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North Idaho College Surgical Technology named best in Idaho

| February 10, 2025 1:08 AM

North Idaho College has been named the No. 1 college in Idaho for surgical technology by College Factual, a website focused on helping students find the colleges that best fit their needs.

To go along with the No. 1 ranking, the NIC Surgical Technology program boasts a five-year average pass rate of 98.6% on the Certified Surgical Technologist Examination administered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. The exam is considered the highest standard in the industry, with a national average pass rate of 66.8% on the first attempt.

“We couldn’t be more enthused by the success of our surgical technology program,” NIC Dean of Nursing and Health Professions Erlene Pickett said in a Monday news release. “The work our faculty, staff, students and community partners have put in is incredible.”

Since the program's inception in 2019, 60 students have graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in surgical technology. All NIC surgical technology graduates secured employment before completing the program, maintaining a 100% employment rate with new graduates earning over $30 an hour. Seventeen students enrolled in the program are set to graduate in 2025 and have an average GPA of 3.5.

Students in the program complete over 140 surgical cases and work more than 400 hours to qualify for the Certified Surgical Technologist Examination. To meet these needs, the college works with clinical affiliates including Kootenai Health, Northwest Specialty Hospital and Hayden Surgery Center.

“We could not do this program without our clinical affiliates,” NIC Surgical Technology Program Director Terra Lawson-Gilbert said in the news release. “They are all fantastic to work with and make sure our students receive world-class training.”

During a site visit by the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting in October 2024, the program received an exceptional rating with no areas of concern and was awarded programmatic accreditation for 10 years.

The program annually runs two cohorts and accepts 10 students per cohort through a competitive entry process. Applications for the fall cohort open in March.

Visit nic.edu/surgtech for details about the program or collegefactual.com to see the College Factual ranking.

    Surgical technology student Dinah Seymour observes a mock surgery in a simulation lab at the Meyer Health and Sciences Building on North Idaho College’s Coeur d’Alene campus.