Traveling Surgical Technologists Demo Equipment for Teens

(TNS) — Teens and young children used medical instruments to tease prop bones out of a child-sized cougar pictured on an Operation-like game Tuesday afternoon to learn about surgical technology.

The event, hosted at Urbana Regional Library by professionals from Frederick Community College, aimed to give students a taste of a career in surgical technology through interactive activities.

Surgical technologists play a vital role during operations, assisting surgeons and nurses by handling instruments and keeping the environment sterile.

”There’s just a buzz in the room,” Crystal Shea, the program director of surgical technology at FCC, said. “They love the movement and dexterity they get with playing with some of the instrumentation.”

Along with public spaces, educators from the program travel to high schools and middle schools to spread the word about their opportunities and demo surgical equipment.

”We love to come out to community areas to spread the word about the career field, and also just to get kids interested into all kinds of health science fields,” Shea said.

Attendees filled the room with laughter and yelps as the game buzzed back at them when they made a mistake, while professionals discussed aspects about the career.

“When you are in healthcare, you never work alone. You work as a team,” Abby Sines, the selective admissions coordinator for health sciences at FCC, said, adding that FCC’s program requires students to take a class specifically involving teamwork.

Along with the Cougar Operation Game was a laparoscopic box, a training device that allows surgeons to strengthen their skills.

“The people working are humans, and humans make mistakes,” Shea told the students, stating the importance of practice and preparation. “It’s really important for the team to understand what the patient is going through.”

Participants ranged from elementary to high school-aged students, all concentrating intently on dissecting objects from the cougar.

“I’ve always wanted to do something surgical,” Daryna Skakun, 14, said. “I thought this would be a good opportunity to learn more.”

FCC offers students a one-year associate of applied science degree program in surgical technology, providing students with clinical experiences and coursework that build a foundation in the profession.

Accredited in 1998, the program offers students an affordable path into the medical field.

“It’s only one year,” Skakun said, describing her potential plans in the medical field. “You do 120 surgeries minimum in that one year, which is really crazy to me.”

Shea emphasized that for surgical technology graduates, the field guarantees a well-paying job right after graduation. FCC’s surgical technology graduates make around $30 an hour upon graduation in the Maryland area, according to Shea.

For students interested in the medical field, Shea recommended that students take dual enrollment courses geared toward medicine.

“Surgical technology is one of those fields that is an excellent level up,” Shea said. “It’s high demand, higher wage.”

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