Tomah Health is reaping the rewards of a new apprenticeship program designed to hire hard-to-find surgical technicians.
Hospital Sterile Processing coordinator Daniel Cole said Tomah Health created its own Surgical Tech Apprenticeship program to grow talent within the organization. “Our Surgical Tech Apprenticeship program was developed in direct response to a growing workforce need within our surgical services department,” said Cole, who helped coordinate the program. “Like many critical access hospitals, we found some traditional recruiting was unable to meet the demand for surgical technicians. Recognizing this gap, we needed a sustainable solution and developing the apprenticeship program allowed us to grow our own talent by combining structured education with hands-on training within our facility.”
Cole said the year-long apprenticeship program has been a unique program for a rural hospital like Tomah Health. “I would say it’s been highly successful given that it’s still relatively new. We’ve been able to recruit, train, and retain individuals who may not otherwise had access to traditional surgical technology pathway.”
He said surgical techs play a vital role in the surgical department. “They are sort of the gatekeeper of the sterile field. They are always making sure that there is not contamination that could lead to infections.” He said the techs also help direct the flow of surgeries. “Someone needs to be the conductor who organizes that flow and the surgical technicians are the ones who will get the instrumentation ready, possibly put together different components so that the surgeon can just focus on patient care.”
Calie Giraud and Lizzy Mattison are the first two surgical techs to graduate from the hospital’s program. “I’ve always been fascinated with the surgery and being in healthcare,” Giraud said about her decision to get involved with the apprenticeship program. “I just wanted to further my education and stay in the health field, and I wanted to stay at Tomah Health because it’s close to family and friends.” Giraud has been at Tomah Health five years after starting her career as a certified nursing assistant directly from high school.
“I chose to participate in this program to further develop my clinical knowledge and my hands-on skills,” said Mattison, who came to Tomah Health after holding a surgical support position at another area hospital. “The apprenticeship program has given me practical experience, improved my understanding of best practices, and prepared me to adapt to a fast-paced healthcare setting. These skills will allow me to contribute more effectively to my team and provide safe, efficient patient care,” added Mattison.
Cole said both Giraud and Mattison were a perfect fit for the program. “They both show the high standard of care that we strive for at Tomah Health. They’re both engaged, patient-focused, and consistently demonstrate professionalism, accountability, and a strong commitment to patient safety.”
While the program has fulfilled its short-term goal to help secure future surgical techs, Cole said the apprenticeship program will continue to be used as needed. “I think there is something to be very proud of. It’s a commitment to Tomah Health’s commitment to excellence and growing our own and promoting within is something that should be celebrated,” said Cole. “It wasn’t just leadership. It was the staff nurses, the certified nursing assistants and other surgical technicians. They all had a big hand in making this successful.”