Surgical Technology (3646)

Health Careers

Surgical Technology - Associate in Applied Science (AAS) (3646)

If you pay close attention to details, enjoy being part of a team, have strong technical skills and possess solid communication skills, consider a career as a surgical technologist. Surgical technologists play a vital role in the operating room! Hear what our alumni and faculty think about our Surgical Technology Program by watching this video.

All students interested in this program must begin in the Pre-Health Professions Program. Then, students may apply for admission into this program once they meet the requirements to apply. Students will discuss these admission requirements as part of their advising process.

Jump to career information below!

View program requirements!

Find your state's license and certification requirements.

We can lay the foundation for an enriching career that allows you to play a vital role in caring for others. When you graduate with your Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in surgical technology, you are qualified to enter the healthcare field as a surgical technologist working in:

Hospital operating rooms
Outpatient surgery centers

This could be the ideal program if you:

Have a passion for helping others
Consider yourself a team player
Are thorough with details
Demonstrate solid communication skills
Work well under pressure and can adapt easily to changes

Explore YOUR career with Career Coach! Career Coach is a helpful tool that will assist you in developing a path from your education to the job market. With Career Coach, you can find:

Average hourly wages
Information about possible careers of interest through a variety of search options
Discover what occupations are in demand within the region you select
Number of individuals currently employed within that occupation
Anticipated number of job openings available – just to name a few!

Begin exploring your options now!

Our program offers you the opportunity to gain clinical experience in a supervised environment so that you can develop the surgical skills you need. You will learn how to help care for patients in the operating room and become a key member of a surgical team. You will apply theoretical knowledge when you care for patients undergoing surgery.

Throughout our program, you will develop skills to:

Assist surgeons during operations
Maintain aseptic conditions
Prepare supplies, equipment and instruments
Prepare patients for surgery

Upon graduating from our program, you will be prepared to:

Perform as an entry-level surgical technologist (ST) in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and effective (behavior) learning domains
Anticipate the needs of surgical patients by properly preparing the operating room suite, equipment, and instrumentation required for surgical interventions
Function effectively as a member of the healthcare team
Communicate effectively with all communities of interest in the delivery of safe patient care
Value a commitment to life-long learning
Take the Certified Surgical Technology exam administered by the NBSTSA

In addition, our students are eligible to take the National Board for Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) National Examination for the Certified Surgical Technologist prior to graduation. It is a graduation requirement to take the exam. We are proud to say that we have had a 100-percent pass rate on the exam for the last five years. In order to get a job in the state of Pennsylvania, you must pass the NBSTSA certification.

Our Surgical Technology Program is selective, which means there are entrance requirements that go beyond the requirements for your standard application. We encourage you to visit the health careers section of our website or email us for more information about these entrance requirements.

Before you can begin the clinical portion of the program, you need to complete the following components at your own expense:

Physical examination and immunizations
Background checks
Drug and alcohol screens
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certification

Our program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), which is based upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology.

View summaries of every course at HACC by browsing our class schedules database.

Review our program guide (pdf) to view a list of required courses, recommended course sequencing and program competencies.

Yes! Although our Surgical Technology Program is designed to lead you directly into the workforce, transfer opportunities are available if you wish to further your education. Our programs are designed to be flexible enough to transfer to a wide variety of colleges and universities with no loss of credit. However, each individual college has its own unique program. We encourage you to select a four-year school as soon as possible as this will allow you to learn the transfer college’s program requirements. This will allow you to take the proper courses at HACC.

We offer the complete program at our Harrisburg Campus through on-campus/in-person instruction.

Yes! Thanks to the HACC Foundation, scholarships are available. Please visit hacc.edu/scholarships to learn how you can apply.

Classes are offered in the spring, summer and fall, and you can apply anytime by visiting our website.

When applying to our Surgical Technology AS, you must first enroll into the Pre-Health Professions AS degree. Therefore, please make sure to include program code 3150 on your application and then select the Surgical Technology concentration.