Margaret Rodriguez is a Certified Surgical Technologist and Certified Surgical First Assistant, and a Professor in the Surgical Technology Department at El Paso Community College in El Paso, Texas. Joining academia after two decades scrubbing in the OR, she also taught certification preparation courses for techs at several hospitals in the El Paso area. A graduate of the El Paso Community College Surgical Technology program, she earned her BS in Occupational Career Training and Development from Texas A&M University. Ms. Rodriguez is a Fellow of the Association of Surgical Technologists, has served on the CSFA Exam Review Committee of the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), as well as the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC-STSA). For many years she served on or chaired professional organizations, including the Texas State Assembly of AST Board of Directors, National AST Board of Directors, Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), and Council on Surgical and Perioperative Safety (CSPS). A prolific writer, Ms. Rodriguez's work appears in the AST Exam Review Study Guide, AST Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist, Alexander's Surgical Procedures, Outpatient Surgery magazine, the AST Journal, and other publications.