Summer entry, contact Terry Herring to apply for the Surgical First Assistant Program:.Telephone: 30 | Fax: 30 | Website: ARCSTSA Telephone 72 | Fax 72 | Website: CAAHEP Upon recommendation of: Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC-STSA) Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.Accreditation The Surgical First Assistant Program is accredited by:Ĭommission of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

The career video is in the public domain from the U. National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants. Surgical technologists’ work spans from the mundane and routine to urgent and critical, all with the focus on saving lives and aiding healing. Surgical assistants typically have experience as a surgical technologist or have completed a formal education program in surgical assisting. Surgical technologists need a certificate or associate’s degree in surgical technology. They sometimes work overnight shifts, or are on call for emergencies. Their work environment requires a comfort level with blood, body fluids, and critically ill patients. Surgical technologists and assistants work in hospitals and outpatient surgery centers. In addition to technologist tasks, surgical assistants may operate suction equipment or suture a wound. They are also responsible for counting sponges, needles and other instruments before and after the operation. They may hold retractors, cut sutures, and apply or assist with applying bandages, then transfer patients to recovery. They prepare the equipment and supplies, and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and sterile gowns.ĭuring the operation, they make sure surgeons have the instruments they request at a moment’s notice.

Surgical technologists and assistants know the terminology and tools needed for many different types of surgeries. Have you ever seen footage of surgeries and wondered who all those people in the operating room were? Surgical technologists and surgical assistants ensure the operating room is ready for each procedure, and work under the direction of surgeons to assist with surgical procedures. Surgical Assistant Career Video Transcript They also assist to maintain a sterile and safe working environment by covering patients with surgical drapes and position patients so that they do not suffer from nerve damage after the surgery. Other vital tasks include verifying the identity of the patient and the location on the patient in which the operation is taking place. During surgery, they also assist to maintain an unobstructed area for the surgeon to work using a variety of means which could include suctioning, sponging, or using retractors. They may also be skilled to apply and remove splints, casts, catheters, IV’s, arterial lines, and administer local anesthesia. The National Surgical Assistant Association explains that surgical assistants may perform duties under a surgeon’s supervision such as opening and closing surgical sites, harvest grafts, dissect tissue, remove tissue, implant devices, and alter tissue. military.Īccording to O*NET OnLine, 25% of surgical assistants surveyed held an associate’s degree while a little more than 30% held a certification. You can also sit for the exam if you were trained to be a surgical assistant by the U.S. To qualify to sit for the exam, you must graduate from an accredited surgical assistant program (link opens in a new tab). To become a certified surgical assistant you must pass the Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) exam from the certification board called the National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants (link opens in a new tab).

Surgical first assistant program