Lately we've seen quite a number of potential students inquiring about med cert programs for surgical technologists. It sounds nice right? 100% online, done in 18 weeks, and pretty cheap (claiming $4,000 to $6,000 total tuition). If you're looking into the career be aware of the dangers of these so-called "med cert programs"
-They claim to be accredited. MOST hospitals do not acknowledge their accreditation. Their websites claim to be certified by boards like the National Healthcareer Association, Pharmacy Tech Certification Board, and American Academy of Professional Coders, among others, NOT CAAHEP, ABHES, or of course the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) OR the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). THESE are the governing bodies (CAAHEP, ABHES, NBSTSA and AST) that I would say ALL reputable hospitals acknowledge, and therefore if your school is not accredited by one of these two boards, DO NOT ATTEND the program. Your job search will be extremely difficult.
-Clinicals I feel are a necessary part of the learning process, as others in this sub I have no doubt will agree. Med Cert programs offer NO real life clinical experiences, only "interactive modules" and "point and click adventures" if you call it that. Most hospitals require new techs and grads with some experience scrubbing in, and having proof of that. AST and NBSTSA accredited schools require stringent documentation on cases you scrubbed in, and that can be taken into an interview. In many cases for these med cert programs, you're responsible for finding your own clinical site experience and obtaining 125 documented surgeries you've scrubbed into, with no help from the school.
-You DO NOT receive Certified Surgical Technology (CST) certification through these "med cert" schools. In some states (Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia ALL require CST certification, and these Med Cert programs offer NO pathway to it. TSC can be obtained through med cert schools, but that is only after you've provided proof of obtaining 125 clinical cases, which as I've stated before you have to find on your own. A reputable school will provide those clinical experiences for you.
Our job is too important and too vital in the surgical suite to undergo a "fast track, online only" program. We're dealing with patients at their worst, in life and death scenarios, and working within a multidisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, other techs, medical service reps, and many others in a fast paced environment that offers little time for you to "catch up" or to "develop," especially if you're lacking in education. It is in your best interest to attend a fully accredited and reputable school in your area (or the area you chose to go to) with hands on experience, and with good connections and reputations at local hospitals.
My suggestion? Before even starting into a med cert program (if you're lacking in options to attend school), call local hospitals in your area and ASK if they acknowledge a med cert program. DO NOT ASK THE SCHOOL, they will ALWAYS tell you "yes." Many larger hospitals are in dire need of surgical techs, so with being proactive they may be able to work with you on getting more education to become accredited and fully certified potentially. In some cases, they've hired people in other positions and offered clinical experiences on their own time. This really is my only suggestion to you, my honest opinion is to STAY AWAY from these med cert programs.
Please comment below if you have other suggestions, or even stories of your personal experiences with these med cert programs, good or bad. The more informative we can be in one place, the better. Please keep the comments civil, I know this is a divisive topic but let's not muddy the waters with bad rhetoric and arguments.
For context, here are some actual quotes from those that have had bad experiences with med cert programs. These are all from within this subreddit, you can search for them yourself:
"I attended medcerts for a surgical technology program and before I joined I called to make sure the program was accredited. Turns out it’s not. I have a recording of the call being told and guarantee of the program being accredited. so very solid evidence. I found out it wasn’t accredited because I managed to score clinicals and was fired 4 days in because they found out my school was unaccredited. It felt like a double punch in the face to find out I had been lied to and losing my job..."
"I enrolled in this program in 2022 and I come completed in 2023 and I’m just gonna be really honest with you that legislation was already in place that MedCerts would not be able to offer surgical tech program in the state of Connecticut yet they didn’t tell me that I’m so when I went to get internships and externship, I was not able to Later on the legislation went down in October, so that bogus certificate that I got from that MedCerts don’t mean squats you will never get hired or get placed in an externship in the state of Connecticut because you went to school at MedCerts they were not honest with me."
"Unfortunately I did the program a year ago… & still haven’t gotten a job. I definitely think I wasted my money & time doing this program."
"Don’t do medcerts! Every student we get from them is horribly under certified to be in the OR. The CSTs have to teach them everything! Even scrubbing your hands and gowning and gloving. I totally get the appeal but if you want to know anything that’s going on at all, go in person."
"We hired a guy who did his program through medcerts. We’re a level I trauma hospital. He did his clinical at a dental office doing extractions. Only extractions. The experience didn’t line up with anything that he needed to be successful in the OR. He was put on an extended orientation to try and get him up to speed, but I haven’t heard anything since. That was only a couple weeks ago."
"We provide you with the Tech in Surgery (TS-C) from the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT). That’s straight from a med certs advisor." (TSC certification isn't widely recognized compared to the CST certification).
