Surgical Technology Course

Lesson 1 • The Surgical Technologist Role

Defines the surgical technologist's duties, legal scope, and team position. Grounds students in professional identity before entering clinical content.

Lesson 2 • Surgical Team Structure

Identifies every OR team member and their interdependencies. Students understand communication hierarchies essential for safe patient care.

Lesson 3 • Regulatory and Safety Standards

Covers accreditation requirements, workplace safety regulations, and patient rights. Students apply compliance thinking to every clinical decision.

Lesson 1 • Sterilization Methods and Monitoring

Covers steam, gas, plasma, and chemical sterilization modalities. Students select appropriate methods based on instrument material and contamination level.

Lesson 2 • Standard and Transmission Precautions

Explains standard precautions and transmission-based precaution categories. Students apply these frameworks to protect patients and themselves from cross-contamination.

Lesson 3 • Microbiology Essentials for Surgery

Introduces bacteria, viruses, fungi, and prions relevant to surgical infections. Provides the biological basis for all subsequent sterilization and asepsis content.

Lesson 1 • Gowning and Gloving Techniques

Demonstrates self-gowning, assisted gowning, open gloving, and closed gloving. Students maintain sterility throughout each donning sequence.

Lesson 2 • Sterile Field Setup and Draping

Covers back table and Mayo stand setup, instrument arrangement, and patient draping. Students organize the sterile field for efficiency and contamination prevention.

Lesson 3 • Surgical Hand Scrub and Rub

Teaches counted-stroke and timed scrub methods alongside alcohol-based surgical rubs. Students achieve consistent microbial reduction before gowning.

Lesson 1 • Energy-Based Surgical Devices

Explains electrosurgical units, ultrasonic devices, and laser systems used in the OR. Students apply safety protocols specific to each energy modality.

Lesson 2 • Instrument Handling and Passing

Teaches safe, efficient instrument passing techniques and anticipation of surgeon needs. Students develop the hand-eye coordination critical to scrub performance.

Lesson 3 • Endoscopic and Minimally Invasive Equipment

Introduces laparoscopic towers, camera systems, trocars, and insufflators. Students assemble and troubleshoot MIS equipment for laparoscopic procedures.

Lesson 4 • Classification of Surgical Instruments

Categorizes instruments by function: cutting, clamping, retracting, and suturing. Students build a mental taxonomy used throughout all specialty rotations.

Lesson 1 • Anesthesia Monitoring and Equipment

Covers airway management tools, ventilators, and physiologic monitors. Students assist with setup and recognize critical alarm parameters.

Lesson 2 • Anesthesia Fundamentals

Describes general, regional, and local anesthesia mechanisms and agents. Students understand anesthesia phases to anticipate team needs during induction and emergence.

Lesson 3 • Surgical Positioning Principles

Identifies physiologic risks of each position and protective measures. Students apply positioning knowledge to prevent nerve injury, pressure ulcers, and circulatory compromise.

Lesson 1 • Suture Materials and Selection

Compares absorbable and nonabsorbable sutures by tensile strength and tissue reaction. Students match suture type and size to tissue layer and procedure.

Lesson 2 • Surgical Hemostasis Methods

Explains mechanical, thermal, and chemical hemostatic techniques and agents. Students apply the correct method based on vessel size and tissue type.

Lesson 3 • Wound Classification and Healing

Defines wound classes by contamination level and explains healing phases. Students use classification to anticipate closure choices and infection risk.

Lesson 4 • Wound Closure Techniques

Demonstrates interrupted, continuous, and retention suture patterns plus stapling. Students load needle holders and pass suture efficiently during closure.

Lesson 1 • Obstetric and Gynecologic Procedures

Addresses cesarean section, hysterectomy, and laparoscopic gynecologic setups. Students manage neonatal resuscitation equipment and uterine specimen handling.

Lesson 2 • General Surgery Procedures

Covers appendectomy, cholecystectomy, hernia repair, and bowel resection setups. Students sequence instrument needs and manage specimen handling for common general cases.

Lesson 3 • Orthopedic Surgical Procedures

Addresses total joint replacement, fracture fixation, and arthroscopy setups. Students manage implant systems, powered equipment, and fluoroscopy use.

Lesson 4 • Neurosurgical Procedures

Covers craniotomy, spinal fusion, and peripheral nerve procedures. Students manage microscopes, neural monitoring leads, and specialized neurosurgical instruments.

Lesson 1 • Surgical Safety Checklists and Timeouts

Explains the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and site-marking protocols. Students execute each checklist phase and advocate for pausing when safety concerns arise.

Lesson 2 • Medication Safety on the Sterile Field

Covers labeling, verification, and administration of medications on the sterile field. Students prevent medication errors through standardized identification practices.

Lesson 3 • Fire Safety in the Operating Room

Identifies the fire triad and prevention strategies specific to the OR environment. Students execute fire response procedures and manage oxygen-enriched atmosphere risks.

Lesson 4 • Retained Surgical Item Prevention

Covers sponge, instrument, and sharps counting systems and reconciliation. Students perform counts at mandated intervals and manage discrepancy protocols.