[ST-47] Revised Statement on Surgical Technology Training and Certification

[by the American College of Surgeons]

The following statement was developed by the ACS Committee on Perioperative Care, and approved by the Board of Regents at its June 2005 meeting.

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 assistant.

Surgical technology programs are accredited by the Accreditation Review Committee for Educational Programs in Surgical Technology—a collaborative effort of the Association of Surgical Technologists and the American College of Surgeons, under the auspices of the Committee on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Accredited programs provide both didactic education and supervised clinical experience based on a core curriculum for surgical technology.

Accredited programs may be offered in community and junior colleges, vocational and technical schools, the military, universities, and structured hospital programs in surgical technology. The accredited programs vary from nine to 15 months for a diploma or certificate to two years for an associate's degree.

Graduates of accredited surgical technology programs are eligible for certification by the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist, an administratively independent body from the Association of Surgical Technologists consisting of representative certified surgical technologists, a surgeon, and the public.

The American College of Surgeons strongly supports adequate education and training of all surgical technologists, supports the accreditation of all surgical technology educational programs, and supports examination for certification of all graduates of accredited surgical technology educational programs.

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Reprinted from Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons
Vol.90, No. 12, December 2005

Statements