Surgical Tech Programs & Schools (2024 Online Rankings)

Preppy is this awesome online education platform that’s teamed up with Auburn University, a nonprofit, accredited university offering the most recommended online surgical tech program out there.

And do you know what’s cool about Preppy?

Choosing Preppy for your training comes with a bunch of perks that make it the best in the market:

Let us tell you why:

• Learning Anywhere, Anytime: Preppy offers a 100% online training program, which means no more boring textbooks, fixed classes, or schedules to juggle. With Preppy, you’re free to learn whenever and wherever you want.
• Hands-On Experience: Learning Surgical Tech isn’t just about theory, and Preppy understands that. It hooks you up with real-world experience through hands-on training, in the form of externships. You’ll be all set to apply what you’ve learned in the actual field, once you finish the course.
• Quick Course Completion: Guess what? You can finish your course in just 4 months with Preppy. Yep, you read that right! You’ll be ready to kickstart your career way sooner compared to the years of traditional schooling.
• University Certificate of Completion:  Once you’ve aced your course, you’ll score a Certificate of Completion from Auburn University. It’s like a badge of honor you can proudly show off in your workspace or at home.
• National Certification:  Being certified is critical in our minds to begin your career as a Surgical Tech.  It’s a national standard that employers commonly look for, and tells them you meet that important standard for patient care.  Preppy’s program prepares you to crush the national certifications!
• Bonus Laptop: Signing up with Preppy? They’ll throw in a free laptop for you. And guess what? It’s yours to keep even after you’ve wrapped up the course. How cool is that?
• Affordable: Now, here’s the best part. Preppy won’t drain your wallet. Tuition costs are super affordable, so you can say goodbye to those student debts.

Are we biased? You bet we are!  We’ve been waiting a long time to see a program like Preppy that has top-notch education, fast completion, and a low price.

Preppy’s surgical tech program also offers an in-depth, comprehensive understanding of your job role as a surgical tech, which includes topics such as medical terminologies, infection control, and safety protocols, patient care procedures, an in-depth understanding of surgical instruments, and so on.

Find Out More About Preppy’s Surgical Tech Program

New York University, aka NYU, is a private-for-profit institution for higher education, based in New York.

We like the fact that NYU offers an in-depth on-campus surgical technology program. It can be completed in a full year and is divided into two six-month semesters, covering all comprehensive topics.

One of the biggest advantages of this accredited program is that it’s through a university which holds immense value.

However, this one-year program offers scheduled classes on campus, in Manhattan, which can be a hassle for many students.

If you happen to miss a few classes, rescheduling them is usually difficult and there are chances that you may have to retake those classes the following year, which might cost more time and money.

Another disadvantage is the high tuition fee, with the current tuition cost for the surgical tech program costing $16,500, which excludes the cost of books and other supplies.

This could result in students having to lean on financial aid in the form of educational loans, which can take years to pay off.

Berkeley College is another for-profit college with campuses based in New York, New Jersey, and online.

Berkeley offers an associate’s degree in surgical technology, which takes about two years to complete. If you choose this program, you will have the option to choose from the following available locations:

• Berkeley College Online
• Woodland Park campus
• Woodbridge campus

However, the online degree completion option at Berkeley is only available to people who have completed a Surgical Technology program accredited by the CAAHEP, which means this program is not really suited for beginners.

Another disadvantage is the high tuition costs attached to this program, wherein the surgical tech associate degree program costs $23,200, which is one of the more expensive on the list.

Plus, as far as hands-on experience is concerned, this program at Berkeley does not offer any internship or externship opportunities, which can be disadvantageous for aspiring surgical techs.

Seattle Central College is a public college based in Seattle, Washington.

We like that the surgical technology program offered by Seattle Central College offers a comprehensive learning program in a two-year associate degree in surgical tech.

This surgical tech program is better than other alternatives, in terms of tuition costs, wherein it costs approximately $7,000, which is less than some of the other programs.

However, there are also a few cons attached to this program, such as:

• No online classes, which means you will have to attend in-person scheduled classes, which can be annoying at times.
• No externship opportunities after course completion, which is vital for aspiring surgical techs.

Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) is a public community college based in Port Arthur, Texas.

The Surgical Technology Program offers a learning journey tailored for students, aiming to equip graduates with the skills needed to enter the field as entry-level surgical technologists and meet the criteria for national certification.

LSCPA offers an associate’s degree that takes up to two years to complete.

The main disadvantage of enrolling in this program is that it offers in-person scheduled classes on campus, which, as mentioned earlier, can be a hassle for students.

Another disadvantage is the high tuition costs, with the surgical tech program costing $10,630, which is again high.