BLINN COLLEGE RECOGNIZES SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY GRADS WITH PINNING CEREMONY

  

The Blinn College District recently celebrated eight Surgical Technology Program graduates with a pinning ceremony recognizing their ability to serve as valuable surgical team members and dedicated patient advocates.

Graduates received their pins after successfully completing a rigorous two-year program that includes lecture and laboratory classes as well as clinical observation and operating room experience.

The 2025 graduating class includes Victoria Bachmann (College Station), Marcos Quintero Candela (Bryan), Aleydis Bello Dorantes (Bryan), Hannah Carlson (Round Rock), Hanna Eady (Dallas), Krystal Heinecker (Bryan), Abby Karl (Victoria), and Katie Smith (Flower Mound).

“Surgical technology is a specialized field and these graduates have excelled both in their coursework and clinical rotations,” Program Director Linda Hill said. “This pinning ceremony is a celebration of their accomplishments and the skills they have acquired to make a positive impact on the patients they serve and the healthcare teams they support.”

Surgical technologists assist surgeons, anesthesiologists, and registered nurses in providing care to patients in the operating room. They ensure that equipment functions properly and operative procedures are conducted under conditions that maximize patient safety. Blinn’s Surgical Technology Program is based at the RELLIS Academic Complex at Texas A&M-RELLIS, which features state-of-the-art simulation labs and an innovative learning environment.

“Blinn’s Surgical Technology Program is fast-paced, immersive, and incredibly hands-on, just like the career itself,” said graduate Hannah Carlson. “The hospitals where we completed our clinical rotations have been welcoming and provided us with wonderful mentors who taught me something new every time I walked into the operating room. The support and education I received at Blinn have been incredible and I’m confident that my training has prepared me to be a strong asset in any operating room I join.”

In addition to their classes, Blinn students gain hands-on clinical experience at Baylor Scott & White and CHI St. Joseph Health facilities in College Station and Brenham and the Park Hudson Surgery Center and The Physicians Centre Hospital in Bryan. Students in the program must complete more than 120 surgical cases across a variety of surgical specialties, and graduates have successfully obtained employment at many of the same facilities where they refined their skills.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median wage is $62,480 per year and Texas has the nation’s second highest demand for surgical technologists.

Surgical technologists often are employed at hospitals but can work in any setting that conducts surgical procedures, including doctor’s offices, day surgery facilities, and dental offices. Blinn’s Surgical Technology Program also can provide a launching pad to other healthcare careers.

The application cycle for spring 2026 admission to Blinn’s Surgical Technology Program is open through Nov. 30, 2025. To learn more about the program, visit www.blinn.edu/surgical-technology.

Registration also is available for Blinn’s fall 2025 term. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu.

(Story courtesy Blinn Information)