WRGB: Maria College and SPHP Launch Surgical Technology Program to Fill Local Health Care Roles

St. Peter’s Health Partners and Maria College are partnering on a new surgical technology program, launching this fall.

Jeff Stone, Director of Surgical Services; Meredith Robison, Chief Nursing Officer, SPHP Acute; and Kyle Markumas, surgical technologist at St. Peter’s Hospital, spoke to CBS6 News about the program and how it will help address health care staffing needs in the Capital Region.

From the report:

Students enrolling in the program can expect to train in a true surgical suite environment. Kyle Markumas, a surgical technologist at St. Peter’s Hospital, explained the role: “I’m sterile, scrubbed in with them, and I help cast instrumentation that they need for the case and what might follow.”

Healthcare professionals have noted the growing demand for surgical technologists. Shawn Jeune, Maria College’s Deputy Chair of Nursing, said, “What we’ve also seen since 2015 is an expansion to specialized surgery centers that also require people to work in this role.”

St. Peter’s Health Partners has collaborated with Maria College for the program. Jeffrey Stone, Director of Surgical Services at St. Peter’s, highlighted the challenge of filling these positions: “So really, the surgical technologist role is a difficult one for us to fill. It’s one that we have constant vacancies for.”

As part of the partnership, St. Peter’s will offer hands-on experience in operating rooms and aim to hire graduates. Meredith Robison, Chief Nurse at St. Peter’s Health Partners, emphasized the benefits of this approach: “They’ll be able to really learn in that hands-on environment that’s a true environment. Not that there’s anything wrong with simulation, but it’s not a simulation environment.”

Click HERE to watch WRGB’s full report.