Surgical Technology Program

What They Do

Surgical technologists are skilled professionals qualified by education to assist in operations under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses and/or other surgical personnel.

Surgical technologists help set up operating rooms with sterile equipment and assemble, adjust, and check nonsterile equipment. They pass instruments and sterile supplies to the surgeon, may hold retractors, cut sutures, and count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments as well as clean and restock the operating room.

Surgical technologists typically work in hospitals and outpatient centers and may also work as medical sales representatives.

Program Details

Duration of Education

12 months; full-time days, typical hours 7 am – 3:30 pm

Key Dates

2025-2026 information and application available January 2025

• Application deadline: TBA (2025)
• Program start date: TBA (2025)

Cost

$4,200 plus books/uniforms/fees

• Students must provide their own housing, transportation and living expenses.

This program is not eligible for FAFSA funding.

Certificate or Degree?

Certificate

Outcomes Assessment

The national Certified Surgical Technologist (CST™) exam pass rate results for the class graduating in the academic year:

• Aug. 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021 was 100 percent
  
• Aug. 1, 2022 - July 31, 2023 was 100 percent
  

Prerequisites

• Be at least 18 years of age by the start of the program
• High school diploma or GED
  
• You must be a United States Citizen or possess a permanent resident card, commonly called a green card in the United States.

**Program Starting in 2025:  Individuals will need a minimum of an Associate Degree or have completed required prerequisite courses acceptable to the University of St. Francis in order to apply for the 2025-2026 IU Health Surgical Technology Program. Click on the link below for specific information on the prerequisite courses and for the University of St. Francis contact information.

Summary/Course of Study

• First semester (orientation and core curriculum): medical terminology, anatomy/physiology, introduction to patient care, surgical applications and surgical instrumentation.
• Second and third semesters (Level I and Level II): surgical instrumentation, surgical techniques, surgical procedures, clinical experience, clinical practicum, surgical techniques lab, and professional growth and development.

Technical Standards

• Read, write, understand and verbally communicate in fluent English (includes questioning patients, relaying information to others and receiving information)
• Stand, walk or sit for up to eight hours a day, five days a week
• Carry, reach, stoop and lift up to 50 pounds
• Have sufficient manual dexterity (using forceps to move an object, handling needles and syringes, etc.)
• Have a visual acuity (either on your own or with corrective lenses) that enables you to read information printed on medication labels
• Have enough color vision to recognize differences in colors of solutions and sutures
• Have an auditory acuity (either on your own or with auditory aids) that allows you to understand a normal speaking voice without seeing the speaker's face

Application & Contact Information

You can click the program booklet tab above for the 2024-2025 program. This information should only be viewed as a reference.  The updated 2025-2026 program information will be available in January 2025.

Starting in January 2025, you may also request an application packet be mailed or you may pick up information in person.

To request information:

Email: learning@iuhealth.org
Phone: 317.962.5470

IU Health Methodist Hospital
Wile Hall, Room 629
PO Box 1367
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1367

Surgical Technology Program Director
Terry Myers, RN
Phone: 317.962.1864