Suture Technician Program
The Suture Technician Program, affiliated with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, is a longstanding and highly selective initiative that serves the Elvis Presley Trauma Center—one of the busiest Level I trauma centers in the nation. The Suture Technician Program was established in the 1990s to alleviate emergency department congestion while upholding a high standard of care. The program is composed of 15 second- to fourth-year medical students, each completing approximately 150 hours of intensive training before being selected to join the team at the end of their first year of medical school. We actively participate in wound care, laceration repairs, trauma activations, and other critical procedures under the supervision of emergency medicine physicians and trauma surgeons. Suture Techs work part-time evening and overnight shifts—Sunday through Thursday from 6 pm to 12 am, and Friday through Saturday from 6 pm to 6 am—contributing significantly to patient care during high-volume hours.
Selection for the program begins in the first year of medical school, with students shadowing current technicians to gain foundational experience and clinical exposure. A large part of the responsibility as Suture Technicians involves teaching and mentoring these M1 students, passing on both technical skills and professional expectations in hopes of identifying and preparing the next five individuals who will join the team. The program’s training is rigorous, emphasizing hands-on learning in a high-acuity, fast-paced environment. Due to the depth of training and the trust built with clinical teams, Suture Techs are granted a notable level of autonomy and frequently assist in procedures such as complex wound closures, orthopedic reductions, and polytrauma evaluations. The role fosters technical proficiency, clinical judgment, and a deep appreciation for the urgency and precision of trauma and emergency medicine care. Many participants of the program go on to match into surgical subspecialties, and the program continues to serve as a model for integrating medical students into frontline trauma care, offering an unparalleled early exposure to emergency and surgical medicine.
Suture Team
