Surgical First Assistant Certificate

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Students are prepared to be competent entry-level surgical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. 
2. Correlate the knowledge of advanced anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and microbiology to their role as a surgical assistant.
3. Demonstrate a safe level of practice and knowledge in their role as a surgical assistant.
4. Acquire an understanding of the ethical, legal, moral, and medical values related to the patient and the Operating Room team during the perioperative experience.
5. Correlate the elements, action, and use of medications and anesthetic agents used during the perioperative experience.
6. Demonstrate safe practice techniques in regard to perioperative routines, patient positioning, exposure of the surgical field, hemostasis, and emergency procedures.
7. Demonstrate and integrate principles of surgical asepsis as part of the perioperative experience.
8. Apply knowledge and skills as a professional surgical assistant to address the biopsychosocial needs of the surgical patient.
9. Perform as a competent entry-level surgical assistant in the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning domains.
10. Value the professional attributes of the Surgical Assistant.

Surgical Assisting provides aid in exposure, hemostasis, closure, and other intraoperative technical functions that help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient.  In addition to intraoperative duties, the surgical assistant also performs preoperative and postoperative duties to better facilitate proper patient care.  The surgical assistant to the surgeon during the operation does so under the direction and supervision of that surgeon and in accordance with hospital policy and appropriate laws and regulations.

Students will possess a working knowledge of operating room fundamentals, including aseptic principles and techniques, before moving on to the advanced levels of the program.  Surgical Assisting will provide clinical training “at the table” to reach the advanced skill level requirements to be eligible to sit for the national certification examination.