SLCC Alum Paige Chomplearn Moves from Food Service to Surgical Technician thanks to Metallica Scholars Initiative

“Paige” Chomplearn Richchouyrod

Last year, Paige Chomplearn, who worked for many years in food service at the University of Utah Hospital, became a ‘scrub tech,” which is industry slang that differentiates medical workers into patient and non-patient care by who wears scrubs.

 

As a surgical technologist with the orthopedics team, Paige reflects on the past year since graduating from the Surgical Technology program at SLCC. She admits that she was initially scared when she started her new position at the hospital. She says the quality of the education she received at SLCC helped give her the skills to do her job and cope with the stress in the profession. 

 

“This is a hard profession and won’t get any easier, but I found that taking control by breaking things down into steps helped me not to get overwhelmed,” said Paige.

 

Paige is among the many skilled workers in the surgical technology field that are in high demand nationwide, with an expected 8,600 job openings over the next decade. Paige says there are many turnovers at the hospital, and they are constantly hiring new staff. Paige has taken advantage of this situation and increased her income by taking extra shifts. 

 

She credits the rigorousness of the Surgical Technology program at SLCC with getting her a job at the U of U Hospital. The skills she learned and the experience she gained were highly regarded during the job interview process and were deemed superior to other applicants. 

 

Paige long dreamed of becoming a surgical technician; however, having to work and go to school full-time made that dream seem impossible. Her hope rose when her instructor announced the Metallica Scholars Initiative in her surgical tech class at Salt Lake Community College SLCC. 

 

“Getting the Metallica scholarship greatly relieved my financial burden and allowed me to continue my education,” says Paige

 

Growing up in Thailand, Paige’s passion for surgical intervention started at a young age. “I find the human body fascinating and at age 12, asked my friend’s dad, a general surgeon, to show me surgical photos. I was so amazed.” A few years later, her father passed away from a heart attack, which strongly influenced Paige to pursue a degree in healthcare. After moving to the United States, she enrolled in the surgical tech program at SLCC and graduated last year.

 

Paige enjoys working as a surgical technologist and plans to continue in the profession. She recommends the program at SLCC to her former co-workers in food service at the hospital and tells them about the possibility of a scholarship from Metallica to help pay for schooling.

 

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Metallica Scholarship,” said Paige. She says she will always be grateful for her education at SLCC and the support from Metallica’s foundation, All Within Our Hands.