The Program Director and the Clinical Coordinator will evaluate a student’s progress during clinical rotation. The Program Director will keep the completed evaluation forms in a locked file in the Program office. Each student must purchase Surgical Counts. This software program will be used to maintain the student’s progress and provide immediate feedback for graduation requirement expectations. The student is responsible for submitting Lackawanna College student self-evaluation forms or discussion posts (1 each week), case log (daily signed, initialed, and dated by student and clinical preceptor or staff member), clinical case completion form (each case signed and dated by student and clinical preceptor or staff member), case prep sheet (1 daily), and clinical time card log (weekly). These forms will be submitted to the Clinical Coordinator weekly. These submissions are determined by the Clinical Coordinator and uploaded into Canvas. Clinical procedure documentation sheets not submitted to program personnel in a timely manner will not be counted and scrubbed cases for that week will not be counted toward the 120 minimum cases required for graduation until uploaded.
Students must complete a minimum of 120 surgical cases as a graduation requirement of the program. These cases will be in different categories according to the core curriculum listed below.
7th Edition Core Curriculum
120 cases first and second scrub role as outlined
Minimum # of First Scrub cases required. (80)
Maximum # of Second Scrub Cases that can be applied towards 120 cases. (40)
- The total number of cases the student MUST complete is 120.
- Students are required to complete a minimum of thirty (30) cases in General Surgery. A minimum of twenty (20) of the cases must be in the First Scrub Role.
- Students are required to complete a minimum of ninety (90) cases in various surgical specialties. Sixty (60) of the cases must be in the First Scrub Role and evenly distributed between a minimum of four (4) surgical specialties. At least 10 cases in the first scrub role must be performed to count as one of the four required specialties.
- The surgical technology program is required to verify through the surgical rotation documentation the students’ progression in First and Second Scrubbing surgical procedures of increased complexity as he/she moves toward entry-level graduate abilities.
- Diagnostic endoscopy cases and vaginal delivery cases are not mandatory. However, up to ten (10) diagnostic endoscopic and five (5) vaginal delivery cases can be counted toward maximum number of Second Scrub role cases.
- Observation cases must be documented, but do not counted towards the 120 required cases.
- Counting Cases
- Cases will be counted according to surgical specialty. Please reference specialty guide provided for you when entering specialty type in Surgical Counts. Examples:
- Trauma pt. requires a splenectomy and repair of LeFort I fracture. Two cases can be counted and documented since the splenectomy is general surgery and repair of LeFort I is oral-maxillofacial surgical specialty.
- Patient requires a breast biopsy followed by a mastectomy. It is one pathology, breast cancer and the specialty is general surgery; therefore, it is counted as one procedure-one case.
- A procedure that requires different set-ups and includes different specialties may be counted as separate cases. A mastectomy procedure (general surgery) followed with immediate reconstruction or augmentation (plastics and reconstruction) are counted as separate cases.
- Cases will be counted according to surgical specialty. Please reference specialty guide provided for you when entering specialty type in Surgical Counts. Examples:
If a student does not meet the case requirements, they have not met the requirements of the program for graduation and have not met the requirements for critical skills proficiency. This is a violation of the Division of Health Sciences Code of Conduct with no appeal.
First and Second Scrub Role and Observation Definitions
First Scrub Role
To document a case in the first scrub role, the student shall perform all of the following duties during any given surgical procedure with proficiency:
- Verify supplies and equipment needed for the surgical procedure.
- Set up the sterile field with instruments, supplies, equipment, medications, and solutions needed for the procedure.
- Perform required operative counts following AST Guidelines and Facility Policy.
- Pass instruments and supplies to the sterile team members while anticipating the next steps during the procedure.
- Maintain sterile technique as measured by recognized breaks in technique and demonstrate knowledge of how to correct with appropriate technique. Keep documentation as needed.
Second Scrub Role
The second scrub role is defined as the student who has not met all the criteria for the first scrub role, but actively participates in the surgical procedure in its entirety by completing any of the following:
- Sponging
- Suctioning
- Cutting suture
- Holding retractors
- Assistance with diagnostic endoscopy
- Providing camera assistance
- Assistance with vaginal delivery
Observation Role
The observation role is defined as the student who is in the operating room performing roles that do not meet the criteria for the first or second scrub role. The student can be either in the sterile or nonsterile role.
These observation cases are not to be included in the required 120 surgical case count, but must be documented by the program.
Clinical rotation competencies and experiences are graded on the same grade point system as classroom work. A minimum grade of B (83) must be attained in each Surgical Technology course in order to advance to the following semester in the Surgical Technology Program. A 2.33 overall GPA must be maintained throughout the Surgical Technology Program.