hours of instruction, lab and clinical experiences including documented and successful completion of a minimum of 120 scrubs at an offsite hospital or surgical center and a 65 average or above.
Program Outline:
The program includes five main content areas:
| Content Area | Hours |
| 1. Healthcare Sciences | 204 |
| 2. Technological Sciences | 12 |
| 3. Patient Care Concepts | 6 |
| 4. Surgical Technology Classroom, Lab, Clinical | 1,057* |
| 5. Professional Practice | 25 |
*The program will require 120 clinical scrub-ins at an off-site hospital and/or surgical center. Participants will be required to provide their own transportation to and from the clinical site.
Support for the development/production of this material was provided in part by a grant under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 administered by the New York State Education Department.