Last year for the first
time I attended the
AST National Confer-
ence in Denver. This
was an eye-opening
experience for a surgical
tech student. So en-
lightening in fact, that I
decided to run for office
of the Association of
Surgical Technologists
Student Association.
As we prepare for this
year’s conference in San
Antonio, I feel that my fellow student members should
know exactly how attending national conference can
be for your future.
If there is one thing that can be demonstrated by
the national conference it is AST is a dedicated group
of individuals that care as much about my career as I
do. By attending conference, you become absolutely
enraptured by the comradery and spirit of other AST
members. There is nothing more encouraging than
seeing an entire organization working toward the
success of your career. From continued lobbying for a
standard of a Certified Surgical Technologist in every
operating room to encouraging further education and
advancement to current CSTs; the national conference
is everything that is great about the AST packed into
one riveting week.
Many of the veteran AST members I encountered
at the national conference were more than happy to
express their excitement by the show of participation
from the students. These members know that it is the
students that will usher in a new understanding of
the CST. As a student at national conference you will
have an opportunity to be mentored and encouraged
by the veterans of our profession. Not only will you
learn some tricks of the trade and be exposed to new
products and techniques, but you also will get an op-
portunity to learn firsthand of what you can expect to
achieve as a CST.
And then there’s student day. That’s right, an entire
day dedicated to the students. And this year’s student
day is set to be a blast. At the Student Day event each
student has the chance to win swag. You also will have
the opportunity to meet and get to know other stu-
dents, discuss the many quandaries of how to deal with
life in clinicals and find out exactly why it is so impor-
tant to be an active and involved AST member.
As a student member you also will have the oppor-
tunity to run for office of the ASTSA. Even if run-
ning for office sounds like it may not be for you, being
a voting member ensures that the right people are
selected for the job. The officers are in charge of plan-
ning and hosting the next student day for the follow-
ing conference. By being an involved student member
and attending conference you are ensuring that future
students have these same opportunities. You will not
regret attending national conference!
A Complimentary Quarterly Publication from
AST for Students of Surgical Technology
AST
SA STUDENT
ASSOCIATION
Association of
Surgical Technologists
The Importance of Attending
AST’s Conference
S H E E N A C U N N I N G H A M , C S T
N E W S
ASTSA
Winter 2015 Volume 21 Number 3
Conference Roundup: informaton and forum schedule
Seasoned tech vets respond to a Facebook
question concerning the best way to manage ties,
either on the Mayo or back table
INSIDE
one
A long listing of multiple resources for aids in study-
ing: free apps, apps you can buy and websites
