Surgical Technology Certificate Program Offered At Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus   For Immediate Release Contact: Alka Gupta or Helen Saffran April 2, 2002 Brooklyn, N.Y. – The School of Continuing Studies at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus announced the launching of its Surgical Technology Certificate Program, offered by the Health Careers Institute at the School. According to John E. Roche, associate dean of the School, the positive response to this new program indicates that an important gap in the health careers field is being filled. "This program satisfies a need not only in the New York City area but in the nation as a whole," he said. "Surgical technologists are in great demand." According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, surgical technology is the fastest growing profession in the field of Allied Health. Roche explained that surgical technologists function as integral members of the surgical team that works closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, registered nurses and other surgical personnel. Their responsibilities involve the preparation of the operating room, instruments, equipment, medication and supplies that will be needed. A surgical technologist is the surgical team's expert in sterile technique and is constantly monitoring any breaks in that technique. The introductory courses in this certificate program started in the Spring 2002 semester. The Surgical Technology Certificate Program is designed to provide the student with the knowledge, skills and abilities to participate effectively in the operating room of a hospital pre-operatively, intra-operatively and post-operatively. It prepares students to become part of the surgical team, as they learn the function and correct application of each instrument. Students receive surgical technology training through a variety of methods including classroom lecture, practice in a mock surgical suite at the college, and actual clinical experience in local hospital operating rooms. They are also prepared to sit for the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) examination. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accreditation is pending. It is expected that this process will be completed by the time the first students have completed the required sequence of courses. For more information, call Garry Williams-Salazar, the associate director of the Health Careers Institute, at (718) 488-1365.

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