AST Mission Statement :

To enhance the profession to ensure quality patient care.

The Association of Surgical Technologists was established in 1969 by members of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the Association of Peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN).  As the oldest and most widely recognized professional organization for surgical technologists and surgical assistants, AST's primary purpose is to ensure that surgical technologists and surgical assistants have the knowledge and skills to administer patient care of the highest quality.

Surgical technologists are working in one of the fastest growing professions in the country.  The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the surgical technology profession will grow by 30% from 2012 to 2022.  According to the 2014–2018 Arizona Healthy Aging Plan by the Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona will have a dramatic increase in general population as well as the senior population.  It is anticipated that the volume of surgery will increase exponentially due to the expanding senior population, advances in medical technology which is making surgery safer, and more operations being done to treat a variety of illnesses and injuries. 

Some of the ways AST works to promote the profession include:

• Working with the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Technology (ARC-ST) to set standards for education, including the associate's degree as the preferred level of entry into the profession;
• Lobbying at the state and national levels for graduation from an accredited program in surgical technology and holding/maintaining the Certified Surgical Technologist credential as a condition of employment, and for similar regulation of and reimbursement for non phyisician surgical assistants;
• Providing continuing education opportunities to advance the knowledge and skills base of practicing surgical technologists and surgical assistants.