Officers and Board Members

Officers and Board Members BIOS

ED KIRCHER

Welcome to the Arizona State Assembly (AZSA) web site. I am Ed Kircher, CST/CFA the Vice-President of the AZSA. I have been associated with the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) for many years, becoming a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) in 1982. I was a surgical technologist well before then, having served it the U.S. Air Force as such, for over twenty years. I first arrived in the Phoenix area in 1984, and functioned as a CST for fourteen years, before obtaining my Certified First Assistant (CFA) and venturing out into the world, if you will. I am currently in private practice as a CFA, with credential to do so in ten facilities. I am married and have two children; our daughter is a Registered Nurse and our son is a Firefighter in South Dakota. I currently serve on the “Legislation Committee” in which our goal is to have certified surgical technologists in every Arizona operating room. We have set this as a goal with the intent of enhancing the abilities, professionalism and education of the surgical technologist. I hope you will visit the web site often. We will be updating information applicable to the technologist; information such as (but not limited to) meetings, educational opportunities, national conference and the workshops organized and produced by the AZSA itself. So please, feel free to visit often and stay informed with the Assembly. In addition, please feel free to contact any of the Board members with your comments or questions. Our contact information is listed on the “About Us” page.

You can contact me at e-mail: vicepresident@azsa-ast.org

LINDA MOREY

Let Me Introduce Myself My name is Linda Morey, and I am in my second term on the AZSA Board of Directors. Currently, I serve as the chairperson of the Education Committee. I am from Casa Grande, where I work per diem in the O.R. I have been a certified surgical technologist since graduation from Delta College in University City, Michigan in 1979. I have served as a chapter president in Michigan, chaired numerous workshops there, served on the National Continuing Education Committee, the National Membership Committee, and several ad hoc committees. One of the duties of the Education Committee is to locate sites for our Board meetings and workshops. We try to alternate sites between Phoenix and Tucson, as these cities are where the bulk of our surgical Technologists live. This year, we are testing the possibility of having a speaker at each meeting, offering one continuing education credit at no charge. Of course, our attendees are encouraged to stay and see how your officers and board members function, and what we are doing to further the interests of our members. Please contact any board member or officer if you have a suggestion for a topic, a speaker, or a location. Another goal of this year's Education Committee is to call on all 4 (soon to be 5) accredited surgical technology programs and support these programs with speakers and supplies. To this end, we are collecting outdated supplies, and "retired" surgical instruments for distribution. I will be happy to meet you to collect your donations. Last year I called on many hospitals in the Phoenix area, introducing nurse educators and directors of surgical services to the Arizona State Assembly. I generally enquire about the certified surgical technologists on staff, ask what educational programs are available to them to help them maintain their certification, and recommend that efforts to obtain CEs be recognized through the annual merit performance evaluation program. If you would like me to call on your employer in this effort, please contact me. Our state assembly is working to advance the field of surgical technology. Our stated goal is to have a certified surgical technologist in every operating room in Arizona. Please join us in this effort. Linda Morey, CST casademorey@juno.com 520-426-0497