Are you a practicing tech and interested in helping others by serving on a medical mission trip? The Foundation for Surgical Technology scholarships provide reimbursement for some of your expenses and help you offset the cost of your trip.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a mission scholarship you must:
- Be an active member with currency of the Association of Surgical Technologists.
- Complete and submit the Mission Medical Application and the Medical Mission Verification Form by December 31 of the year of your mission.
- Provide a description of your AST membership history, including your join date and any service to or involvement in your professional association.
- Email official documentation of the mission program to scholarships@ast.org. Be sure to include your name and medical mission in the subject.
- Provide copies of all receipts documenting the costs, shown in US dollars, that you incurred on your trip. Email receipts to scholarships@ast.org. The amount of scholarship funds awarded are determined after the medical mission, based on the documentation provided.
- Write an article describing your experience for The Surgical Technologist journal. You must submit the 1,000-2,000-word article and related images before you will be reimbursed.
CE Credit
In addition to the medical mission scholarship, you could earn as many as 10 hours of CE credit toward your CST recertification. You can earn CE credit for a medical mission once per certification cycle, but are only eligible to receive one scholarship.
Surgical Mission Organizations
Not sure which organizations accept surgical technologists for medical mission trips? The Resources for the Surgical Team page of the American College of Surgeons Website provides a list of organizations with links to their websites. Scroll down toward the bottom and look for the heading Surgical Technologists.
Contact the Foundation for Surgical Technology with questions or concerns about the application process.
| Year |
Mission and Other Awards |
Amount Awarded |
| 1999 |
0 |
0 |
| 2000 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
0 |
0 |
| 2002 |
1 |
$500 |
| 2003 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 |
0 |
0 |
| 2005 |
3 |
$3,000 |
| 2006 |
0 |
0 |
| 2007 |
0 |
0 |
| 2008 |
3 |
$4,100 |
| 2009 |
1 |
$1,000 |
| 2010 |
2 |
$1,000 |
| 2011 |
0 |
0 |
| 2012 |
0 |
0 |
| 2013 |
2 |
$4,000 |
| 2014 |
4 |
$2,500 |
| 2015 |
3 |
$1,500 |
| 2016 |
0 |
0 |
| |
19 |
$17,600 |