Roane State Community College will launch a two-year program in surgical technology this fall.
The associate of applied science in surgical technology is co-sponsored by Roane State and Walters State Community College through the Smoky Mountain Health Sciences Consortium. The program will be offered at the Sevier County campus of Walters State and the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State. Streaming video technology will be used to offer courses to students at both colleges.
Labs will be held in the Goff Health Sciences and Technology Building at Roane State’s Oak Ridge campus. The new 64,000-square-foot, $13.8 million building will host its first classes this fall. Students will complete clinical requirements at area hospitals.
Surgical technologists prepare operating rooms, arrange equipment, and assist doctors during surgeries. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of surgical technologists is projected to grow 30 percent through 2022.
According to Dr. Michael Laman, Roane State dean of allied health sciences, the surgical technology program was developed in response to needs expressed by the local health care community for more qualified surgical technologists.
“Working collaboratively with Walters State Community College, the two colleges have implemented a unique co-sponsorship of the program under the Smoky Mountain Consortium,” Laman said. “This consortium is one of five in the United States and the first one in Tennessee. The primary benefit of the consortium is the sharing of institutional expertise and costs associated with starting and operating a health sciences program.”
The surgical technology program is partially funded by a $12.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant awarded in 2012. The grant—called Rx-Tennessee—is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, which promotes skills development and employment opportunities in various fields.
To learn more about the surgical technology program, visit www.roanestate.edu/surgical.
Roane State fall registration is under way. To apply or for more information about all Roane State programs, visit www.roanestate.edu or call 1-866-GO2-RSCC (1-866-462-7722).
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