COLUMBUS, Ind. – Students in the Ivy Tech Community College Columbus Surgical Technology program recently placed 5th in the “Scrub Bowl” at the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) 53rd National Conference.
Ivy Tech students, Maggie Smith of Bargersville, Beth Torres of Seymour, Holly Nienabor of Elizabethtown, Kieya Vann of Bloomington, and Chloe Chambers of Columbus, attended the June conference in Chicago and represented the college as the “Scrub Bowl” team. The Scrub Bowl is a “spirit-filled competition of wits and surgical knowledge,” said Eddy Wenzel, program chair of the Ivy Tech Columbus Surgical Technology program.
The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) National Conference brought over 2,000 certified surgical technologists and surgical technology students together from across the country for 3-days of educational seminars and lectures, learning about some of the most advanced operative technology and surgical practices available.
Ivy Tech Columbus students, part of the AST Student Association, participated in a half-day of student-focused seminars to help prepare them for their national certification exam and entry into the field post-graduation. They were able to network with other students and employers as well as try some of the latest technology and equipment from suppliers across the nation.
In total, 169 students representing 65 different collegiate surgical technology programs from across the country attended the conference.
The Ivy Tech Columbus Surgical Technology program trains students in a real operating room to enter the workforce as surgical assistants. Graduates of the surgical technology program are prepared to do everything from holding a beating heart in their hands to assisting surgeons in the delivery room.
Surgical Technology is one of over 40 career-focused programs at Ivy Tech Columbus. Fall semester enrollment starts August 21. To learn more about the programs or to apply, visit ivytech.edu.