Helpful websites for the SurgTech Certifying exam?

Hello there everyone,

My name is Joel Torres, I am a current surgtech

student in Tomball College Surgical Technology Team.

I am really worried about the certifying exam, I have no

Idea how to prepare for it :(

Anybody have any Idea about websites (free, preferably)

that help me to get prepared for the certifying exam?

Thanks & Regards,

Joel Torres

hey i have a study guide that cost about 50.00 i been studying for about an year it is very hard take everything u learn in classs and prepare yourself that way there are studyguides out there beside the one that the school gives

lynnetta in Spencer, Indiana said: hey i have a study guide that cost about 50.00 i been studying for about an year it is very hard take everything u learn in classs and prepare yourself that way there are studyguides out there beside the one that the school gives

What kind of study guide do you have? Is it a book? if it is a book, what its name?

Thanks,

Joel

review guide for surgical technologist

If you go to the AST website at www.ast.org/ you can buy a study guide for the test. Unless the hospitals in your area require CST I wouldn't bother I've been a Tech for 20 years and have never needed one to get a job, as long as you are enthusiastic about the job, most employers will be happy to hire you. I suggest trying the hospital where you did your clinical training.

Good Luck

Fred

Fred in San Diego, California said: If you go to the AST website at www.ast.org/ you can buy a study guide for the test. Unless the hospitals in your area require CST I wouldn't bother I've been a Tech for 20 years and have never needed one to get a job, as long as you are enthusiastic about the job, most employers will be happy to hire you. I suggest trying the hospital where you did your clinical training.

Good Luck

Fred

Thanks friend :) ! wish me luck!

In Michigan it seems like all hospitals are going toward hiring CST.

but what is the pay

What is what, pay? If your asking if getting Certified will gain you more cash per hour. In my 20 years of experience as a Surgical Technician, and in those 20 years I have travelled all over the US from Maine to California, none of the places I worked ever required you to have your CST, therefore having it wouldn't raise your rate of pay from what I experienced. Currently I work at a hospital that is goverened over by a union and I make a good rate of pay.

When I first graduated from Tech schooll, HighTech, certification wasn't required for me either. I decided not to take it, like you, because it was expensive to take it, I am a horrible test taker, I would've had to take a day off without pay to take the test and the pay wasn't any higher, so basically there were no advantages to having the certification. I have now been out of school for 6 years and since it has became pretty standard for my area to not hire surg techs that are not certified. I quit my job to take a better paying job (non scrubbing) as a sales rep and I pretty well cut myself out of scrubbing because without a certification no one will hire me now. I am looking very hard online to try to find somewhere that offers a refresher course so I can prepare for the exam but I sure wish I had went ahead and taken it fresh out of school since it is now almost impossible to get a job without it. I do miss scrubbing and feel like my options are pretty limited now without my certification. I have really cut myself short on this deal.

AS OF DECEMBER 25TH, I WILL BE WORKING AS A SCRUB TECH FOR 14 YEARS. HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING CERTIFIED WITHOUT HAVING TAKING A COURSE?? IS THERE A PLACE WHERE I CAN TAKE THE TEST AND GET CERTIFIED.

I am graduating from Surgical Tech school next week and as I am applying to hospitals, I've learned that most are requiring certification within one year of graduation from an accredited school. And one hopital system here in town now says that all surg techs must be certified by 2010 to keep employent. Taking the CST exam is definitely worth it.

JUDY C. in Walterboro, South Carolina said: AS OF DECEMBER 25TH, I WILL BE WORKING AS A SCRUB TECH FOR 14 YEARS. HOW DO I GO ABOUT GETTING CERTIFIED WITHOUT HAVING TAKING A COURSE?? IS THERE A PLACE WHERE I CAN TAKE THE TEST AND GET CERTIFIED.

To be able to sit for the certification exam you must have graduated from an accredited program. A few years back the AST offered techs that had been working in the field but never graduated from an accredited program the opportunity to sit for the exam and get grandfathered in. Now they are not able to take the exam. Just recently schools have started an "accelerated" program for techs that have several years of experience that upon completion would allow you to be able to take the CST exam. The positives: they prepare you for the CST exam. The negative: it can be pricey and may take 3-6 months. Overall I think very good. You should call ST schools in your area to find out if they offer this program.

