Bellingham Technical College Surgery Technology Program is nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

9355 113th St N, #7709 Seminole, FL 33775  727.210.2350

Http://www.caahep.org/

If you are interested in being a valuable part of surgery teams, working beside surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals, you can train for an exciting career as a Surgery Technologist. With BTC’s high quality education and hands-on training, you’ll gain the valuable skills needed now by hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, and dental surgery offices.

BTC's students graduate prepared for top jobs:

• 100% of program graduates passed the National Certification of Surgical Technology Exam in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• 90% of program graduates passed the National Certification of Surgical Technology Exam in 2018.

Upon successful completion of the BTC Surgery Technology Program, students are awarded an Associates Degree in Applied Science-Transfer (AAS-T) and are eligible for licensure as a Surgical Technologist in WA State.

Note: BTC has not made a determination that the Surgery Technology curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure/certification outside of Washington State. We encourage students who plan to work out-of-state to check relevant local licensure/certification requirements.

Data are provided on a program (not credential) level

96% BTC graduate placement rate¹

$43,371 starting annual wage²
$53,681 average annual wage²
$62,133 potential annual wage²

Students interested in the Surgery Technology program should apply to the college and contact Admissions at 360.752.8345 or at admissions@btc.edu for assistance with getting started at BTC. A college application and your score on assessment testing and/or previous transcripts will determine where you begin your course sequence.

This program typically admits students into first quarter core courses in the fall. Registration for Fall Quarter starts halfway through Spring Quarter.

Program-ready students are invited to register for Surgery Technology courses. Students who have completed ALL prerequisite requirements before the start of first quarter core courses will be allowed entry based on the order in which they register. 

• Checklist for Surgery Technology

There is no separate admission process or application for this program.

Students will be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. To be considered fully vaccinated, two weeks must have passed since the date of the second dose or first dose for the one-dose vaccine. The program’s clinical partner agencies will not accept any exemption to full COVID-19 vaccination.

• Introduction to Surgery Technology (SURG 100)

• Human A&P 1 (BIOL& 241)

• Human A&P 2 (BIOL& 242)

• Microbiology (BIOL& 260)

• Introduction to Chemistry (CHEM& 121 or CHEM& 161)

• English Composition 1 (ENGL& 101)

• Math in Society (MATH& 107) or any MATH course from the AAS-T alternative course list will be accepted.

Completion of the following courses with a minimum grade of 2.0 (C) or higher in each course:

• General Biology with Lab (BIOL& 160)

• Interpersonal Communications (CMST& 210) or General Psychology (PSYC& 100)

• Fundamentals of Medical Terminology (HT 100)

AFTER admissions acceptance into the program and prior to beginning program classes students must submit proof of all Clinical Placement Requirements.

• Clinical Placement Requirement Info Sheet

• This program requires a criminal history background check prior to attending the clinic practicum. Criminal History Background Check Information Sheet

The goal of this program is to prepare competent entry-level surgical technologists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains to enter the profession.

Upon completion of the Surgery Technology program, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in the care of the operative environment preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively.
• Provide safe patient care with strict adherence to sterile technique and asepsis.
• Demonstrate critical thinking relating to prioritization, anticipation, problem analysis and evaluation of solutions.
• Apply the principles of effective verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.
• Compile completed Clinical Case Experience Log of surgical procedure assistance in accordance with the Core Curriculum for Surgery Technology, 7th ed.
• Demonstrate knowledge and experience by successful completion of the National Certification Examination for Surgical Technologists.

Employment of surgical technologists is expected to increase. Technological advances such as fiber optics and laser technology will also permit new surgical procedures to be performed.

About 95% of BTC Surgery Technology students are employed within nine months of graduation. The average annual wage in this field is $55,661, with an earning potential of about $64,709 per year.*

Criminal convictions may restrict or prevent student participation with internships and employment in this industry.

Most surgical technologists are employed by hospitals and work primarily in operating and delivery rooms. Others are employed in clinics and surgical centers and in the offices of physicians and dentists who perform outpatient surgery. Hospitals will continue to be the primary employer of surgical technologists, although much faster employment growth is expected in offices and clinics of physicians, including ambulatory surgical centers.