Surgical Technology Technical Standards

Purpose Statement

All students in the Surgical Technology program are expected to meet certain technical standards which are essential for the successful completion of all phases of the program, and which reflect industry requirements and standards. To verify the student’s ability to perform these essential functions, students may be required to demonstrate the technical standards below.

Meeting these technical standards does not guarantee employment in this field upon graduation. The ability to meet the program’s technical standards does not guarantee a student’s eligibility for any certification exams or successful completion of the program.

 

Technical Standard Definition of Standards Examples
Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving Skills Ability is sufficient for clinical judgment.
  • Anticipation of a surgical sequence of events.
  • Ability to make decisions quickly.
  • Ability to respond to the appropriate surgical need in emergency situations.
Interpersonal Skills Abilities are sufficient to interact with individuals, families, and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds.
  • Provide homogenous care without regard to race, creed, national origin, sex, age, handicap, disease status, surgical procedure, social status, financial status, or religious affiliation.
Communication Skills Abilities are sufficient for interaction with others in verbal and written form.
  • Ability to enunciate clearly with ALL surgical personnel.
  • Ability to comprehend surgical team directives.
  • Ability to transcribe correspondence on paper and in mediated forms of communication.
Coping Skills Ability to cope with stressful situations.
  • Ability to exercise calm in difficult situations such as patient emergencies and death.
  • Ability to refrain from reacting or responding inappropriately to ethical challenges.
  • Ability to maintain emotional composure.
  • Ability to perform despite the difficulty of the situation at hand.
Mobility/Motor Skills Physical abilities are sufficient to move in one’s environment with ease and without restriction.
  • Ability to lift and carry up to 50 pounds.
  • Possess heightened physical awareness in relation to things around you.
  • Ability to maintain a minimum of 18 inches from furniture and non-sterile personnel in confined spaces.
  • Ability to load a knife blade onto a knife handle without causing injury to oneself.
  • Ability to pass sharps and power tools to another individual without causing injury to oneself or others.
  • Ability to load and pass suture needles smaller than an eyelash onto needle holders without causing injury to oneself or others.
  • Ability to assemble complex instrument systems.
  • Ability to stand for prolonged periods of time (8-12 hours) with a 30-minutes break.
Auditory Skills Auditory abilities are sufficient to monitor and assess the needs of the surgical team and the patient.
  • Ability to hear a muted or low-pitched conversation from several feet away.
Visual Skills Visual ability is sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in perioperative care.
  • Ability to prepare and implement perioperative care.
  • Differentiate between suture strands, and suture needle tips, track needles smaller than an eyelash, discern increments on hypodermic syringes for medication handling and management, and visualize hand signals.
Tactile Skills Tactile ability is sufficient for physical assessment.
  • Differentiate between monofilament and multi-filament suture strands, and tissue types, and sense potential nicks from sharps through surgical gloves.
Environmental Possess the ability to tolerate environmental stressors.
  • Ability to tolerate temperature variations (hot and cold) without physical response.
  • Accepting of fact that will be exposed to biohazardous materials, dangerous chemicals, gases, radiation, latex, etc.
Emotional/Behavioral Possess emotional stability, rational thought, and self-control.
  • Ability to exercise calm and restraint in difficult situations.
  • Ability to be non-reactive in response to provocative situations and personalities.
  • Ability to assume responsibility/accountability for one’s own actions without becoming defensive.
  • Ability to assess a situation rationally and respond accordingly.
  • Ability to prevent one’s personal opinions or beliefs to impact one’s patient or personal performance.

 

In the case of an otherwise qualified individual with a documented disability, appropriate and reasonable accommodations will be made unless doing so would fundamentally alter the essential training elements, cause undue hardship, or produce a direct threat to the safety of the patient or student.

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is invested in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Support Services is part of Student Services and is located in the K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center. For detailed information or to request accommodations visit Support Services. An appointment is recommended prior to enrollment in order to discuss any special concerns.