Revised Statement on Surgical Technology Training and Certification

The following statement was revised by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Perioperative Care and the revision was reviewed and approved by the ACS Board of Regents at its June 2016 meeting.

Surgical technologists are individuals with specialized education who function as members of the surgical team in the role of a 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 Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting—a collaborative effort between the Association of Surgical Technologists and the ACS, under the auspices of the Commission 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.

Graduates of accredited surgical technology programs are eligible for certification by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting—a collaborative effort between the Association of Surgical Technologists and the ACS composed of representatives including certified surgical technologists, a surgeon, and a member of the public.

Therefore the ACS strongly supports the following:

• Adequate education and training of all surgical technologists, the accreditation of all surgical technology educational programs, and the examination for certification of all graduates of accredited surgical technology educational programs

Disclaimer

The ACS offers this statement for consideration by surgeons, their hospitals, and health care organizations. This statement is provided as general guidance. It does not constitute a standard of care and is not intended to replace the professional judgment of the surgeon or health care administrator. The statement may be reviewed and modified as necessary to conform with the laws of the applicable jurisdiction, the circumstances of the individual hospital and health care organization, and requirements of other allied and health care organizations.