# The Critical Role of Surgical Tech Programs in Building Cincinnati‘s Healthcare Economy - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/the-critical-role-of-surgical-tech-programs-in-building-cincinnatis-healthcare-economy/ - Published: 2024-01-26 - Author: Charlene Farwell - Categories: [School](https://33rdsquare.com/category/education/school/) --- With over a dozen hospital networks and healthcare facilities in the region creating thousands of jobs, medical care continues growing as one of Cincinnati‘s vital economic pillars. The skilled technicians who support these institutions behind the scenes play an equally essential role. For colleges hoping to develop programs that deliver a steady stream of qualified graduates into this sector, surgical technology has become an area of strategic focus. ## Surging Job Demand for Surgical Techs Hospitals and surgery centers throughout Greater Cincinnati currently employ over 7,500 surgical technologists across hundreds of operating rooms. As the regional population ages and requires more operations annually, job openings for surgical techs are projected to increase 16 percent locally and 15 percent nationally over the next decade according to the latest data from JobsOhio. With each surgical technologist directly supporting a team of surgeons, nurses, and other medical staff, this translates to thousands of additional healthcare jobs that can be sustained and grown simply by ensuring enough skilled technicians enter the field each year. That‘s why strong college programs teaching the rigorous disciplines involved in sterile processing, surgical equipment expertise, and assisting during complex procedures are essential to nurturing Cincinnati‘s healthcare economy. | Year | Surgical Tech Jobs in Cincinnati Metro | | --- | --- | | 2018 | 6,860 | | 2028 (projected) | 8,220 | _Projected 16% growth in Cincinnati surgical tech jobs 2018-2028 (Source: JobsOhio)_ Many local hospital leaders credit Cincinnati State, Hondros College, and Great Oaks Career Campuses for working closely with their departments to graduate students with real-world operating room readiness. Partnering to provide over 1,000 clinical rotation hours for students proves this tight integration between education and healthcare employers. ## Financial Pressures Threatening Technical Programs However, many of Cincinnati‘s surgical tech prep programs now face budgetary decisions that could compromise this talent pipeline if not addressed by reform-focused leaders. Years of declining public funding for secondary and higher education institutions along with belt-tightening measures during the pandemic have forced many schools to cut costs just to stay financially viable to continue serving students. Courses involving expensive technology investments and specialized medical equipment along with those needing more instructor oversight like surgical tech programs often end up on the chopping block first. State funding for public community colleges and technical schools dropped 32% per full-time enrolled student over the past 15 years when adjusted for inflation according to a 2022 report from the Center for American Progress. This financial burden disproportionately falls on programs educating nurses, emergency responders, manufacturing technicians, and surgical techs whose specialized labs and practicums require significant resources to deliver career-focused education. > "Our surgical tech prep program budget took a $42,000 cut last year. my concern is if we don‘t have the latest tools and enough faculty to teach critical skills, we‘ll quickly fall behind employer expectations." **– Dr. Regina Miles, Director of Healthcare Programs, Hondros College** Reversing this budget cutting trend and getting policymaker support for targeted reinvestment into Cincinnati‘s technical healthcare programs must become priorities for the region‘s education and political leaders. With lived medical experience and patient health literally dependent on the capabilities of surgical support teams, keeping these college programs robust and innovative should qualify as essential infrastructure spending for the city. ## Online Learning‘s Potential Role Many colleges have had to explore alternatives like remote and hybrid-online learning options to reduce overhead and still deliver surgical tech education amidst financial challenges. Each institution needs to weigh if this route compromises the hands-on competency development healthcare employers demand. Hondros College‘s fully online surgical tech associate degree aims for the best of both worlds by teaching didactic course content virtually then bringing students on campus for an intensive 400-hour clinical rotation phase. This allows for wider recruitment of students while still checking the clinical training box. Cincinnati State has added more virtual reality and simulation-based content to on-campus lab instruction as supplementary tools. This gives each student more repetition of scenarios that are encountered irregularly in real surgical settings during their rotation hours. > When asked about moving a greater portion of surgical tech coursework online, Cincinnati State‘s program director Dr. Thomas Mackey noted **"While smart virtual simulation tech can help scale repeatable hands-on skills practice, nothing yet replicates the experience of that first day in a busy hospital operating room."** Balancing flexibility and costs with physical clinical competency development will require creative solutions by surgical tech program leaders as online platforms continue rapidly developing. ## Graduates Still Finding Strong Job Placement Despite behind-the-scenes budget challenges, Cincinnati‘s surgical technology programs continue placing graduates into area hospitals. The most recent data shows 96 percent of Cincinnati State surgical tech graduates and 91 percent from Hondros College secure full-time surgical technologist positions within a year after completing clinical requirements. This consistent pipeline of freshly trained talent undoubtedly bolsters Cincinnati healthcare networks. Ongoing investment to sustain and expand local surgical tech education will remain mutually beneficial for both students seeking an affordable path to a stable medical career and hospital systems needing qualified support staff to deliver positive patient outcomes. Policymakers focused on strengthening the region‘s healthcare and education ecosystems would be prudent to evaluate ways of directing more funding towards these essential technical programs. Doing so supports Cincinnati‘s economic vitality on multiple fronts – from meeting healthcare labor demand and reducing skills gaps to providing viable technical career pathways allowing more residents to enter the middle class. _Data sourced from Cincinnati State, Hondros College, Census Bureau / JobsOhio, and Center for American Progress reports._ --- Source: [The Critical Role of Surgical Tech Programs in Building Cincinnati‘s Healthcare Economy](https://33rdsquare.com/the-critical-role-of-surgical-tech-programs-in-building-cincinnatis-healthcare-economy/)