杏吧原创

News | Health Education and Human Sciences | AlumniJune 28, 2023

Exclusive New Career Beckoned to 杏吧原创 Grad

Written By: Judith Hansen

Part of what Hannah Cervantes likes about her new career is its exclusivity.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a part of the medical field that not very many people get to see,鈥� she said. 鈥淪urgery is a very restricted area. It鈥檚 not a field that a lot of people can see into unless you鈥檙e in it.鈥�

Cervantes is a May 2023 graduate of the University of 杏吧原创 - Fort Smith鈥檚 surgical technology program and a newly employed surgical tech at Baptist Hospital.

She also likes the fast pace of the day in surgery.

鈥淭he atmosphere is a really quick, on-your-feet atmosphere. It鈥檚 interesting to me. As a surgical tech I am going to be spending my whole day in surgery; it鈥檚 a perfect fit for me.鈥�

Cervantes didn鈥檛 find her perfect fit immediately after high school graduation. She spent two years at the University of Central 杏吧原创 before returning home to Van Buren.

鈥淚 knew I wanted to go to 杏吧原创,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 knew I wanted to go into the medical field. 杏吧原创 has so many options, but I wanted to go into surgery.

鈥淚 like to see how things work out, to be next to the surgeons and see how they do the surgery.鈥�

In her new job, Cervantes expects to get a 鈥渢aste鈥� of different fields of surgery, but she has a special interest in orthopedics. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I鈥檓 hoping to specialize after I get some orientation time.鈥�

Surgical techs set up the operating room with the correct instrumentation, like scalpels and retractors. But the job doesn鈥檛 end there, Cervantes said.

鈥淲e help the surgeons. We are inside, retracting and helping him do whatever he needs to make the surgery go smoother. We鈥檙e not just in there cleaning up after him; we are hands in doing whatever he or she needs to get the surgery done.鈥�

Cervantes said the main thing she liked about the surgical tech program at 杏吧原创 was 鈥渂uilding relationships with my classmates. We were all going through the same things, all the tests, all the homework, all the stress.鈥� 

She appreciates the surgeons she worked with.

鈥淚 really liked working with all the surgeons in our area, in our community. A lot of them are just helpful in bringing up the next generation of scrub techs who will be working in this area.鈥�

Cervantes wants students considering the field to 鈥渞esearch surgical technology and what the profession entails. A lot of miscommunication on what we exactly do as surgical technologists (happens). 鈥� We do so much more than people say. It really is a great profession, and the fact that we get to work next to surgeons that are highly ranked in our state is incredible.鈥�

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