Hey folks,
I've been a tech for 20 years, I hate to say it but Work tends to bore me. I work in California and I'm close to the top of the payscale. It's really not that bad and my wife is an OR Nurse so we make a pretty good income. I have never been Certified, currently it hasn't been an issue and as long as I stay in and around the area that I live in it won't be a problem with the shortage of techs. If you really want to sit for a certifing exam and you've been out of school for a while, I strongly suggest you go back for a Refresher course. The reason I say this is, most of the stuff on the exam isn't stuff we use anymore, most of the stuff we were aloud to do as Technicians has been taken away by either AORN Standards, or JCAHO. Alot of the material on the test is really stuff we don't need to know unless you are maybe working towards a STFA. I'm betting that if you go to the AST ( Association of Surgical Technologists) website - www.ast.org/ you can find some information about a refresher course. I'm still not planning on geting my CST. For some just entering the field I think its a good course of action.

High_Tech

High_Tech said: Hey folks,
I've been a tech for 20 years, I hate to say it but Work tends to bore me. I work in California and I'm close to the top of the payscale. It's really not that bad and my wife is an OR Nurse so we make a pretty good income. I have never been Certified, currently it hasn't been an issue and as long as I stay in and around the area that I live in it won't be a problem with the shortage of techs. If you really want to sit for a certifing exam and you've been out of school for a while, I strongly suggest you go back for a Refresher course. The reason I say this is, most of the stuff on the exam isn't stuff we use anymore, most of the stuff we were aloud to do as Technicians has been taken away by either AORN Standards, or JCAHO. Alot of the material on the test is really stuff we don't need to know unless you are maybe working towards a STFA. I'm betting that if you go to the AST ( Association of Surgical Technologists) website - www.ast.org/ you can find some information about a refresher course. I'm still not planning on geting my CST. For some just entering the field I think its a good course of action.

High_Tech

I have searched all over the internet for refresher courses and I can't find any. I have looked through AST and the one thing they have to offer is their study guide, which I am sure it will be helpful, but I would rather take some kind of course to help me refresh and or relearn stuff that I haven't had any dealings with(such as neuro and cardio we don't do those at the hospital I work in) and to go over the information that has changed since I was in school, I'm sure the books that I have are somewhat dated. A lot changes in the medical world in 7 years. I sure don't want to miss questions on the test because I have studied them wrong. I haven't been able to find anything like that out there.

Currently I'm out of town, for the Holidays, when i get home ill do some research see if i can find anything helpful.

High_Tech

we have several ST's at our hospital that are concerned about getting CST. In the most recent Surgical Technologist magazine that AST sends out monthly, there is an ad towards the back that addressed this issue. One ST looked at trying to do it the conventional way, and she was looking at thousands of dollars and re-taking classes that 'expired' years ago while she did OJT at the hospital that trained her to be an ST. This site says they are accredited and you can sit for the national exam.
www.neitcti.com (New England Institute of Technology)
they have an 800 number as well, but this forum won't let me post it, sorry.
convenient, online, self-paced CAAHEP accredited
(page 427 of the sept issue of Surgical Tech mag)
hope this helps

Is star tech accredited? Can I take the exam after graduating from there?

I am not familiar with Star Tech. Would like to have more info if you have it. Thanks

i was wanting to know what is the starting pay of a surg tech i keep getting different pay i a looking for the basic income ,i am starint everest in september and im not sure if i am interested in nursing(LPN) which base pay in indiana is $20.00 or if i want to take surg tech .i have a girlfriend who makes $32 per hour so if u could help me out that would be appreciated

could any one tell me what the cst exam is like? Preferably someone who has taken the exam in recent months. I would like to take my exam by the end of the summer and would like to know what i'm in for..

Joel Torres in Houston, Texas said: Hello there everyone,

My name is Joel Torres, I am a current surgtech

student in Tomball College Surgical Technology Team.

I am really worried about the certifying exam, I have no

Idea how to prepare for it :(

Anybody have any Idea about websites (free, preferably)

that help me to get prepared for the certifying exam?

