Editing Surgical technologist (section)

===United States===
Educationally, surgical technologists graduate from surgical technology programs accredited through the [[Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs]] (CAAHEP),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caahep.org |title=Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs |publisher=Caahep.org |access-date=2012-01-02}}</ref> which relies on information gathered by a collaborative effort of the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST)<ref name="ast.org"/> and the [[American College of Surgeons]] (ACS). The CAAHEP is a recognized accreditation agency of the [[Council for Higher Education Accreditation]] (CHEA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chea.org |title=Council for Higher Education Accreditation |publisher=CHEA |access-date=2012-01-02}}</ref> In addition, surgical technology programs are located in educational institutions that are institutionally accredited by agencies recognized by the [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]] (USDE) or The Joint Commission. The ARC/STSA is also a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The following statement was developed by the ACS's Committee on Perioperative Care, and approved by the ACS [[Board of Regents]] at its June 2005 meeting.<ref>American College of Surgeons. [http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/statements/st-47.html ''Revised Statement on surgical technology training and certification''.] Accessed 6 April 2011.</ref> This statement was subsequently approved by the AST, [[American Society of Anesthesiologists]] (ASA), American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, [[American Association of Nurse Anesthetists]], and American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses.

<blockquote>Surgical technologists are individuals with specialized education who function as members of the surgical team in the role of scrub person. With additional education and training, some surgical technologists function in the role of surgical first assistant. Surgical technology programs are inspected by the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology—a collaborative effort of the Association of Surgical Technologists and the American College of Surgeons, under the auspices of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Accredited programs provide both didactic education and supervised clinical experience based on a core curriculum for surgical technology.

Accredited programs may be offered in community and junior colleges, vocational and technical schools, the military, universities, and structured hospital programs in surgical technology. The accredited programs vary from nine to 15 months for a diploma or certificate to two years for an associates degree, which is the preferred entry level but not required.

Graduates of accredited surgical technology programs are eligible for certification by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), an administratively independent body from the Association of Surgical Technologists consisting of representative Certified Surgical Technologists, a surgeon, and the public.

The American College of Surgeons strongly supports adequate education and training of all surgical technologists, supports the accreditation of all surgical technology educational programs, and supports examination for certification of all graduates of accredited surgical technology educational programs.</blockquote>

The professional organization for surgical technologists is the AST.<ref name="ast.org"/> Its primary purpose is to ensure that surgical technologists have the knowledge and skills to administer quality patient care and is the principal provider in conjunction with more than 40 state organizations of [[continuing education]] for surgical technologists. However, certifications are also available from the NBSTSA, the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT), and the National Healthcare Association (NHA). These are the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) credential, the Tech in Surgery-Certified (TS-C) credential, and the Certified Operating Room and Surgical Technician (CORST) credential, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.surgicaltech.net/certification/ |title=Surgical Tech Certification |publisher=Surgical Tech |access-date=2013-07-10}}</ref>

A "Certified Surgical Technologist" must earn sixty credits to renew their credential with the NBSTSA. It is a two step process to renew their credential: submit [[continuing education credit]]s (CEC) to the AST and submit the appropriate renewal form to the NBSTSA with the correct renewal fee.

NBSTSA renews a certification every two years. The renewal application must be submitted months before the expiration date. The expiration date is printed on the certification card or certificate. To renew a "Certified Surgical Technologist" credential is important to delivering the best care possible for the surgical patient.

{{cn|date=May 2023}}