The two-year program will provide students with the skills to support surgeons and nurses in the operating room. Surgical technologists are responsible for gathering, verifying, and preparing the necessary supplies and equipment during surgical procedures, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job's median annual pay was $60,610 in 2023, according to the agency.
Graduates of the program will earn an Associate of Applied Technology degree and will receive preparation to take the national certification exam. Students in the first cohort — which has 20 open spots — will begin classes in fall 2025 and graduate in spring 2027.
Jim Reynolds, director of surgical technology and a professor at Clark College, will lead the program as its primary instructor.
INFORMATION
Applications for Clark College's surgical technology program are open. To apply, visit: www.clark.edu/academics/programs/health-care-and-biosciences/surgical-technology/.
Students can begin taking foundational classes at Clark College this spring term, which begins April 7.
Students must have completed the required prerequisite courses before they can be admitted to the surgical technology program.
With a background as a surgical technologist, Reynolds brings firsthand experience to the classroom and hopes to offer a unique and practical approach to teaching, he said.
"It's one of the best careers I've ever come across, but it's not something that everyone knows about," Reynolds said, "I love teaching about it because it allows you to really make a difference. I think a lot of people today, that's what they want. It's an amazing thing to say you're a part of."
In 2023, Clark College received a $141,260 Hospital Education and Employment Training grant to develop the program, although conversations initially began about three years ago, according to Dean of Business and Health Sciences Scot Headley, who helped develop the program.
"The program came from a recognition, both from our college administration and local employers, that there was a real need for surgical technologists in the region. This type of thing can be life changing for a young person," Headley said. "That's what I'm most looking forward to is seeing those folks get across the finish line and get their first job."
The HEET grant proposal was developed in collaboration with PeaceHealth and Oregon Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals.
Together, the three organizations developed the program's curriculum, according to a news release from Clark College.
"Surgical technologists are in high demand, and play key roles on our clinical team," PeaceHealth Chief Hospital Executive Cherelle Montanye said in the news release. "This program will be a critical resource to prepare students for an excellent career path at hospitals and surgery centers across our region."
The surgical technology program will join a handful of other health care programs at Clark College, including dental hygiene, emergency medical services, medical assistance, health information management, phlebotomy and more.
Other surgical technology programs in Washington are offered at community colleges in the Puget Sound region. In the Portland metro area, the closest program is at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., Clark College officials said.
Clark College Vice President of Instruction William Terry Brown said this new program underscores the crucial need for experienced medical workers in Southwest Washington.
"When there's a need in the workforce, a need in the community, we try to respond to that," Brown said. "Within the challenges facing health care, way more is needed than physicians and nurses. Having this program is also educating young people about careers beyond being a physician or a nurse."
Clark College is pursuing a second HEET grant but expects the program will be sustainable after initial implementation, according to the news release.
Clark College is also hoping to build more partnerships with local health care providers, such as Legacy Health and Vancouver Clinic, to provide students with additional pathways into the workforce after finishing the program.
"These are the kind of jobs that can not only transform the fortunes of students but also impact their families. These kinds of jobs and access to them can impact whole communities," Brown said. "It excites me to see the impact, and I'm really looking forward to seeing our former students become the ones actually providing health care."
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