I guess I should explain a couple of things about the tuition statement. I meant "money I don't have" in a more genral sense. If I had the money I wouldn't need to take out a loan. I didn't mean to come across as saying since I paid 10 grand I demand to be treated with respect and I'm sorry if I conveyed that. I just feel that no matter what you are going to school for if your not learning or being productive then your money is being wasted. Whether it's your own fault for not caring or your preceptors/instructors fault for not teaching. To me it's the same if you're in nursing school and get a crappy preceptor for the day who teaches you nothing your time and money were just wasted for that day.
We are a large teaching hospital that has one of the oldest nursing programs in the nation, the surgical tech program is 15 years old itself and we are currently partnered with Temple to build a medical school. There is a constant stream of students throughout the whole hospital. All of our clinicals are done through our hospital and its other campus sites. The other campus sites are great and they love students and no one has issues there. As one poster above mentioned I'm in a more toxic environment. It's why a lot of students of all types divert to the other campuses or just other hosptials in general after they graduate. There is just such a high turnover rate.
Yes, as a student I am allowed to do everything I would when I pass the boards and actually become a CST. I open, set up, pass instruments, count, keep tract of medications on the back table, staple, cut sutures, hold retractors and pretty much whatever the surgeon needs me to do. The only thing is I must have a CST scrubbed in with me at all times. Most of the circulators don't scrub in although at the other campuses it's mostly RNs. I've heard of several tech schools that only let their students observe and I think that's sad. It's such a hands on position and I don't understand how anyone can learn that way.
