Reading Hospital announced it will provide up to 10 full-tuition scholarships for the incoming class of Surgical Technology students at Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences (RHSHS). If selected for the scholarship, students will be asked to commit to providing three years of Surgical Technology employment to Reading Hospital. Accepted students will receive a scholarship of approximately $17,800 to cover the tuition of the program. The student will be responsible to cover the program fees estimated at $2,500. In addition, the current class of four students were also provided a prorated two-year scholarship.
Surgical technologists are allied healthcare professionals who provide direct patient care during surgery. They work side by side with surgeons, registered nurses, anesthesia care providers, and other multi-disciplinary healthcare team members to provide quality patient care in the operating room.
"Students in our Surgical Technology program participate in traditional classroom instruction, develop their clinical skills in our state-of-the-art simulation skills lab, and complete more than 900 hours of clinical practice during their enrollment at Reading Hospital," said Debbie Rahn, EdD, MSN, RN, Director, Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences. "Our graduates are prepared for their careers and for more than 10 years, our students have had a 100 percent pass rate of the Surgical Technologist National Certification Exam."
The Surgical Technology program is a cooperative degree program between Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences and Alvernia University. Upon completion of the 20-month program, students graduate with an Associate Degree in Science and a Diploma in Surgical Technology. Students also earn Da Vinci Robotic certification during the program. Graduates of the Surgical Technology program are eligible to sit for the Surgical Technologist National Certification Exam from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) upon completion of the program.
The Surgical Technology Program at Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences was established in 1969 and has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) since 1997.
Charles F. Barbera, MD, Reading Hospital President and CEO, added, "For more than 130 years, the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences has been providing superior educational programs. Reading Hospital is proud to provide this unique scholarship opportunity to our incoming students who, in turn, will become our colleagues at the hospital to help fulfill our mission of providing high-quality healthcare to our communities."
For additional information or to apply to the Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences, visit RHSchoolofHealthSciences.org or call 484-628-0100.
About Reading Hospital
Reading Hospital is the flagship, Magnet Recognized, acute care hospital of Tower Health. Located in West Reading, Pa., Reading Hospital is a 697-bed hospital that is home to many top-tier specialty care centers, including Reading HealthPlex, McGlinn Cancer Institute, Miller Regional Heart Center, Emergency Department, Level I Trauma Center and Beginnings Maternity Center, which houses the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). With more than 1,000 physicians, specialists, and advanced practice providers across 49 locations, Reading Hospital has been recognized for its quality outcomes and clinical expertise across services lines. It is listed as one of America's 100 Best Hospitals for four consecutive years (and moving up to America's 50 Best Hospitals in 2022) and received a 5-Star Rating from CMS two years in a row. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.