Surgical Technology Grads Demonstrate Success

Edgecombe Community College Surgical Technology students demonstrate proper technique in the operating room simulation in the Lamm Building on the Rocky Mount campus. Recent graduates of the program scored 100 percent on the national certification exam, and all recent graduates are working in the field.

All graduates of Edgecombe Community College’s Surgical Technology Class of 2021 are employed in nearby healthcare facilities.

In November, these graduates will sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Board on Certification in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. The Surgical Technology Class of 2020 had a 100 percent pass rate on the national certification exam.

Surgical Technology is a five-semester degree program at ECC. When ECC Surgical Technology students complete the requirements for a diploma, they are qualified to begin working in the field. The remaining courses needed to complete the associate degree in Surgical Technology are online, and all diploma graduates are expected to successfully complete these additional courses.

Surgical technologists assist in surgical operations. They prepare operating rooms, arrange equipment and instruments, and assist doctors during surgeries.

The average annual salary for surgical technologists in Eastern North Carolina is $43,900.

“The pandemic and recent retirements have changed the environment for our graduates,” explains Suzi Shippen-Wagner, program chair. “The local job market used to be tight, but now it is wide open.”

To learn more about Surgical Technology at ECC, please contact Shippen-Wagner at shippens@edgecombe.edu or (252) 618-6738.