Riverside School of Health Careers - School of Surgical Technology

Surgical Technology is an allied health profession that includes surgical technologists whose function is to work in close association with surgeons, registered nurses, anesthesiologists, and other surgical services personnel as integral members of the surgical team before, during, and after surgery. Knowledge of and experience with aseptic technique, surgical techniques and surgical instrumentation qualify surgical technologists to prepare materials and equipment for use at the operative field and to assist in their use.

Surgical Class Classes are enrolled annually in January and September. The eleven month, full-time program consists of classroom and clinical education. The first 3 and 1/2 months are devoted to classroom instruction with a gradual introduction to patient care in the clinical setting. The remaining 7 and 1/2 months are spent in various clinical settings and the classroom for correlated instruction. Classes are conducted Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Hours for clinical experiences are normally 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, but may include rotations on various shifts and a weekend assignment.

Admission Requirements

Graduation from an accredited high school with an overall grade point average of 2.0 is highly recommended; or a GED certificate.
Completion of Anatomy & Physiology with lab, 5-8 semester hours, with a grade of "C" or above. See curriculum section for the list of the required prerequisite courses. - NEW! Effective for all ST courses beginning after August 2009.
Satisfactory score on the PSB Entrance Test. ($35.00 non-refundable fee required)
Must be able to meet essential requirements of the program.
Two satisfactory Professional or Academic Reference Forms. Current or past employees of Riverside Health System will be evaluated for job performance and eligibility for rehire.
Official TOEFL results if English is your second language. Minimum score of 550 (paper) or 79 (Internet-based)
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens by birth must provide immigration or citizenship documentation.
Essay
Satisfactory interview (for applicants meeting above requirements).

Admission is on a competitive bases. Riverside School of Health Careers reserves the right to select those applicants who are deemed best qualified for both the program of study and potential employment by Riverside Health System.

A complete physical, immunizations, and CPR certification are required prior to beginning clinical courses.

Advanced Placement/Transfer Credit

Academic:

Applicants requesting advanced placement/transfer credit considerations for courses taken at other accredited educational institutions must submit an official transfer evaluation request/fee and course description.
The applicant must provide an official transcript and a copy of the course syllabi for each request.
Only courses successfully completed with a grade of "C" or better within three years of the application date will be considered.
A reference from the director or advisor of the previous school is required for evaluation of the request.
The admission entrance requirements for the individual program must be met.

Clinical Competencies:

A list of clinical competencies achieved must be provided prior to advanced placement or re-entry.
Assurance of continued clinical competency in an area previously mastered is at the discretion of the individual program director in a manner and time frame established by the individual school.

Educational Facilities

Student OR The School of Health Careers is located at 316 Main Street, Newport News, VA. Faculty offices, classrooms, clinical skills laboratories, student services, computer lab, Health Sciences Library, student cafe', and alumni meeting room are conveniently located at the campus location at 316 Main Street. The Computer Learning Lab offers a generous number of computers and computer-assisted instruction. Students use these programs to reinforce surgical technology concepts and clinical skills during day, evening, and weekend hours. The clinical skills laboratories offer advanced technology, and the Health Sciences Library has a wide selection of professional books and periodicals.

As part of the Riverside Health System, the School of Health Careers operates in association with Riverside Regional Medical Center, a state-of-the-art health system serving the area's 400,000 residents. With 570 beds and a medical staff of more than 350, Riverside Regional Medical Center offers 35 specialty practices and expansive medical services.

The medical center houses a regional Cancer Treatment Center; a Heart Center with a full spectrum of services from emergency care, diagnostics and delicate heart surgery to three stages of Cardiac Rehabilitation; and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center. The Riverside Emergency/Trauma Center, a Level II facility, responds to more than 58,000 emergencies each year.

In addition, our affiliated healthcare institutions include our nationally recognized Hospice Program, fully-computerized laboratory, Home Health Agency and Diabetes, Orthopedics, Geriatrics, Neurosurgery, Dialysis, Pediatrics, One-Day Surgery, Convalescent Centers and Sleep Disorders specialty units. With Wellness as a major focus in today's health care, Riverside takes the lead in Wellness promotion with Positive Life Style programs, Wellness Centers and community education.

Riverside Health System covers the healthcare needs of more than a quarter of a million people each year. The finely-tuned combined effort of our 6,000-plus employees position Riverside to maintain its leadership and reputation for quality well into the 21st century.

Students in the Riverside School of Health Careers also have the opportunity for learning experiences in selected areas of other Riverside facilities as well as in community based agencies.

Accreditation

The School of Surgical Technology is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in collaboration with the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology.

Surgical Technology Curriculum

Prerequisites for the Surgical Technology Program - NEW! Effective for all ST courses beginning after August 2009

Anatomy & Physiology with Lab: 5-8 semester hours
Medical Terminology: 3 semester hours
College Math, any 100-level or higher: 3 semester hours

The program consists of Levels of Learning based on expected performance competencies at each level of experience. Each level has a didactic and clinical component. Mastery of each level is required prior to proceeding to the next level. The majority of classroom education is held in the first four months of the program.

Term One

Intro. and Orientation
Anatomy & Physiology I
Surgical Technology
Medical Terminology
Intro. to Biomed.
Clinical I

Term Two

Anatomy & Physiology II
Pharmacology & Anesthesia
Surgical Procedures I
Clinical II

Term Three

Microbiology
Surgical Procedures II
Communication Skills/PAE
Clinical IV

How to apply

Download, complete, and submit the following application packet:

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Disclaimer

Riverside School of Health Careers provides educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental condition(s) so long as the condition(s) do not limit the applicant's ability to perform essential functions of a student with or without reasonable accommodations. An individuals qualifications must meet the established criteria for admission to the selected program of study.

Riverside Health System is committed to making its educational programs available to individuals with mental or physical disabilities to the fullest extent practicable. However, admission to an educational program sponsored by Riverside Health Systems does not necessarily indicate that the individual will be capable of performing all the essential functions of the particular job or jobs for which that educational program is preparing. If accommodations are provided by the school, this does not necessarily mean future employers will be able to accommodate. Please read the essential program requirements.

The information contained in this website is informational only, and not intended to be contractual in nature. We reserve the right to change or alter any statements herein without prior notice.