Thanks & Regards,

Joel Torres

Hi Joel, did you take the test? I would like to take mine by the end of summer and would like to know what to be prepared for...

Joel Torres in Houston, Texas said: Hello there everyone,

My name is Joel Torres, I am a current surgtech

student in Tomball College Surgical Technology Team.

I am really worried about the certifying exam, I have no

Idea how to prepare for it :(

Anybody have any Idea about websites (free, preferably)

that help me to get prepared for the certifying exam?

Thanks & Regards,

Joel Torres

YOU CAN TAKE THE PRACTICE EXAM ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE store.lxr.com/dept.aspx?id=68

IT IS $40 TO TAKE IT BUT U CAN SEE WHAT AREAS YOU NEED TO FRESHEN UP ON

SOME STUDY GUIDES YOU CAN USE ARE THE APPLETON AND LANGE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY EXAMINATION 5TH ED, THE STUDY GUIDE FROM THE AST.ORG WEBSITE, AND PRENTICE HALLS COMPLETE REVIEW OF SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY.

SOME TEXTS U CAN GET ARE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST, ALEXANDERS CARE OF THE PATIENT IN SURGERY (I JUST ORDERED ONE), SURGICAL A & P FOR THE SURGIAL TECHNOLOGIST, PHARMACOLOGY FOR THE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST. I HAVE PURCHASED EVERY BOOK I MENTIONED. YOU CAN DO IT LITTLE AT A TIME, BUT THEY ARE GREAT TO HAVE. I HAVE TO STUDY FOR THE TEST TOO. HOPE I HELPED. GOOD LUCK.

HEY YALL, AMAZON.COM HAS CST EXAM FLASH CARDS! I JUST FOUND IT TODAY, HERE IS THE LINK www.amazon.com/CST-Exam-Flashcard-Secrets-Technologist/dp/B001HZP2BY

YOU CAN ALSO PURCHASE THE STUDY GUIDE THAT GOES WITH THEM. CST Exam Secrets Study Guide: CST Test Review for the Certified Surgical Technologist Exam (Paperback)

thanks for the info. Do you know anyone who has recently taken the exam? I would like a heads up on what to expect....

actually no, at this point i think im on the verge of trying to get both CST and NCCT-TSC to be honest.

CST EXAM FLASHCARD STUDY SYSTEM

www.flashcardsecrets.com/nbstsa/

maatiauset in Denver, Colorado said: YOU CAN TAKE THE PRACTICE EXAM ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE store.lxr.com/dept.aspx?id=68

IT IS $40 TO TAKE IT BUT U CAN SEE WHAT AREAS YOU NEED TO FRESHEN UP ON

SOME STUDY GUIDES YOU CAN USE ARE THE APPLETON AND LANGE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY EXAMINATION 5TH ED, THE STUDY GUIDE FROM THE AST.ORG WEBSITE, AND PRENTICE HALLS COMPLETE REVIEW OF SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY.

SOME TEXTS U CAN GET ARE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST, ALEXANDERS CARE OF THE PATIENT IN SURGERY (I JUST ORDERED ONE), SURGICAL A & P FOR THE SURGIAL TECHNOLOGIST, PHARMACOLOGY FOR THE SURGICAL TECHNOLOGIST. I HAVE PURCHASED EVERY BOOK I MENTIONED. YOU CAN DO IT LITTLE AT A TIME, BUT THEY ARE GREAT TO HAVE. I HAVE TO STUDY FOR THE TEST TOO. HOPE I HELPED. GOOD LUCK.

Appleton and lane is the best I have seen so far. How ever AST has changed their testing format and there is not a study guide. If you take any practice test and you do not know the ans. a b c or d mean, then you need to do your own research for the ans. Remember to know your laws and govering bodies such as AST, Caahep, NBSTSA. You can contact me at the national surgical technology myspace at www.myspace.com/surgtechfaimly

Joel Torres in Houston, Texas said: Hello there everyone,

My name is Joel Torres, I am a current surgtech

student in Tomball College Surgical Technology Team.

