Surgical Assisting

Graduates of the Surgical Assisting program are entitled to an Advanced Technical Certificate in Surgical Assisting and are eligible to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA). Those students passing the certification exam are allowed to use the title Certified Surgical First Assist (CSFA)

(800) 707-0057

3 West Dry Creek Circle
Littleton, CO 80120

 

The Surgical Assisting program operates under the standards of the Accreditation Review Committee on Education in Surgical Assisting.

303-694-9262

19751 East Mainstreet, Suite #339
Parker, CO 80138

 

The Collin College Surgical Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

(727) 210-2350

9355 - 113th St. N, #7709
Seminole, FL 33775

Graduate outcomes statistics will be updated soon.

PHYSICAL STANDARDS:

1. Ablility to bend and stoop; able to stand and/or sit for long periods of time in one location with minimum/no breaks  
2. Ablility to lift a minimum of 50 pounds to assist moving patients  
3. Ablility to refrain from nourishment or restroom breaks for periods up to 6 hours or more  
4. Demonstrate sufficient visual ability enough to load a fine (10-0) suture onto needle holders with/without corrective lenses and while wearing safety glasses  
5. Demonstrate sufficient peripheral vision to anticipate and function while in the sterile surgical environment  
6. Hear and understand muffled communications without visualization of the communicator’s mouth/lips within 20 feet  
7. Hear activation/warning signals on equipment  
8. Ability to detect odors sufficient to maintain environmental safety and patient needs  
9. Manipulate instruments, supplies and equipment with speed, dexterity and good eye-hand coordination  
10. Ambulate/move around without assistive devices  
11. Able to assist with and/or lift, move, position and manipulate the patient who is unconscious with or without assistive devices  
     

COMMUNICATION/COMPREHENSION STANDARDS:

1. Communicate and understand fluent English both verbally and in writing, including health care information in order to communicate effectively with surgeons and staff to assure patient safety
2. Exhibit social skills necessary to interact effectively with surgeons, patients, families, Co-workers and supervisors of the same or different cultures such as respect, politeness, tact, collaboration, teamwork and discretion  
    

MENTAL/ATTITUDINAL STANDARDS:

1. Possess short and long term memory sufficient to perform tasks such as, but not limited to, mentally tracking surgical supplies and performing anticipation skills intraoperatively  
2. Able to make appropriate judgment decisions  
3. Demonstrate the use of positive coping skills under stress  
4. Demonstrate calm, appropriate and effective responses, especially in emergency situations  
5. Exhibit positive interaction skills during patient, staff and faculty interactions

FIRST SEMESTER (Summer)

CSFA 1371 - Fundamentals and Surgical Safety

CSFA 2371 - Surgical Procedures

CSFA 2472 - Suturing, Knot Tying, Hemostasis, and Wound Healing

HITT 2435 - Coding and Reimbursement Methodologies

 

SECOND SEMESTER (Fall)

CSFA 1172 - Pharmacology and Anesthesia

CSFA 1173 - Principles of Surgical Assisting Lab I

CSFA 1175 - Perioperative Microbiology and Bioscience

CSFA 2372 - Operative Anatomy and Pathophysiology I

CSFA 2473 - Surgical Assisting Clinical I

 

THIRD SEMESTER (Spring)

CSFA 1176 - Complications in Surgery

CSFA 2171 - Role Definition, Ethical, Legal, and Moral Responsibilities

CSFA 2173 - Principles of Surgical Assisting Lab II

CSFA 2373 - Operative Anatomy and Pathophysiology II

CSFA 2474 - Surgical Assisting Clinical II(Capstone)

 

TOTAL CREDIT HOURS: 34

Costs are estimated and are subject to change.

 

Tuition:

Collin County Residents: $2,108

Texas Out-of-County Resident: $3,978
Out-of-State/Country: $6,358

 

Books: $190

Uniforms: $60 per set

Drug Screen: $40

Certification Exam: $190

 

Additional finanical information can be obtained from the bursar's website.

Collin Bursar Website

Donna Smith

Director of Surgical Professions

Email: DRSmith@Collin.edu

Office: (972) 548-6854

 

Christopher Scott
Professor/Clinical Coordinator of Surgical Assisting
Email: ChrisScott@Collin.edu

Office: (214) 491-6260

This Advanced Technical Certificate is designed for Surgical Technologists and requires:

• A current certification as a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) from an accredited program
• An Associate’s Degree or higher with an overall GPA of 2.5 from all college courses completed
• A minimum of two years’ experience as a working CST

 

Alternative admission criteria includes:

• Operating Room Nurse with current CNOR certification
• Physician Assistant graduate of an accredited medical school
• Bachelor of Science degree or higher with three years of current surgical assisting operating room experience

 

Students will need to apply and be accepted to Collin College, before they are able to apply to the Surgical Assisting Program.

 

If the applicant is transferring credits from another school, offical transcripts will need to be sent to the Admissions Department during the application process.

 

Acceptance to Collin College does not guarantee acceptance to the program.

 

Students can refer to the Admissions department for information on how to apply to Collin College.

Admissions Department

 

After students have been accepted to Collin College, students will need to complete and submit a Surgical Assisting application.

 

Application deadline is April 26th, 2024 by 4pm. Students will need to complete all steps and submit documents by this date.

 

Surgical Assisting Application - Click Here

 

The Following documents will also need to be submitted with your application:

• Copy of Current CST Certification/Verification
• Copy of AST membership
• Copy of American Heart Association BLS
• Hand written, well-developed, one to two-page essay discussing why Surgical Assisting has been selected as a career choice and why attendance at the Collin College program is desired.

Additionally, you will need two letters of recommendation from physicians that can attest to your character and aptitude in the surgical setting. The letters will need to be directly submitted from the surgeon to Program Director Donna Smith, DRSmith@collin.edu

 

Completed applications will need to be submitted via email to:
Donna R Smith, Director of Surgical Professions
drsmith@collin.edu

Office: (972) 548-6854

After applying, students will recieve a 3 question survey from the Director of the program, Donna R Smith (DRSmith@collin.edu) and will also recieve instructions on how to schedule an interview with the Surgical Assisting Program Staff. Students should expect typical interview questions and should be dressed for sucess.