Springfield, Ill. (WCIA) – Surgeons and surgery room staff came to the Capitol Thursday to push for a bill that could change requirements for surgical technologists.

Surgery technologists are healthcare professionals who help surgeons during surgical procedures. They make sure the surgery room is clean, sterile, and the surgical team has the proper tools to do their job efficiently.

Surgeons and certified surgical technologists filed a bill with Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) called the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. This bill will require all new surgical technologists to complete an accredited education program and obtain a national certification after completing their certification first.

Professor of Surgical Technology at Richland Community College, Brooke Oliver, said that having education and certification helps minimize errors.

“We anticipate the surgeons’ every step,” Oliver said. “We are trained to manipulate body tissue and organs. We prepare and pass instrumentation. And above all, we are your loved one’s voice when they are anesthetized to ensure patient safety. The importance of our work cannot be overstated as we directly affect patient outcomes and the overall success of surgical procedures.”

Several hospitals and associations oppose the bill. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association Senior Vice-President of Government Relations, Dave Gross, said by making certification and education a requirement, this will cause delays in care because it could limit the number of qualified surgical technologists available.

“The legislation, by requiring a college degree, closes off a path that has been used for years by many qualified individuals who, through life circumstances, may not have had the time or resources to pursue a college degree,” Gross said. “This paper ceiling requirement will create a supply shortage in this position, which will in turn delay patient access to surgical services. This very situation has already occurred in two states that enacted identical legislation.”

Advocates attributed COVID-19’s impact to healthcare staff shortages, leading people to go online to acquire a diploma to work in a surgical room. One surgical technology program director at Midwestern Career College said this is about ensuring patient care and better patient outcomes after citing studies.

“Studies have shown that a 55% drop in these errors can occur if we have a certified surgical technologist in the operating room,” Brittany Burgess said. “We can reduce the time that the patient is under anesthesia by working efficiently because of the skilled knowledge that we have.”

An IHA spokesperson said the proponents for the bill are not providing strong, evidence-based support for their claims.

“There is no peer-reviewed evidence that one certification path leads to higher quality outcomes,” Gross said. “And if this bill were truly about quality and patient safety, the exemptions in the bill that affect millions of patients in underserved rural and urban areas would not be present.”

The study pointed out by advocates refers specifically to foreign retained objects, not all types of errors, according to data from a Minnesota independent analysis.

The bill to make certification a requirement has gained momentum in the House on both sides of the aisle. If signed into law, the bill would take effect in 2027.