I am really worried about the certifying exam, I have no

Idea how to prepare for it :(

Anybody have any Idea about websites (free, preferably)

that help me to get prepared for the certifying exam?

Thanks & Regards,

Joel Torres

i really don't know I was about to study surgical tech. you totally frick me out. Good luck

curious in Chicago, Illinois said: i was wanting to know what is the starting pay of a surg tech i keep getting different pay i a looking for the basic income ,i am starint everest in september and im not sure if i am interested in nursing(LPN) which base pay in indiana is $20.00 or if i want to take surg tech .i have a girlfriend who makes $32 per hour so if u could help me out that would be appreciated

Where do everest graduates work? I haven't met any of them at any of the hospitals I've been to. I am curious; are they in hospitals, surgery centers ???

curious in Chicago, Illinois said: i was wanting to know what is the starting pay of a surg tech i keep getting different pay i a looking for the basic income ,i am starint everest in september and im not sure if i am interested in nursing(LPN) which base pay in indiana is $20.00 or if i want to take surg tech .i have a girlfriend who makes $32 per hour so if u could help me out that would be appreciated

To be blunt, i suggest only joing the ST program to be a ST. Joining the ST program for pay is a whole different story. St is quite competitive, if your GF makes $32 at what position, $ motivates, so if is she is an ST and she has enough pull to get you in a position as ST, more power to you. Good luck

has anyone taken the ncct exam .. tech in surgery?

I would really like some feedback? How was it? I bought their study materials and have been studying them faithfully but are they enough? Thanks

NEW TECH in San Antonio, Texas said: To be able to sit for the certification exam you must have graduated from an accredited program. A few years back the AST offered techs that had been working in the field but never graduated from an accredited program the opportunity to sit for the exam and get grandfathered in. Now they are not able to take the exam. Just recently schools have started an "accelerated" program for techs that have several years of experience that upon completion would allow you to be able to take the CST exam. The positives: they prepare you for the CST exam. The negative: it can be pricey and may take 3-6 months. Overall I think very good. You should call ST schools in your area to find out if they offer this program.

I live here in San Antonio as well and have been preparing myshelf to enter into a surgical tech program. Many of my friends are in other work related fields,leaving me with lots of questions and no one to relate to. Would u mind if maybe we could talk via email? U sound very knowlegable in the field and I think I could benefit from talking with you. Thanks!

I took the NCCT test in July and passed. All I can say is that if you bought their study guides than you should pass it no problem. I actually have taken the test twice. The first time around I didnt buy the study material (but some of my fellow classmates had) and I missed it by only 7 pts. Than my fellow classmates that had purchased the study guides had stated that alot of the questions were from the study guides. So I studied from the guides and passed without a problem. I was told that the test changes its focus on certain parts of the body. When I took the test the emphasis was the Eyes. So a handful of questions were specifically about the eyes, luckily on my extern I did handle many ophthalmic procedures. But all in all ...you study their guide and you should pass without a problem. I believe its 250 questions, multiple choice and you have like 2 or 3hrs to do it. I hope this helps and Good luck!

Dcaporelli in Elmer, New Jersey said: I would really like some feedback? How was it? I bought their study materials and have been studying them faithfully but are they enough? Thanks

Sorry, I forgot to hit the reply button...see my message above. ( :

Thanks everyone who helped me! I took it Saturday and PASSED! I start my extern 2mara! I love this Surg Tech stuff lol!

Dcaporelli in Elmer, New Jersey said: Thanks everyone who helped me! I took it Saturday and PASSED! I start my extern 2mara! I love this Surg Tech stuff lol!

