Surgical Technology Program Director Named to Accreditation Board

Scott A. Geist, Surgical Technology Program director at Pennsylvania College of Technology, was recently appointed to the eight-member Board of Directors of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting.

Geist has served as an ARC/STSA accreditation site visitor since 2009. His three-year term on its Board of Directors will begin June 1.

As part of his responsibilities, he will attend annual ARC/STSA Board meetings to review surgical technology and surgical assisting accreditation applications and policies. The board makes recommendations based on the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs’ Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs.

Geist was named director of the Surgical Technology Program at Penn College in 2011. A Navy veteran, he holds national certification as a surgical technologist, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Belhaven University, a bachelor’s degree in health care services from the University of Phoenix, an associate degree in general studies from Central Texas Community College, and a certificate in surgical technology from the Naval School of Health Sciences.

The ARC/STSA is the sole designated Committee on Accreditation for educational programs in surgical technology and surgical assisting. The council works in collaboration with CAAHEP, the largest programmatic accreditor in the health sciences field. CAAHEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Surgical technologists provide care to surgical patients before, during and after surgery, and act as an integral part of the surgical team during surgery. The surgical technologist is qualified to work in central processing and in a supporting role within the operating room. Surgical technologists routinely find employment in hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient care centers, central processing, and physician offices where surgery is performed, including dental/oral surgery. The forecast for employment in surgical technology is one of rapid growth.

Penn College offers an ARC/STSA-accredited degree program in surgical technology. The major helps to prepare graduates to take the national certification exam in surgical technology, to enter the workforce, and to continue his/her education.

To learn more about the Surgical Technology Program at Penn College, call 570-327-4519.

For information about Penn College, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.