New Degree Option Begins in January

An Edgecombe Community College Surgical Technology student demonstrates instruments used in laparoscopic surgery in the Surg Tech lab on the Rocky Mount campus. A degree program in Surgical Technology begins at ECC in January. Currently the college offers a diploma in the field.

A new degree in Surgical Technology will be available at Edgecombe Community College in January.

Spring classes begin January 6.

The college has offered a one-year diploma program in Surgical Technology for years. The new two-year degree program is available to students who already hold a diploma in the field.

The Surgical Technology curriculum prepares individuals to assist in the care of the surgical patient in the operating room and to function as a member of the surgical team.

“Surgical technologists are the lowest paid members of the operating room team and have the least amount of education,” explains Suzi Shippen-Wagner, program chair of Surgical Technology at ECC. “It behooves us to elevate our status.”

The Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting has mandated that surgical technologists must hold two-year associate degrees by the year 2020. Currently only a one-year diploma program is required.

By offering the associate degree now, Edgecombe Community College can provide area surgical technologists the credential they need to attain job security.

The degree requires just 15 additional hours beyond the diploma program. One course contains a clinical component, but otherwise all of the classes are offered online for the convenience of working surgical technologists.

Courses in the associate degree program include a computer class, a class in humanities and one in business, and two classes in surgical technology.

After earning an associate degree, students can go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in a health care field or other area.

To learn more about ECC’s new degree program in Surgical Technology, please contact Suzi Shippen-Wagner at shippens@edgecombe.edu or 823-5166, ext. 513.