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Surgical Technology Program

ALTIERUS CAREER COLLEGE IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS OR ENROLLING NEW STUDENTS. CLASSES WILL CONTINUE FOR CURRENT STUDENTS, AND THE CAMPUS WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT RESOURCES AND CAREER SERVICES THROUGH GRADUATION AND FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THEREAFTER. FORMER STUDENTS MAY REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS ABOVE AND REACH OUT TO THEIR CAMPUS FOR ONGOING CAREER ASSISTANCE.

The ECMC Group Board of Directors, representing the parent organization of Altierus Career College, has made the decision to teach out the three remaining Altierus Career College (ACC) campuses. A teach out means that we will provide the education and support services for our current students and gradually wind down the school’s operations. New students will no longer be accepted. We will continue to provide career services for a period beyond the teach-out to ensure that the program is as successful as possible for students. Altierus Career College will engage in an orderly closure, with campuses remaining open until all current students that are following their academic plans graduate or an acceptable completion plan is identified for remaining degree students

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24 Months
Associate Degree

Clinical Rotations

Career Summary

As a surgical technologist, you’ll have the chance to make a real difference in the operating room. You’ll play a vital role in providing quality patient care before, during, and after surgery as a critical member of the surgical team.

2020 annual national salary for jobs in this occupation*

$49,710

Median Salary

Lowest 10%: $34,120 or less

2020-30 projected growth*

9,500

New Jobs

+9% Growth

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Surgical Technologys, on the Internet at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/surgical-technologists.htm (visited September 8, 2021).

Program Highlights

This Surgical Technology program is designed to prepare you to work as a competent, entry-level surgical technologist who provides critical support services to surgeons, nurses, and other surgical team members. You’ll build a knowledge base of sterile technique and asepsis principles, surgical instrumentation and equipment, surgical procedures, and patient care skills. This knowledge will be put into practice during hands-on clinical labs and clinical rotations.

Program Specifications

  • 24-month Associate of Science degree program
  • 98 credits
  • 710 lecture hours + 220 lab hours
  • 500 clinical hours

Altierus Career College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Learn more at accsc.org.

During the clinical portion of the Surgical Technology program, you’ll complete a minimum of 120 cases of various surgical specialties in the first and second scrub roles while supervised by a clinical instructor. The required cases must be met from a variety of surgical areas and demonstrate progression through the surgical roles as outlined by the Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology, 6e (CCST6e). Click here to see these requirements in more detail.

Also, prior to clinical coursework, the following must be completed:

  • Attest to physical requirements and essential functions
  • Fingerprint clearance card
  • Proof of required immunizations or health screenings
  • Current CPR-BLS card

You’ll get the feel of what it’s like to work in an operating room as you practice hands-on training for a career as a surgical technologist. Train with modern tools and technology in a mock operating room that mimics working in a real OR within a surgical department.

Lab equipment includes professional tools such as:

  • Laparoscopic towers
  • Carotid endarterectomy simulators
  • Operatory and surgical scrub hand washing sinks
  • Specialty surgical instruments

Course software includes:

  • Cengage MindTap (videos, readings, assessments, and simulations)
  • eBooks

Admission Requirements

To be considered for entrance into the Associate of Science Surgical Technology Degree Program, applicants must achieve a passing grade in each area of the HESI (Health Education Systems Inc.) test. The HESI is an entrance exam intended to predict the success of students in the Surgical Technology programs, and is composed of four areas: Reading Comprehension, Grammar, Vocabulary and Knowledge, and Math. Also, applicants must pass a criminal background check and provide proof of the following current immunizations and health screenings: tetanus (Tdap or Td); measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR); varicella (chickenpox); hepatitis B (Hep B); and a tuberculosis (TB) screening.

Tuition Costs and Financial Assistance

Tuition is $320 per credit hour attempted. With 98 quarter credits spread across the 24-month program, the expected total cost is $31,360 (as of June 7, 2021). Grants and scholarships, including the Altierus Student Grant for those who demonstrate financial need, can reduce your student loan debt and relieve some of the financial burden. For information on financial aid programs, federal loan programs, repayment options, reducing or postponing loan payments, or for any other financial aid questions, call us at (888) 223-8556.

Click Here to Explore Our Lab

Swipe Video to Explore Our Lab

Step into our lab and have a look around. This 360-degree video allows you to see what it’s like to train in a modern environment set up like a real working operating room. Click and drag your mouse around the screen to change your view.

Flexible Blended Learning to Help Balance Life and School

As a student, you’ll complete all of your general courses at home through virtual instruction. Once you begin your core surgical tech courses, you’ll spend approximately half of your time learning core concepts virtually and apply those concepts in a hands-on setting the remainder of the time. This allows you to spend more time gaining confidence and receiving guidance from instructors while on campus.

All-Inclusive Tuition Has You Covered

As a surgical technology student, you’ll receive a laptop to help you with your online coursework, which is yours to keep after graduating. All-inclusive tuition also covers your books, Altierus branded backpack, and school scrubs you’ll wear during your clinical rotations. Preparation for practice certification exams is also included.

Professional Skills Development

Your coursework integrates professional skills development into this program so you’ll have the soft skills employers look for. Gain proficiency in communication, interpersonal skills, self-management, emotional intelligence, and career-building competencies. You’ll be matched with a local hospital or surgery center to complete clinical rotations and use your skills in a real healthcare setting with the guidance of working professionals.

Available at:

What You'll Learn

  • How to provide quality preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative patient care
  • Specialized instruction in common surgical specialties
  • Principles of disinfection and sterile technique for surgical supplies and equipment
  • Anatomy and physiology associated with disease and surgical intervention

Sample Courses

  • Strategies for Healthcare Professional Success
  • Anatomy & Physiology I and II
  • Microbiology and Infection Control
  • Principles and Practices of Surgical Technology
  • Surgical Pharmacology
  • Surgical Procedures I and II

This course is designed to prepare you for your professional healthcare career. The course includes introduction to the college and its resources, professionalism, study skills, test-taking skills, critical thinking, medical terminology, abbreviations, and more.

This course is a scientific study of the structure of the human body and its parts including relationships and functions of the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous system, special senses and the endocrine systems (Anatomy & Physiology I) and cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems (Anatomy & Physiology II).

This course is designed to provide you with an overall understanding of basic microbiology, infection control, disease processes and the body’s defenses against them, and wound healing, as well as the terminology associated with each of these areas of concentration.

This course is designed to provide you with an overall understanding and orientation to the field of surgical technology. Included in this course are professional responsibilities and relations, interpersonal relationships and communication skills, death and dying, legal and ethical responsibilities, the operating room environment, and safety.

This course is designed to provide you with an overall understanding of the theory and the hands-on applications involved in surgical pharmacology.

These courses are designed to provide you with an overall understanding of the theory and hands-on applications involved in surgical specialties of general, obstetrics and gynecology, oral/maxillofacial (Surgical Procedures I) and orthopedic surgery and surgery of the nervous and cardiovascular systems (Surgical Procedures II).

Surgical Technology Students Prepare Instrument Trays at Altierus Career College

For important information about this program, please visit our website at www.altierus.edu/disclosures.

Please note that programs, program lengths, and program schedules vary by campus.

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