Development of an endoscopy technician training certificate program in a community college

Surgical operating room technicians require 2 years of formal training and certification before they can assist a surgeon, whereas endoscopy units recruit and train personnel. This discrepancy is because community colleges and other educational venues lack formal endoscopy training programs. We report the development of a training program for endoscopy technicians (ETs) at the Houston Community College (HCC).

We took the following steps to create and validate the ET training program at HCC. We proposed developing an ET training program to the chancellor of the HCC. Based on input from the Development of a Curriculum Conference, we recruited an advisory board of educators who developed a 1-year ET certificate program. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSOC) approved the program. An endoscopist, a medical illustrator, and an educator developed the learning material. Practical training for the students at various endoscopy centers was arranged. Students took the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Endoscopy Technician Training Certificate of Completion Assessment Examination at the end of their course.

Successful development of the ET training certificate level II program at the community college required 6 years. Thirteen students enrolled in 2021, and 12 graduated in 2022. All 6 students enrolled in 2022 graduated from the program. All except 1 found employment soon after graduation. The first class obtained a mean score of 58% (range, 38%-77%), and the second class 80% (range, 75%-87%) on the ASGE Endoscopy Technician Training Certificate of Completion Assessment Examination.

A multidisciplinary collaborative approach between medical institutions, industry partners, and a community college led to the development of an ET training program, with the successful graduation of enrolled students and clearance of the ASGE certification. This program could be a blueprint for other community colleges to start a similar program.