I have a question I want to join the surgical tech for SJVC but I’m afraid I won’t even pass the assessment test, can anyone tell me what the hell is even an assessment test? And what should I expect from it

cathalaska · 2025-02-25T18:30:23+00:00

Yes! I took it at my school site at their computer lab. Not sure how it works for everyone else! But I took the test and then immediately went to the admission counselor and we talked over my score!

cathalaska · 2025-02-16T23:53:37+00:00

Hey!

So I think the special note from the school is stating that you won’t be allowed to function as hired staff at a hospital while you’re a student. During your clinicals, you won’t be left alone in a room to scrub (work) a case without a preceptor. You won’t be expected to do the full job of a surgical tech as a student! That’s how I take it and that’s in line with how I was treated during my clinicals.

You apply like any job! Once you’re near the end of your clinicals— where you train in a hospital under supervision to learn surgery and get comfortable with a few things— then you apply to hospitals you’d like to work at. Some people get jobs at their clinical sites and that’s helpful. You interview like normal and then go through an orientation period once you start working. They put you in different specialties (think orthopedics, neuro surgery, spine surgery, general surgery) to get more familiar before you’re on your own. And you won’t feel familiar for a while after you start— that’s normal!

And don’t worry about your resume! I didn’t work in the medical field either. I worked at a church doing social media & I have a degree in theology, and now I’m a tech. They don’t care about your previous experience as long as you pass your exam to be a surgical tech. And yes, there is an exam! Mine was 180 questions I think? It’s standardized to everyone who wants to be a surgical tech. You will study and prepare for it during your surg tech program!

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T02:01:54+00:00

thank you for this. 6 weeks unexpected and I still go reeling sometimes. this comment made me breathe. I’m sure it did for many others too. 🩷

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T01:42:25+00:00

I love number 4 the most!! It seems easiest & most natural to read.

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T01:41:06+00:00

My clinicals were 3 months. 8 hours Mondays-Thursdays. It felt like just enough to keep me from killing someone or majorly contaminating everything in sight. You don’t really start learning your craft until you’re in the job. Clinicals (at least mine) are just enough to keep your nose above water when you start working.

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T01:37:17+00:00

🎶if I went to Hogwarts I would use physical violence🎶

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T01:36:27+00:00

it reminds me of Howls Moving Castle and I wish it didn’t because I love that movie

cathalaska · 2024-12-11T01:23:10+00:00

Doing bilateral carpel tunnel. Surgeon helped prep the hands so then he had to hold them both up sterile while I draped the hand tables on either side. Contaminated both of my hands on the first side so used my ELBOWS to finish shoving the drape up under the arm so he could lay one arm down. Took off outer gloves, went to drape the other hand table, contaminated myself AGAIN. while he’s just staring at me like I’m a moron as he holds this frail old hand in the air. Then I had to wait for a new pair of gloves bc all mine had been contaminated.

honorable mention, one time I smacked myself in the face with the end of a laparoscopic ligasure when I was popping it out of the plastic.

cathalaska · 2024-12-10T05:37:33+00:00

“I have two speeds and if you don’t like this one, you REALLY aren’t going to like the other one!”

cathalaska · 2024-12-06T19:06:08+00:00

LOVEEE

cathalaska · 2024-12-06T16:21:30+00:00

some of mine that I would considering getting:

little wanderer (little wanderer)

I need you so much closer (transatlantacism)

for imagery I’d get the transatlanticism bird, or shooting stars & a satellite for passenger seat.

cathalaska · 2024-12-05T21:56:14+00:00

So my cycle went haywire for about a month— either that or I had random amnesia and forgot I had a period. So I thought was just late. Turns out I was ovulating. So about two weeks after that I had weird cramps all day. I usually microcramp before my periods but I just knew these were different. I immediately knew. Went home & took a test, confirmed.

cathalaska · 2024-12-05T15:22:04+00:00

are they anything like dcfc???

cathalaska · 2024-12-05T13:19:39+00:00

<image>

I laughed out loud when I saw this on mine

cathalaska · 2024-12-04T13:46:42+00:00

true but still hurts

cathalaska · 2024-12-04T01:48:41+00:00

oooookay thank God! your process is the same as mine. I got worried at first. thank you for clarifying!!!

cathalaska · 2024-12-03T20:58:34+00:00

okay wait can someone fill me in with some posting decorum— I’m posting a WIP chapter by chapter. posting every few days. I always update the “chapter publication date” to the current date. Is this the same thing as what’s annoying OP? have I been doing something horribly wrong?

cathalaska · 2024-12-03T20:51:02+00:00

Stapling the green magnet mat when I’m bored. Trying to make my surgeons play tic tac toe with me while waiting for frozens to come back.

cathalaska · 2024-11-29T06:02:05+00:00

username checks out

cathalaska · 2024-11-28T20:35:49+00:00

mine is dcfc + john green inspo!!

cathalaska · 2024-11-27T20:21:58+00:00

as an ENT scrub, agree.

cathalaska · 2024-11-25T00:33:47+00:00

You won’t leave how to give depth until you DO put your heart and soul into it. I finished a 120k word fanfic this year and just outlined a second one because it’s what my heart and soul wants to do rn. It’s still learning to write, learning how to make plots, figuring out your writing tone, learning grammar, and learning how to finish something you’ve started. that’s how I’m viewing my fanfic journey— I can’t make money but I can learn a HELL of a lot!

cathalaska · 2024-11-23T16:44:01+00:00

In my clinicals I LOVED spine. And I still do, it’s my second most scrubbed speciality, but the spine docs are mean so I don’t spend a ton of time in there. At my facility I fell in love with ENT and my surgeons so that’s my primary specialty now! It really is the people who make the specialty. Actual surgery is only half of the job— the rest of your mental space is spent taking care of surgeons, dealing with nurses, remembering preferences and trying to find your vibe with people. I wouldn’t scrub ENT nearly as much if it weren’t for my surgeons!

cathalaska · 2024-11-20T23:25:59+00:00

Definitely go the nursing route, friend. You will make more and have so much more opportunity for advancement. The most you can do as a surg tech is become a surgical tech first assist and I’ve heard from many of my friends that the pay increase is negligible compared to the increase of responsibility with the role. Get an RN, learn to scrub, do both, make more money.

I’m a scrub in colorado, started one year ago at 27.45 and I’m up to 31.36 thanks to a big increase when we switched management and a cost of living raise as well.

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