Where To Get Your Surgical Tech Certification
Are you wondering if you should get your surgical tech certification? You can begin working right after completing your training and enjoy a rewarding career even without this credential. But if you want to open yourself to better paying opportunities and advancement as a professional, you will definitely benefit from earning this certification for surgical technologists.
As a highly in-demand technician in the field of health care, employment opportunities continue to grow. In fact, for every surgeon in the operating room, you can expect five (5) surgical tech positions. To edge out the competition, you gain considerable advantage with a surgical technologist certification. This after all is the validation that you have the mastery of ST skills that makes you an asset to the surgical team.
Who Grants Certification To Surgical Technologists?
There are two professional bodies that are recognized to grant certification for this group of health care workers. Each has their own surgical tech certification requirements. Check these out early on if you are planning to test with them so you can align your goals and comply in a timely manner. Both grant nationally-recognized certifications.
The National Center for Competency Testing or NCCT has the less stringent requirements for surgical techs wishing to be certified. There are three ways to be eligible for its surgical tech certification exam:
1. earn a diploma, certificate or degree from accredited training programs;
2. complete two (2) years of on-the-job training at a hospital; or
3. complete seven (7) years of experience working as a surgical technologist.
Once you successfully pass their exam, you will be granted the title Tech in Surgery – Certified and use TS-C after your name. This credential must be renewed every five years.
On the other hand, the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting is the only agency accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) in the country to conduct examination programs for surgical technologists and surgical first assistants. If you feel your training has prepared you well enough for testing, then you can take this on the last month of your surgical tech course or within one year of graduation, should you wish to work and gain some experience first.
You must also complete accredited surgical tech certification programs, whether these are diploma or certificate or grants you an associate degree. Finally, to maintain the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) credential, you must renew this every four years after complying with continuing education requirements or taking the re-examination test.
Attend An Accredited ST School
Whether you are eyeing the NCCT or the NBSTSA certifications, both agencies require that you complete an accredited surgical technology school or program. Accreditation is through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) or the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).
This status is important because an institution or the specific program it offers has met the stringent requirements and standards set by the accrediting bodies that will provide students with the quality of skills and education needed by the profession.
Whether you opt to work right after graduation, because you are confident of your preparation for the workplace, or immediately sit for the surgical tech certification exam, having attended an accredited school or completing a program recognized by either the CAAHEP or ABHES already guarantees you have the necessary skills and competence.
How To Prepare For The Exam
Working in surgery requires highly skilled personnel. While there are operations that are routine and non-life threatening, there are procedures to be followed to ensure it will be a success. Although it is not mandated by states to be certified before you can practice, you will gain double the confidence of a professional if you take and pass the certification exam.
The good thing for candidates wanting to be certified is there are tons of review materials now available to help you prepare. If you're testing right out of training, then review all your notes and remember your experience during clinical exercises. The test measures what you know – both theoretical and practical – as well as your critical thinking abilities, which is also essential in the workplace.
If tests make you nervous, it will be good to take the surgical tech certification practice test, which is available online. This will help familiarize you with the test format, and the kind of questions that will be asked of you. It will also condition your mind for he actual test.
The NBSTSA has a surgical tech certification online practice test that you can take for $40. The practice test has 175 questions and you will receive feedback on how you did. Otherwise, you can get a study guide to help you review. This will organize all you that you learned in school and through experience.
Why Should You Get Your Surgical Tech Certification?
Even though certification is not mandatory in most states, employers are increasingly preferring surgical technologists with credentials. To them, it is a further stamp of approval that you know what the job is about and what it requires of you. The surgical technologist certification carries a certain prestige to it and makes you more attractive as a prospective employee. Besides, it also gives you leverage to ask for a higher salary. And when the time is right, you can also target advancement in the workplace.
Before you even begin thinking about being certified, you best be sure that surgical assisting is something you're going to stick with. Surgical teams also look if an ST is a good fit in their group. Show enthusiasm for your job and never stop learning. The surgical tech certification is one ticket to boosting your career, but the rest is up to you to become a respected professional.
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