Program Overview

Surgical Technologists work under the direct supervision of a physician or registered nurse as part of a healthcare team, and are in high demand throughout Washington state and beyond. Graduates have excellent job prospects in a variety of healthcare settings, such as:

• Hospital operating rooms
• Outpatient care centers
• Ambulatory surgical centers
• Private surgery clinics
• Tissue procurement
• Central supply processing
• Medical equipment sales
• Veterinary medicine

Learn more about this program's Certification Exam Pass Rates (pdf).

Learn more about this program's Gainful Employment information (pdf).

The Surgical Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (caahep.org) upon the recommendation of Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

Seattle Central College's Surgical Technology program is intended to meet the educational requirements for licensing/certification in the State of Washington only. Seattle Central College has not determined if the Surgical Technology curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensing/certification in any other state. Additional information about licensure/certification concerns can be found on the NC-SARA webpage. Please contact eLearning with any questions at eLearning@seattlecolleges.edu.

Whether you’re an interested student or a healthcare professional looking to take that next step, it’s never been easier to complete your career training in Surgical Technology. At Seattle Central, you can earn an AAS-T degree in Surgical Technology. At the conclusion of the program, you will sit for the CST exam to earn your initial professional certification as a Surgical Technologist.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Complete the online Surgical Technology application (available December - February).
• Complete all required prerequisites with at least a 2.0 GPA by the end of winter quarter in the year that you wish to begin (i.e. if starting in summer 2023, all prerequisites must be complete by the end of winter quarter 2023):
  • AHE 168 Medical Terminology
  • BIOL& 128 Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology or BIOL& 241 and BIOL& 242
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition
  • PSYC& 100 General Psychology OR PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology
  • HUM 105 Intercultural Communications
  • MATH& 146 Intro to Statistics OR MATH 136 Inferential Statistics (statway pathway)
  • If prerequisites were completed at a different college, students must complete a transcript evaluation. Typically, it takes 6-8 weeks to complete a transcript evaluation.
• Applicants must be willing/able to obtain the required immunizations, TB test, and physical examination. Full COVID-19 vaccination is required for participation in the admissions interview (prior to the start of the program). Our clinical sites no longer accept vaccine declination for COVID-19, Influenza or Hepatitis B.
• Applicant’s criminal background check must not return any red flags or discrepancies. Click here for a list of disqualifying crimes.
• Surg Tech students are required to have health insurance while in the program.

Click here for more information about course planning.

Steps to Enroll:

1. Attend a Surgical Technology Information Session or contact the Healthcare & Human Services Division for more information (recommended).
2. Confirm that you can perform essential functions (pdf) required for Surgical Technology students.
3. Apply at Seattle Central College. In order to access the Surg Tech online application, you will need an active MySeattleColleges login.
4. Transcript Evaluation (if applicable). Submit applicable official transcript(s) to the Admissions Office; then, complete the Incoming Transcript Evaluation form and submit it to the registration office.
5. Complete the online Surgical Technology application (only available during application period.