Surgical Assistant Competency Assurance through
Higher Education
In October of 2005, the National Assistant at Surgery CouncilTM, Inc. (NASCTM), a Nevada corporation, received funding to purchase all the rights to the Assistant in Surgery-CertifiedTM (AS-CTM) national certification exam from the National Center for Competency Testing® (NCCT®) a national testing agency for, among others, operating room personnel. AS-C is a nationally recognized title (reference article entitled "Provider of First Assisting Services," AORN Journal, June 2004, pg. 1317).
The National Assistant at Surgery CouncilTM (NASCTM) was created to promote an assisting title that is made up of Surgical Assistant graduates from formal college programs. In the interest of public safety, improved patient outcomes and a more consistent and defensible Standard of Care, NASC has adopted a "formal college only" model as a prerequisite for the Assistant at Surgery - CertifiedTM (AS-CTM) National Exam. Having an "accredited college only" model as a prerequisite for certification is not a new concept. On January 1, 1998, the Certification Board Perioperative Nursing (CBPN, now CCI) introduced a new policy to allow only licensed registered nurses who are graduates of formal RN First Assistant programs to sit for national certification. NASC strongly agrees with that policy.
NASC is solely responsible for all decisions regarding the eligibility for and granting, denying, renewing, maintaining and/or revoking of the AS-C title.
|