Maybe one of you is familiar with this occupation. I came across an ad for Dignity College of Healthcare. They claim to be nationally accredited, but I don't know by whom. It looks like they'll issue students a certificate of completion before they complete an externship, which students are responsible for setting up. They recommend that students take the Healthcare Professionals Competency Testing certification exam. I've never heard of this organization. They claim to be a member of a division of NCCA, which accredits certification programs. According to Reddit, NCCT says this school is legit and will meet the education requirement to sit for their certification exam. I've heard of NCCT and know they're legit, but I can't find a list of their authorized schools to verify whether Dignity is on it. NCCT will let students test without their scrubs; scrub means a moment of scrubbing in for a procedure. NCCT won't issue a certification until you have documentation of a certain number of scrubs. HPCT will issue a certification without the documented scrubs, and they suggest showing your certification and documentation of later-acquired scrubs to employers. https://dignitycollegeofhealthcare.com/surgical-technician https://nationalhpct.com/about
I checked the NCCA and I.C.E. directories and don't see that HPCT is an accredited member. It's possible that they're an industry member, but their certification programs are not accredited.
Their address appears to be in a virtual office park/mail drop. Although it’s possible they’re leasing a suite/office. Interesting they specifically state no walk-in visitors without appointments. Their other address, appears to be home to multiple business, with similar websites/sales pitches. No history, about us, or any ‘person’ listed, or at least that I can find. Looked up one of medical centers they have posted, it’s a small LASIK center on the other side of the country. Would be really surprised if a LASIK center is partnering with them for a pipeline of surgical tech talent. Would not be surprised if the center has no idea why their corporate signage is on that website listing them as a client. Really have no idea how they have or why they have Amazon listed as a client. Website was opened in 2011 and was last updated in December, according to a Whois. Better Business Bureau has some cautionary stuff on them and apparently Yelp as well.
Meridian Institute of Surgical Assisting holds ABHES institutional NA. They offer a low-residency Surgical First Assistant certificate which additionally holds CAAHEP programmatic accreditation, and a follow-up online AAS in Surgical Assisting. Surgical assisting being closely related to surgical technology.
I wouldn't be surprised if they also have fake graduates and fake students posting testimonials on Reddit. I was trying to see whether HPCT was one of their creations. I remember coming across an online martial arts program, and they boasted about being accredited by an organization they own. At the very least, Dignity should have a state license to operate, which is something somewhat legitimate schools typically put front and center on their websites. The "testimonials" they have on their website are hilarious. Some of them are emails from employers and unnamed testing sites wanting to verify a student's education.
I don’t know of any States that regulate the licensure of Surgical Technology although may require certification and there are a few States that license Surgical Assistants. You really need to check with industry (Hospitals, Surgical Centers) if the certification is acceptable and licensing boards if applicable. https://work.chron.com/states-requiring-surgical-tech-certification-24528.html
“Just three states, Colorado, North Dakota and Washington, require surgical technologists to register“ I suggest looking at their registration requirements but like I said the facility hiring you might have an additional level of quality control.
That's another misleading line from their advertisements. They say that their training allows students to become surgical technicians in almost every state. Well, almost every state lacks regulations for this occupation. One would have to look at job ads to see which certifications are generally accepted by employers. I've seen NCCT mentioned but not HPCT.
The NCCT and NBSTSA appear to be broadly accepted and recognized because of NCCA accreditation. The HPCT claims to be a “proud member”of NCCA but that doesn’t necessarily mean their programs have gone through the NCCA process of accreditation. Perhaps they will? https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/Accreditation/Earn-Accreditation/NCCA The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) https://www.nbstsa.org/cst-first-timeretake-applicants
I find the American College of Surgeons Statements on Principles paragraph G to be helpful in understanding the role a Surgical Assistant has. https://www.facs.org/about-acs/statements/stonprin “The surgical assistant should be a trained individual….” Basically, the Surgeon with his own surgical center can hire and is encouraged to train allied healthcare students. When a hospital or surgical center provides these technicians and assistants to Surgeons that utilize the facility, then they require certifications, registrations and licenses and often an NPI number to use to submit to Medicare for billing of the services. For example, I used to be an unlicensed surgical assistant for a maxillofacial oral surgeon in private practice. However, if I wanted to work for a hospital, then I would need to go through the certification process. Even as a licensed nurse, I would need extra credentialing/training to work for the hospital as an RNFA or CRNFA. The surgical technician also has many other duties including prepping the OR, and to first and second assisting and depending on location, sterilization of equipment. As a nurse, I did much of that in private clinics without any further credentials. Bottom line, is the Surgeon willling to work with you? Train and mentor you either personally or through his staff? Attitude is everything! As in everything, just because you graduate and get credentialed, certified or registered doesn’t mean you will get hired. Noteworthy, NCCT has a pathway that recognizes work experience that requires a sign off of experience by your Surgeon.