The Program Director and the Clinical Coordinator will evaluate a student’s progress during clinical rotation. The Program Director will keep the completed evaluation forms in a locked file in the Program office. The student is responsible for submitting clinical facility evaluation forms, Lackawanna College student self-evaluation forms, clinical journals, and daily clinical procedure documentation sheets to the Clinical Coordinator. These submissions are required to be turned in on the Friday of the clinical week. Clinical procedure documentation sheets not submitted to program personnel in a timely manner will not be counted and scrubbed cases for that week will not be counted toward the120 minimum cases required for graduation.
Students must complete a minimum of 120 surgical cases in order to graduate from the program. These cases will be in different categories according to the core curriculum listed below.
6th Edition Core Curriculum
120 cases first scrubbed (assisted or solo)
Minimum # of First Scrub cases required. (80)
Maximum # of Second Scrub Cases that can be applied towards 120 cases. (40)
- The total number of cases the student MUST complete is 120.
- Students are required to complete a minimum of thirty (30) cases in General Surgery. A minimum of twenty (20) of the cases must be in the First Scrub Role.
- Students are required to complete a minimum of ninety (90) cases in various surgical specialties. Sixty (60) of the cases must be in the First Scrub Role and evenly distributed between a minimum of four (4) surgical specialties. At least 10 cases in the first scrub role must be performed to count as one of the four required specialties.
- The surgical technology program is required to verify through the surgical rotation documentation the students’ progression in First and Second Scrubbing surgical procedures of increased complexity as he/she moves toward entry-level graduate abilities.
- Diagnostic endoscopy cases and vaginal delivery cases are not mandatory. However, up to ten (10) diagnostic endoscopic and five (5) vaginal delivery cases can be counted toward maximum number of Second Scrub role cases.
- Observation cases must be documented, but do not counted towards the 120 required
cases. - Counting Cases
- Cases will be counted according to surgical specialty. Examples:
- Trauma pt. requires a splenectomy and repair of LeFort I fracture. Two cases can be counted and documented since the splenectomy is general surgery and repair of LeFort I is oral-maxillofacial surgical specialty.
- Patient requires a breast biopsy followed by a mastectomy. It is one pathology, breast cancer and the specialty is general surgery; therefore, it is counted as one procedure-one case.
- Cases will be counted according to surgical specialty. Examples:
If a student does not meet the case requirements, they have not met the requirements of the program for graduation and have not met the requirements for critical skills proficiency. This is a violation of the Division of Health Sciences Code of Conduct with no appeal.
First and Second Scrub Role and Observation Definitions
First Scrub Role
The student surgical technologist shall perform the following duties during any given surgical procedure with proficiency. The following list is provided to identify the items that must be completed in order to document a case in the first scrub role. A student not meeting the five criteria below cannot count the case in the first scrub role.
- Verify supplies and equipment need for the surgical procedure.
- Set up the sterile field with instruments, supplies, equipment, medications, and solutions needed for the procedure.
- Perform counts with the circulator prior to the procedure and before the incision is closed.
- Pass instruments and supplies to the sterile team members during the procedure.
- Maintain sterile technique as measured by recognized breaks in technique and demonstrate knowledge of how to correct with appropriate technique.
Second Scrub Role
The second scrub role is defined as the student who is at the sterile field who has not met all the criteria for the first scrub role, but actively participates in the surgical procedure in its entirety by completing any of the following:
- Sponging
- Suctioning
- Cutting suture
- Holding retractors
- Manipulating endoscopic camera
Observation Role
The observation role is defined as the student who is in the operating room performing roles that do not meet the criteria for the first or second scrub role.
These observation cases are not to be included in the required case count, but must be documented by the program.
Clinical rotation competencies and experiences are graded on the same grade point system as classroom work. A minimum grade of B (83) must be attained in each Surgical Technology course in order to advance to the following semester in the Surgical Technology Program. A 2.33 GPA must be maintained throughout the Surgical Technology Program. This includes General Education Courses.