Surgical Technology, AS

Please develop a thoughtful and organized response to the questions below. Your response should be approximately two paragraphs for each question. The admissions committee is looking for responses that are not only well supported but that also use appropriate style and grammar. Be sure to include your name and program on the document itself. You may attach the responses to an email sent to the Admissions office at admissions@methodistcollege.edu.

When drafting your written statement, please cite any sources using APA format if applicable.  Also know that instances of plagiarism within an applicant's written statement will disqualify them for acceptance to Nebraska Methodist College due to the College's commitment to academic integrity and stringent plagiarism policies.

If you send your responses through the mail, please type your responses and send them to:
NMC Admissions
Nebraska Methodist College - The Josie Harper Campus
720 N. 87th Street
Omaha, NE 68114

1. An NMC graduate is an educated citizen who exhibits breadth of learning through the liberal arts and sciences traditions in concert with professional education. Our goal as an institution is that graduates of NMC will be able to articulate and demonstrate growth in the following areas: as reflective individuals, as effective communicators, and as change agents.

   Please first address what or who has influenced your decision to pursue a career in healthcare?

2. Reflective Individual: A reflective individual consistently uses logic and critical thinking in all aspects of life. Select one of the following classes that you have taken: English Composition, Literature, History, Government, Psychology, or Sociology.

   Share what was most interesting to you in this class. How might you apply what you learned to the healthcare field? If you do not have recent classes to reflect upon, you may reflect on a personal experience that you had and how what you learned from the experience can be applied to healthcare.

3. Effective Communicator: Effective communicators express their ideas through talking, non-verbal communication, writing, and sometimes speaking languages other than English.

   Describe the type of communication listed above you feel most comfortable using. Give a specific example of a time when you exhibited strong communication skills and what the result was of this communication. For example, did you resolve a problem, put someone at ease, or help someone understand a complicated situation?

4. Change Agent: One of the goals of our undergraduate education is to assist students in becoming agents of change. We create positive change when we work effectively in groups and bring individuals together for a common purpose. These skills are challenging and require patience and practice.

   Describe an experience you have had as a member of a group. Select a particular situation when a problem arose in that group and write about how you responded to it. You may select an experience that went well or one that you wish you could "do over."

5. Please address any grades of D's or F's listed on your transcripts.  Also, please address withdrawals or other discrepancies on your transcripts. If you do not have any D's, F's or W's please respond: Not Applicable.    

1. Able to stand, bend, stoop, and/or sit for long periods of time in one location with minimum/no breaks.
2. Able to lift a minimum of 20 pounds. (this is 50 pounds at most health systems for hiring)
3. Able to refrain from nourishment or restroom breaks for periods up to 6 hours.
4. Demonstrate sufficient visual ability enough to load a fine (10-0) suture onto needles and needle holders with/without corrective lenses and while wearing safety glasses.
5. Demonstrate sufficient peripheral vision to anticipate and function while in the sterile surgical environment.
6. Hear and understand muffled communication without visualization of the communicator's mouth/lips and within 20 feet.
7. Hear activation/warning signals on equipment.
8. Able to detect odors sufficient to maintain environmental safety and patient needs.
9. Manipulate instruments, supplies and equipment with speed, dexterity, and good eye-hand coordination.
10. Ambulate/move around without assistive devices.
11. Able to assist with and/or lift, move, position, and manipulate the patient who is unconscious with or without assistive devices.
12. Communicate and understand fluent English both verbally and in writing.
13. To be free of reportable communicable diseases and chemical abuse.
14. Able to demonstrate immunity (natural or artificial) to Rubella, Rubeola, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B, or be vaccinated against these diseases, or willing to sign a waiver of release of liability regarding these diseases.
15. Possess short-and long-term memory sufficient to perform tasks such as, but not limited to, mentally tracking surgical supplies and performing anticipation skills intraoperatively.
16. Able to make appropriate judgment decisions
17. Demonstrate the use of positive coping skills under stress.
18. Demonstrate calm and effective responses, especially in emergency situations.
19. Exhibit positive interpersonal skills during patient, staff, and faculty interactions.

Background check: Clinical facilities require that Nebraska Methodist College perform drug testing and background checks on all students before they are allowed to participate in clinical experiences. Therefore, students will be required to have a background check performed and submit to drug screening before being allowed into clinical practice.

It is your responsibility to understand the duties, responsibilities, skills and abilities required for your chose program/profession. In addition to the technical standards as described above, please review the information regarding Surgical Technology at the O*NET website here.