Haverhill, MA (September 15, 2026) — This fall, Northern Essex Community College has launched a new Associate of Applied Science in Surgical Technology, allowing students to earn a degree while gaining hands-on, paid experience in a hospital operating room. The program is offered in partnership with Merrimack Health Haverhill Hospital through an apprenticeship model and is supported by the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant, as well as funding from the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation and Accelerate the Future. 
During the program, students will develop the knowledge and technical skills needed to provide safe, effective patient care before, during, and after surgical procedures while eventually working alongside healthcare professionals. This first cohort of NECC students learns weekly in a real operating room at Merrimack Health Haverhill Hospital. NECC utilized the $250,000 Skills Capital Grant to purchase equipment, technology, and supplies for realistic, hands-on training.
“Surgical technologists are in high demand across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, but training pipelines have been limited, especially in the Merrimack Valley,” said NECC Dean of Health Professions Kathy Hudson. “NECC’s Surgical Technology program was built to close that gap — and in a striking, concrete way: Merrimack Health–Haverhill contributed its closed operating rooms to become classrooms and labs for the program. That’s a rare kind of investment/opportunity— a hospital repurposing its own clinical space so the next generation of surgical techs can train in an environment that looks and functions like a real OR, not a simulated one.”
Surgical technologists play an essential role in supporting surgeons and the broader healthcare team before, during, and after procedures. At Merrimack Health Haverhill Hospital, students will train to perform duties such as maintaining medical supply inventories during operations, washing and sterilizing equipment, and cleaning and restocking operating rooms by gathering and organizing equipment, supplies, and instruments.
NECC’s first cohort of Surgical Technologist students
Program coordinator Ellen Chouinard echoed the importance of this program in addressing workforce needs right here in the Merrimack Valley: “Hospitals in Merrimack Valley need qualified Surgical Technologists to support the operating room demands, and we need education that is accessible to healthcare professionals who work, live, and contribute to the local economy. NECC is providing students with an affordable and local pathway to a stable and skilled Surgical Technology career ”
Students who complete the Surgical Technology degree program will qualify to take the Certification exam required by the state of Massachusetts for employment as a surgical technologist.
Northern Essex will also offer an Associate of Science: Medical Laboratory Technology in the apprenticeship model, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2027. Informational sessions are scheduled for both the Surgical Technology and Medical Laboratory programs this week. Find dates and more information here for Surgical Technology and here for Medical Laboratory Technology.
About Apprenticeship Degrees
The apprenticeship degree model is new in Massachusetts but is gaining momentum nationwide. Apprenticeship degrees take a long-proven workforce development approach, common in careers such as plumbing and electrical trades, and apply it to new occupations where there is a significant and long-standing need for talent with post-secondary credentials. With this model, the learning takes place in both the classroom and at the workplace, and students earn both wages and credit while in the program. These programs open doors to high-demand careers for students who may need to work while they learn, while providing employers with a reliable, local pipeline of skilled talent. NECC plans to launch an additional apprenticeship degree in Radiological Technology in 2028 and is exploring adopting the model to several certificate programs.
About NECC
Northern Essex Community College, the first Federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution in New England, is an education leader for the Merrimack Valley. Through a supportive learning environment and cultural inclusion, NECC embraces all identities and inspires initiative and excellence through top-notch, affordable certificate and associate degree programs online and at campuses in Haverhill and Lawrence. NECC currently offers more than 60 programs of study. Visit necc.edu to learn more.
