Surgical Assisting
Surgical Assisting
Surgical assistants are advanced allied health professionals, and the first people surgeons turn to help ensure safe, effective, streamlined surgical procedures. Under supervision of the surgeon, surgical assistants are responsible for skills ranging from body plane closures, wound visualization, hemostasis and the application of advanced knowledge of all surgical phases.
Accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, the Collin College Surgical Assisting Program is the only program in Texas and one of only 13 nationwide.
The Advanced Technical Certificate in Surgical Assisting is a one-year program that begins in the summer semester and continues in the fall and spring semesters. Classes are hybrid and offered at the McKinney Campus and online. Enrollment is limited and competitive. Upon successful completion of the program the student is awarded an Advanced Technical Certificate in Surgical Assisting and is eligible to sit for the NBSTSA National Certified Surgical First Assist (CSFA) exam.
Additional Information
Accreditation
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
Graduate outcomes statistics will be updated soon.
Technical Standards
PHYSICAL STANDARDS:
- Ablility to bend and stoop; able to stand and/or sit for long periods of time in one location with minimum/no breaks
- Ablility to lift a minimum of 50 pounds to assist moving patients
- Ablility to refrain from nourishment or restroom breaks for periods up to 6 hours or more
- Demonstrate sufficient visual ability enough to load a fine (10-0) suture onto needle holders with/without corrective lenses and while wearing safety glasses
- Demonstrate sufficient peripheral vision to anticipate and function while in the sterile surgical environment
- Hear and understand muffled communications without visualization of the communicator’s mouth/lips within 20 feet
- Hear activation/warning signals on equipment
- Ability to detect odors sufficient to maintain environmental safety and patient needs
- Manipulate instruments, supplies and equipment with speed, dexterity and good eye-hand coordination
- Ambulate/move around without assistive devices
- Able to assist with and/or lift, move, position and manipulate the patient who is
unconscious with or without assistive devices
COMMUNICATION/COMPREHENSION STANDARDS:
- 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
- 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:
- 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
- Able to make appropriate judgment decisions
- Demonstrate the use of positive coping skills under stress
- Demonstrate calm, appropriate and effective responses, especially in emergency situations
- Exhibit positive interaction skills during patient, staff and faculty interactions
Curriculum
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
Program Cost
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 WebsiteContact Information
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
Application Process
Step 1 - Review Admission Criteria
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
Step 2 - Apply to Collin College
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
Step 3 - Apply to Surgical Assisting
After students have been accepted to Collin College, students will need to complete and submit a Surgical Assisting application.
Application deadline was April 26th, 2024 for the 2024-2025 class year.
Future applicants will find a link to the application here, please check back at a later time.
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
Step 4 - Interview
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.
Surgical Professions are three programs providing a strong foundation upon which students can build their career in surgical services.
Surgical Professions Department
Surgical Assisting Surgical Technology Central Sterile Processing