Penn State Health - Hershey Medical Center
Location: US:PA: Hershey
Work Type: Full Time
FTE: 1.00
Shift: Varied
Hours: Varied as needed for education of staff
Recruiter Contact: Nicholas Wine at [email protected]
SUMMARY OF POSITION:
Under the general supervision of the Program Director of Quality and Safety, the Surgical Technologist Educator is responsible for participating in the leadership of orientation, staff development, and continuing education for operating room personnel. This role collaborates closely with nurse educator colleagues to deliver comprehensive educational services while providing consultation and mentoring support to perioperative team members.
Surgical Technologist Educator | Perioperative Services | Academic Medical Center
Step into a role where your expertise directly shapes surgical excellence at Penn State Health, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. We’re seeking a Surgical Technologist Educator who is passionate about developing others, advancing perioperative practice, and supporting a high-performing surgical team within a Level I Trauma Center and academic environment.
This is more than an educator role—it’s an opportunity to influence clinical practice, elevate competencies, and strengthen the future of the operating room workforce.
What You’ll Do
You will lead the delivery of education, training, and competency development for surgical technologists and operating room personnel, ensuring teams are prepared to perform at the highest level in a complex surgical setting. Acting as a subject matter expert, you’ll bring clinical expertise directly into the OR to coach, mentor, and support team members in real time.
Key responsibilities include guiding new hire orientation and clinical rotations, providing hands-on intraoperative support, and continuously evaluating and enhancing learning experiences based on feedback. You will design and implement education programs that support competency validation, clinical ladder advancement, and integration of evidence-based practice.
You’ll also play a visible role in building a culture of learning and growth—partnering with Talent Acquisition, educators, and OR leadership to support recruitment initiatives and strengthen candidate pipelines. In addition, you will contribute to safety, quality, and regulatory education, ensuring alignment with evolving standards and organizational priorities.
Collaboration is central to this role, as you work closely with surgeons, nursing, anesthesia, and perioperative leaders to support performance improvement initiatives and drive consistency across teams.
Why This Role Stands Out
Academic medical center with exposure to complex, high-acuity surgical cases
34 operating rooms and 20,000+ procedures annually across multiple specialties
Direct impact on staff development, retention, and patient outcomes
Strong collaboration across surgical, nursing, and leadership teams
Opportunity to shape perioperative education strategy and influence future talent pipelines
If you’re driven to mentor others, elevate surgical practice, and make a meaningful impact in perioperative services, this is a role worth exploring.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION(S):
- Associate’s degree or higher in Health Science, Healthcare Administration or related field
- Graduate of an accredited Surgical Technologist Program
- Current CST certification (accredited through the NBSTSA)
- Three (3) years of related educational operating room experience such as a preceptor, mentor/coaching, in-service coordination, or service line leadership
PREFERRED QUALIFICATION(S):
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field
- Five (5) years in an operating room setting.
- Experience in a level I trauma center and/or transplant background highly desired.
- Two (2) years of formal classroom teaching and developing education activities.
- Evidence of ongoing professional development related to the perioperative clinical environment.
WHY PENN STATE HEALTH?
Penn State Health offers exceptional opportunities to learn and grow, exposure to a wide patient population, and the ability to provide individualized, innovative, and specialized care to patients in the community.
Penn State Health offers an exceptional benefits package including medical, dental and vision with no waiting period as well as a Total Rewards Program that highlights a few of the many additional offerings below:
- Be Well with Employee Wellness Programs, and Fitness Discounts (University Fitness Center, Peloton).
- Be Balanced with Generous Paid Time Off, Personal Time, and Paid Parental Leave.
- Be Secured with Retirement, Extended Illness Bank, Life Insurance, and Identity Theft Protection.
- Be Rewarded with Competitive Pay, Tuition Reimbursement, and PAWS UP employee recognition program.
- Be Supported by the HR Solution Center, Learning and Organizational Development and Virtual Benefits Orientation, Employee Exclusive Concierge Service for scheduling.
WHY PENN STATE HEALTH MILTON HERSHEY MEDICAL CENTER?
Penn State Hershey Medical Center is Central Pennsylvania’s only Academic Medical Center, Level 1 Regional Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, and Tertiary Care Provider. As a four-time Magnet-designated hospital, Hershey Medical Center values the hard work and dedication that our employees exhibit every day. Through our core values of Respect, Integrity, Teamwork, and Excellence, our employees are a team committed to compassionate care for our diverse patient population, our community and each other. As a valued team member, we promote continued professional development, specialty certification, continuing education, and career growth.
YOU TAKE CARE OF THEM. WE’LL TAKE CARE OF YOU. State-of-the-art equipment, endless learning, and a culture of excellence – that’s Penn State Health. But what makes our healthcare award-winning? That’s all you.
This job posting is a general outline of duties performed and is not to be misconstrued as encompassing all duties performed within the position. Eligibility for shift differential pay based on the terms outlined in company policy or union contract. All individuals (including current employees) selected for a position will undergo a background check appropriate for the position's responsibilities.
Penn State Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected class including disability or veteran status. Penn State Health’s policies and objectives are in direct compliance with all federal and state constitutional provisions, laws, regulations, guidelines, and executive orders that prohibit or outlaw discrimination.
Union: Non Bargained