Congrats! So what materials did the trick as far as your studies went

Go to the NCCT site. www.ncctinc.com and buy their review materials for the tech in surgery it really helped. a lot of the questions came straight from the book

I apperciate that information, would have never looked there. What areas did you feel the test over emphasised on. I heard alot of pharm, generic vs name brand and measurments. Any personal suggestions besides the above mentioned. I take the test this Wednesday and have reviewed the material from school and the yellow book. A friend of mine had to take the test in order to keep his job and failed the first time with no studying and then purchased the appleton and lang book and missed only a few questions and passed. I have reviewed out of that book as well and would have liked to got my hands on those review materials you mentioned. Wish me luck everyone!

i would like to take my test soon

yotesa in Moreno Valley, California said: i would like to take my test soon

I rescheduled mine for Tuesday. They require certification in Nashville now. A couple of students that were hired after their externship have to be certified by a certain date or they loose their job. One student passed the first time and another failed and has til the end of this month to pass in order to keep their job. I had a 4.0 in school and did well during externships. Some of the review questions I have missed because instruments have different names than what they call them in the OR, and because I dont administer the anesthesia, I dont know the percentages to put in an IV bag, and all the generic vs name brand drugs that are out there is crazy lol. Seems in the real world you would be fine just knowing 1/4 with epi lol for all the local.

Dcaporelli in Elmer, New Jersey said: Go to the NCCT site. www.ncctinc.com and buy their review materials for the tech in surgery it really helped. a lot of the questions came straight from the book

Any more feed back you can give me regarding the NCCT test for a ST? What to look out for Etc??

thanks

There are 2 diff tests. The nbstsa of the ast which is the national board and has a 5 year renewal, and then theres the ncct which is every 5 years. On the national level the ast requires the nbstsa test to be taken.

StacieT in TN said: When I first graduated from Tech schooll, HighTech, certification wasn't required for me either. I decided not to take it, like you, because it was expensive to take it, I am a horrible test taker, I would've had to take a day off without pay to take the test and the pay wasn't any higher, so basically there were no advantages to having the certification. I have now been out of school for 6 years and since it has became pretty standard for my area to not hire surg techs that are not certified. I quit my job to take a better paying job (non scrubbing) as a sales rep and I pretty well cut myself out of scrubbing because without a certification no one will hire me now. I am looking very hard online to try to find somewhere that offers a refresher course so I can prepare for the exam but I sure wish I had went ahead and taken it fresh out of school since it is now almost impossible to get a job without it. I do miss scrubbing and feel like my options are pretty limited now without my certification. I have really cut myself short on this deal.

Contact MedVance in nashville. They are holding one in October

Don in Nashville, Tennessee said: There are 2 diff tests. The nbstsa of the ast which is the national board and has a 5 year renewal, and then theres the ncct which is every 5 years. On the national level the ast requires the nbstsa test to be taken.

What I meant is the NBSTSA has a 4 year renewal and the NCCT has a 5 year renewal. Ones the tech for surgury certification and the other is certified surgical technologists through the national board surgical technology and surgical assistants

Ah yes... AST.. NCCT. every one has their views and opinions. I had to take the NCCT route since my school wasn't accredited by the USDOE or CAAHEP.I found out late BUT nevertheless, I passed and am proud! Don't let the AST let you feel like your certification doesn't count. It does and shows your serious in your professionalism!

Dcaporelli in Elmer, New Jersey said: Ah yes... AST.. NCCT. every one has their views and opinions. I had to take the NCCT route since my school wasn't accredited by the USDOE or CAAHEP.I found out late BUT nevertheless, I passed and am proud! Don't let the AST let you feel like your certification doesn't count. It does and shows your serious in your professionalism!

anything i should study? been out of school for a while, like to pass this on my first trip

thanks

You need to know as many retractors and what they "could be" used for
Know your pharm "several pharm" questions
Know all the names for an instrument and know your pressure and times for sterilizing instruments and the chemicals that are used in the machines.
The tests are diff. in the introperative department. Several people I know had alot of questions about the eyes. I had neuro and lumbar as most of mine.
Out of all the people I graduated with, the ones that passed the exam were also the ones able to rotate through diff depts as part of their externship. some were stuck at one place doing general or obgyn and not able to get into heart or eyes or even ent or plastics which I have heard from others was a big portion of their tests....????
I guess it depends on the test. Go and take it and if you pass great! If not it will print out what knowledge you lack in. The practice tests at mbstsa would have helped out, but the 40.00 dollars each time you take it can get rough.
Appleton and Lang had several basic knowledge questions that were on the test. But like Dcaporelli in Elmer said. Their is another certification test out there that may have a better study guide

whats the difference between the exam you took and the NCCT?