The Surgical Counts Organization

Our History

Surgical Counts founder Mark Sowers had two successful careers: one as a television meteorologist, and one as a website developer. In the early days of the internet, Mark built the largest media website in the state of Pennsylvania. After a few more successes, he designed and built the entire software structure of the fourth-largest newspaper website in the country.

By age 45, Mark was able to semi-retire and move to the beach. But he didn’t just sit in a chair, watching the waves, and sipping Mai Tais (although there might have been a little of that). He decided that (since he'd devoted the first-half of his life to helping himself) he wanted to devote the second-half of his life to helping others. But he wasn’t sure how he could best do that. Perhaps a job in healthcare might meet this need. Because of its fascinating subject matter, Mark settled on Surgical Technology. And in less than two years he earned his certification.

But the Surgical Technology program opened his eyes in ways he never expected.

His classmates, some just starting out, others attempting to restart their lives, all seemed to share one common aspect: a sorrowful strength. He was moved by their stories. By the struggles so many had gone through to get to this point. And by their resolve. These people were determined not to let past experiences hold them back. If anything, they were even more driven to make a positive difference in this world.

After getting to know this incredible group of people, it became clear that this was where Mark could do some good. He would combine the skills he learned in his past careers and his newfound knowledge of Surgical Technology to help future Surgical Technology students however he could.

He looked for ‘pain-points’, places where students often struggled, and where his skills might be able to alleviate that pain.

Counting cases, was the most obvious. The certification bodies required students to complete a complicated array of cases, and to keep track of which cases ‘counted’ and which cases didn’t. This process often took hours. So, Mark created Surgical Counts, a tool that does the math for them. And in doing so, allowed both students and their instructors to focus on material relevant to the certification process.

But Mark found other ways to help. He began tutoring students; finding new ways to demonstrate the skills they needed to master. He created free video lectures, games, and a review app, all to help students prepare for their National Board exam.

As Mark says, “I know how hard it is to become a Surgical Technologist. And given everything that these students have already been through, I want to make that process just a little bit easier.”