OCTC's Surgical Technology Program Receives National Merit Award

Owensboro, KY (10/04/2017) — Owensboro Community and Technical College's Surgical Technology program has received the annual merit award from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for achieving a 100% pass rate on the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination for the second year in a row. Graduates obtaining national certification as a CST demonstrate, by examination, understanding of the basic competencies for safe patient care in the operating room. The CST is widely recognized in the health care community as the foremost credential for surgical technologists in the nation. The CST is required for employment within many local, state and national health care organizations.

According to NBSTSA Chief Executive Officer Ben Price, the NBSTSA has a 40-year history in CST examination development. The CST examination is a fully accredited examination by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for surgical technologists. NCCA accreditation assures that the CST examination meets stringent standards of examination development and administration. Certification as a surgical technologist exhibits professional pride, the desire to be recognized for mastery of surgical competencies, and most importantly an ongoing commitment to quality patient care.

Scott Williams, OCTC President added, "This honor is a testament to the value of our program, the graduating students are well prepared academically and technically. They are not only prepared to take the exam, but they are all prepared to excel, both in the classroom and in the operating room. We are very proud that the program has received this honor two years in a row."

For more information about the Surgical Technology program at OCTC please contact Zara Basham, program coordinator, at zara.basham@kctcs.edu or call 270.686. 4650.

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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.

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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.

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OCTC Surgical Technology Program Coordinator, Zara Basham, working with students in the surf tech lab.