Certificate in Surgical Technology

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What You’ll Learn

The Certificate in Surgical Technology is designed for students who want a thorough, high-quality, accelerated education so they can dive in to their careers in medicine. Surgical technologists are the surgeon’s right hand, serving as an essential part of the surgical team and helping to save lives.

South College will provide the training you need to help care for patients, prepare surgical supplies, maintain aseptic conditions before and during surgery, and assist surgeons during surgical procedures. With this certification program, you could be a surgical technologist in 4 academic quarters, or a year. Upon graduation, you will be ready to begin assisting surgeons during procedures as a member of one of the fastest-growing professions in healthcare.

What can I do with a Certificate in Surgical Technology?

Certified Surgical Technologist Operating Room Surgical Technologist Surgical Scrub Technologist

Keys to Success

Surgical technology students should be extremely organized, detail-oriented, and motivated to protect patient health and safety. You will also need the ability to stand for 8 or more hours at a time to assist with long procedures or multiple surgeries in one day.

The instructors in the Certificate in Surgical Technology program are available for tutoring and skills review several days each week for any help that you need. The Surgical Technology lab is open 5 days a week at various times so you can practice the skills you’re learning. Once you’ve completed the program, South College provides free access to an online study guide for the Surgical Technology certification exam and pays for your first attempt at the exam, which can be taken on campus.

Additional Information

Program Outcomes

Helpful Links

What to Do If You’re on a Program Waitlist

Accreditation or Approval

Asheville

The Certificate in Surgical Technology program offered at the Asheville campus has been awarded Continued Accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org),9355 – 113th St. N, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775, 727-210-2350), based upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC-STSA). The next comprehensive evaluation of the program, including a site review, is scheduled to occur no later than 2030.

Knoxville

The application and self-study for the Associate of Science in Surgical Technology program offered at the Knoxville campus to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org, 9355 – 113th St. N, #7709, Seminole, FL 33775, 727-210-2350) has been submitted and a site visit scheduled for pursuing initial accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. This step in the process is neither a status of accreditation nor a guarantee that accreditation will be granted. Accreditation must be awarded to the program prior to graduates being able to attempt the required certification examination to practice as a Surgical Technologist.

Admissions Requirements

Consumer Information

Amounts for tuition, fees, books, and supplies are subject to change. South College follows the required methodology provided by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission for the reporting of employment information for graduates. This information is compiled on an annual basis and submitted to the Commission by October 15 each year for graduates during the most recently completed reporting year (July 1-June 30). For more detailed information related to the calculation of graduate employment rates, please click here.

*The career options listed above are a small sample of potential job titles, and are not meant to be comprehensive. Students may or may not find employment in these positions. Job growth statistics are taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014–2024 projections. Note that the Bureau does not publish estimates for all job titles, so in some cases these numbers are an approximation based on similar job titles.

Success at South College

I chose South College because it came highly recommended from mentors of mine, the faculty is second to none, and the program fits my ever-changing lifestyle. I also chose it because of the flexibility. My wife is still serving in the United States Air Force on Active Duty, and this means that we move when they tell us to move.

- Shawn Domm, Doctor of Physical Therapy

One of the major reasons I chose South College was for the smaller class sizes. It allows more one-on-one time between students and professors, which enhances the learning experience for me.

- Elizabeth Frerichs, Bachelor of Science in Health Science

I went to college originally straight out of high school with the intent of majoring in musical performance with a concentration in theoretical studies. I was not prepared to for college at that point, so I decided to gain some experience and maturity by joining the work force full-time. After working for 10 years, I felt it was time to try school again.

- Adam Hatcher, Bachelor of Business Administration

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