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    Surgical Tech earns 100 percent pass rate on National Boards

    Students from the Surgical Technology Program at Lamar State College Port Arthur achieved a 100 percent pass rate on National Board Exams for the fifth straight year.

    The Surgical Technology Program at LSCPA is the only program of its kind in the region offering a clear pathway to a career for those wanting to be a surgical technician.

    “Because we are the only one in the region, that means we are well known to our area hospitals and have a history of producing quality graduates over the past nearly 20 years,” said Certified Surgical Technologist Brandon Buckner, director of the LSCPA Surgical Technology program. “When hospitals, surgery centers and doctors’ offices need to hire, they know exactly where to look for employees.”

    Students in the LSCPA program are supervised in clinicals by adjunct instructor Truman Hare, Certified Surgery Technologist, at most hospitals in Southeast Texas, including Baptist, Christus St. Elizabeth and St. Mary, The Medical Center of Southeast Texas and Beaumont Bone and Joint. Hospitals serving as a clinical site get a first-hand look at student while they are in training.

    “They get to pick the cream of the crop and often offer jobs to students in the program as orderlies or in the sterile processing area where they may make $10 to $12 dollars an hour while they are still in school,” Bucker said. “The surgical staffs at these facilities play a major role in our pass rates and student success. The doctors, nurses, techs and orderlies are just as big a part of our students’ education as lab and lecture time. They are the professionals we try to emulate.”

    According to the Board of Labor Statistics, surgical technicians are in high demand with a median annual wage of well over $40,000 a year. A surgical tech works the operating room, handing instruments and supplies to the surgeon during operations. “Many of our student were scrubbed into over 200 surgical cases before graduation,” Buckner explained. “For the past three years, we feel like we hit the nail on the head. Our classes are small and we spend an entire calendar year together after the students finish their prerequisites and general education requirement.

    “Most of our graduates walked across the stage during a Friday night commencement already knowing they have full time jobs waiting on them Monday morning,” he said. Students wanting to enter the Surgical Technology Program as LSCPA must complete three semesters of prerequisites, which are available right away, many in an online setting, allowing students to take those classes at home at their convenience.

    Registration is underway at Lamar State College Port Arthur with the Fall 2017 semester starting Monday, Aug. 28. Visit www.lamarpa.edu for information about admissions and financial aid.