Kilgore College offers an Associate of Applied Science degree at KC-Longview.
Classes are held at the KC-Longview North Building with clinical rotations held at Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center.
Surgical technologists, or surgical techs, work alongside doctors and nurses in the operating room. These highly trained professionals help prepare patients and operating rooms for surgery, and serve as an extra set of hands during surgical procedures. This high-demand industry only takes a two-year (60-hour) associate degree to get hired as a surgical tech.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that between 2018 and 2028, employment opportunities for surgical technologists will grow at a faster-than-average rate of nine percent. This increased demand is expected to create nearly 10,000 new surgical tech positions over a 10-year timeframe. Surgical technicians in the U.S. command an average salary of more than $50,833 per year.
