A Colorado hospital system is tackling a shortage of surgical staff by creating a new training opportunity for its own employees.
“It’s a really specialized area. In order to become a surg tech, you have to either get an associate’s degree or go to a program. A lot of people haven’t even heard of it the job before. So, we wanted to bring awareness and recognition,” said Maggie McCluskey, AdventHealth regional perioperative educator.
To help solve the shortage, AdventHealth has launched its first surgical technologist apprenticeship program in its Rocky Mountain region to grow the surgical technologist workforce from within.
“Most facilities in the Denver metro have had a shortage of surge techs, and it’s a lack of awareness, and then sometimes the high stress of the job as well. We really want to get them trained so they can know our staff, our surgeons, make those connections, and feel more comfortable in the operating room,” said McCluskey.
Surgical technologists play a key role in the operating room, helping surgeons during procedures…