Essay Example on Surgical Technologists: Unsung Heroes of Healthcare

Introduction

Unlike other healthcare professionals like nurses and doctors; surgical technologists are not that popular to many, yet the play an essential role in helping surgeons during surgical processes. Being a new profession, surgical technology emerged from the need for trained workers after the progression of the world wars that relentlessly reduced their numbers. In addition, surgical technology originated from the ashes of the wars contributed in by the United States. World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945), the Vietnam War (1945-1975), and the Korean War (1950-1953). During the First World War, Army doctors were recruited and trained to provide emergency services (Desai, Gubbels, & Hibner, 2018). On the other hand, nurses were not allowed to serve in the battleground; instead, they were restricted to the medical stations. For the Army a medical counterpart in the Navy was a medical corpsman, and this was because women were not permitted to board combat ships.

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Consequently, the role of Operating Room Technicians (ORT) was created. The ORT's took the place of female nurses in the battleground. These group of technicians received training through "accelerated nursing programs," whose main emphasis was the operation of room technology. Also, they received job training in the department of surgery. Studies taught included; care of operating room patients, draping, instrumentation, suturing, and sterilization of surgical instruments. Too, they received "Emergency Room Training." It was due to the shortage of nurses in the operating rooms after the Korean War that made the US employ ex-medics and ex-corpsmen to work in citizen hospitals (Desai, Gubbels, & Hibner, 2018). The ex-military personnel performance was remarkable, and over time, this led to the advancement of the name Operating Room Technician to "Surgical Technologist." The improvements of technology began in the late 1960s, and this led to the solemnization of the role "Surgical Technologist" in the mid-1970s.

Surgical technologists are tasked with set up the working room, including the clean field, setting up careful hardware, supplies, and arrangements. During a medical procedure, the professional surgical technologists pass instruments, liquids, and supplies to the specialist and plan and oversee careful hardware. the AST at the same time deals with the sterile field and examples. Surgical technologists play out a check of wipes and supplies to avert remotely held articles. Careful technologists are guaranteed following effective consummation of a CAAHEP-licensed program or other automatically authorize careful innovation program and the national Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination directed by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting

History of NBSTSA

The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), previously known as the "LCC-ST" was formed in the year 1974. It was to act as a certifying agency for all surgical technologists. The main responsibility if the NBSTSA was to make all decisions concerning certification form determining eligibility to denying, renewing, marinating, and granting the designation. The NBSTSA is administrated by a board of directors comprising of 10 members. These members include; seven certified surgical technologist's (CTS's), and certified surgical first assistant (CSFA), one surgeon, one surgical technology educator, and lastly, one public member.

The NBSTSA are prepared to give direct help to specialists during surgeries. Their obligations extensively incorporates situating and preparing patients before medical procedure, guaranteeing clear deceivability for the specialist by utilizing instruments, for example, retractors and wipes, controlling dying, shutting medical procedure locales utilizing sutures or staples and appropriately dressing wounds. They likewise work together with specialists and other relevant colleagues to guarantee appropriate post-usable consideration of patients. A typical way to turning into an affirmed first right hand incorporates finishing a preparation program that is certify by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). These preparation programs regularly keep up essential acknowledgment necessities that may incorporate current confirmation as a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST).

History of AST

After the improvement of surgical technology in the 60s, several institutions began to develop and design surgical technology programs. Later on, in 1968, the "Association of Operating Room Technicians" (AORT) was formed. The AORT comprised of two main committees: the Liaison Council on Certification for Surgical Technologists and the Joint Committee on Education (Desai, Gubbels, & Hibner, 2018). The first cohort of successful examinees to sit for the first certification exam in 1970, were given the title "Certified Operating Room Technician" (CORT or OR Tech). The Association of Operating Room Technicians was rebranded and named the Association of Surgical Technologist (AST) in 1973, where it became an independent body. Ever since 1973, the AST has been working hard to ensure excellence in the surgical technology occupation.

Surgical technologists partner very closely with the healthcare experts, who are a basic piece of the group of medicinal professionals who give careful consideration to patients. they work under the supervision and delegatory expert of a specialist to encourage the viable direct of obtrusive and non-intrusive careful methodology, guaranteeing that the working room condition is protected, that hardware works appropriately, and that the employable method is directed under conditions that augment persistent security. AST are specialists in the hypothesis and use of the standards of asepsis and sterile procedure to join them information of human life systems, surgeries, and execution and devices also, advancements to encourage a doctor's exhibition of intrusive helpful also, indicative systems.

AST teams up with the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting to set measures for training, for example, the partner degree as the favored dimension of section into the calling. AST gives support at the state and national dimensions to advocate for authoritative acknowledgment of graduation from a licensed program in careful innovation and keeping up the Certified Surgical Technologist qualification as a state of work, and for comparable guideline of, and repayment for, nonphysician careful associates. AST gives proceeding with instruction chances to propel the information and abilities base of rehearsing careful technologists and careful associates through a national Journal and a yearly gathering.

Accredited versus a non-accredited educational program Accreditation is essential as it is the acknowledgment that an institution upholds standard obligatory for the graduates to get admission to other respectable institutions of higher learning. It is also crucial for graduates to achieve the necessary credentials for proficient practice. Hence, the main objective of accreditation is to ensure that the educational training offered by institutions of higher learning satisfies the standard level of quality (West & Moore, 2015). There exists various importance of attending an accredited educational program; some of them include; first, it puts an approval stamp on graduates. In other words, graduation from an accredited educational program indicates that the graduate is ready to practice at a certain level. Second, it offers educational programs with opportunities for self-reflection, definition, as well as feedback on program direction and content. Lastly, it offers an opening for constant improvement of educational programs and institutions.

Furthermore, accreditation safeguards the interest of the graduates, parents, the institution itself, and the potential employers. It can do so by ascertaining that the educational programs offered have met or exceeded a certain standard developed by specialists in that field. Although accreditation is not a guarantee that the graduate will be an expert in the profession they studied. It is a guarantee that the student has proven a certain set of skills and abilities that are reflected in the accreditation criteria.

Non-accredited education programs, on the other hand, have its advantages and set of drawbacks. For instance, if a student wishes to pursue a degree in an impenetrable like "architectural gingerbread appreciation," it is difficult to find a standard professional organization to accredit the program. Institutions are unable to apply for accreditation until one student has completed the degree. Thus, if you are attending a reputable institution, and it is a new program, you can assist the institution in the process of accreditation. Likewise, if one already has a career, or does not need the degree immediately, a non-accredited educational program can be an excellent educational experience.

Conclusion

Nonetheless, there are some downfalls of a non-accredited educational program. First, such a program may not allow one to advance in education or career-wise (Caldwell, 2017). In most institutions, some graduate programs may not allow one to apply unless one has a bachelor's degree or associate for a program that is accredited. Therefore, if one chooses a non-accredited education program, one will have no choice but to start the program all over. As well, one might be required to prove that they graduated from an accredited program, to get certain program certification.

References

Caldwell, K. (2017). Analyses of School Psychology Training Program Praxis II Outcomes 2010-2012: Distinctions without a Difference?. In Trainers' Forum (Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 2-16). Trainers of School Psychologists.

Desai, N. A., Gubbels, A. L., & Hibner, M. (2018). History of Surgical Assistants. Textbook of Gynecologic Robotic Surgery, 235.

West, S. C., & Moore III, J. L. (2015). Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) at Historicallyl Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The Journal of Negro Education, 84(1), 56-65.