AHL 855 - Surgical Technology Skills Laboratory

9.4 Continuing Education Units (CEU). This course is not for Credit(s).

This course is designed to enable the student to learn about practical experience performing the duties of a surgical technologist in a laboratory setting. It provides the student with the opportunity to practice what he/she has learned in the didactic component of the surgical technology series without benefit of a live surgical patient. The student will be required to perform the perioperative duties of a surgical technologist and complete mock surgical procedure(s) in the first scrub role in order to successfully pass the course. Topics to be covered include patient safety with proper identification, positioning, transportation, and transfer; proper opening of sterile supplies; proper sterile technique; correcting breaks in technique; aseptic scrubbing and sterile gowning and gloving of self and others; and proper set up and maintenance of the sterile surgical field.

Course Objectives:

1. demonstrate proper identification, transportation, transfer, and positioning of the surgical patient;
2. display how to don proper attire for the operating room environment;
3. demonstrate the proper application of solutions used for skin preparation;
4. perform all elements of the counted surgical hand scrub using proper aseptic technique;
5. perform gowning and gloving of self and other surgical team members using proper sterile technique;
6. demonstrate the ability to properly select, handle, and use the appropriate supplies, instruments, and equipment for basic surgical procedures;
7. perform the opening, creation, maintenance, and monitoring of the sterile field in relation to principles of asepsis and the practice of sterile technique;
8. demonstrate the process of draping the surgical patient using proper sterile technique;
9. demonstrate knowledge of the progression of surgical procedures by anticipating the needs of the mock surgeon during the intraoperative process;
10. demonstrate knowledge of the importance of efficiency by performing pre-operative duties in a timely and correct manner;
11. identify countable items and perform proper surgical counts at the appropriate time;
12. demonstrate the proper use and handling of suture materials, needles, stapling devices, and other sharps, including their proper disposal;
13. demonstrate proper handling of various surgical specimens;
14. demonstrate the proper care and handling of medications and solutions on the sterile field;
15. demonstrate the proper technique of removing soiled gowns and gloves and performing end of case turnover/environmental disinfection;
16. identify the proper materials for dressing the surgical wound and demonstrate their intraoperative use;
17. demonstrate appropriate intraoperative use of techniques, supplies, and instruments used for hemostasis, wound exposure, and wound closure;
18. demonstrate knowledge of the principles of asepsis by adhering to impeccable sterile technique;
19. perform successfully a complete mock basic surgical procedure in the first scrub role; and
20. demonstrate knowledge of the perioperative duties of the assistant circulator role.