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Program Overview
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Program Overview:
RASA’s interactive distance education Surgical Assistant Program is designed to prepare qualified students with the knowledge, competencies, professional behaviors, and technical skills needed to function in the role of a surgical first assistant. The program is based on the Core Curriculum for the Surgical First Assistant and emphasizes comprehensive surgical knowledge, intraoperative decision-making, and hands-on skill development.
Students study the expanded role and functions of the surgical assistant, including exposure, tissue handling, suturing, hemostasis, instrumentation, surgical anatomy, pathophysiology, surgical procedures, emergency preparedness, and perioperative patient care. Instruction combines guided online interactive distance education, video instruction, Zoom-based skills labs, and a supervised clinical internship that provides hands-on experience in an approved clinical setting.
Graduates are eligible to apply for the Surgical Assistant–Certified (SA-C) examination through the American Board of Surgical Assistants after meeting ABSA requirements.
Course of Study
See the course descriptions in the catalog for further details.
| Surgical Assisting Program | Length: Maximum 14 months | Clock Hours | Semester Credits | ||
| Module 1: Interactive Distance Learning | |||||
| Unit 1 | Welcome to the Exciting World of Surgical Assisting | 16 | 1 | ||
| Unit 2 | Wound Healing and Infection Control | 24 | 1.5 | ||
| Unit 3 | Surgical Assisting Skills, Principles and Techniques, including our Wound Closure Kit and Laparoscopic Trainer. | 39 | 2.5 | ||
| Unit 4 | Surgical Assisting Considerations | 30 | 2 | ||
| Unit 5 | Surgical Pharmacology and Anesthesia | 24 | 1.5 | ||
| Module 2: Interactive Distance Learning | |||||
| Surgical Specialty Study: First assisting in all major specialties will be studied. | |||||
| Unit 6 -1 | General Surgery | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -2 | Obstetrics and Gynecology | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -3 | Genitourinary | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -4 | Ophthalmic | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -5 | Otorhinolaryngologic | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -6 | Orthopedics | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -7 | Plastic and Reconstructive | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -8 | Cardiothoracic and Peripheral Vascular | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -9 | Neurosurgery | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Unit 6 -10 | Special Considerations | 20 | 1.25 | ||
| Home-Study Didactic Hours | 333 | ||||
| Module 3: Clinical Internship | |||||
| See Catalog for Unit 10 descriptions of clinical requirements | |||||
| Unit 7 | (20 Cases) | 45 | 1 | ||
| Unit 8 | (20 Cases) | 45 | 1 | ||
| Unit 9 | (20 Cases) | 45 | 1 | ||
| Unit 10 | (80 Cases) | 200 | 4.5 | ||
| CS | Case Study | 8 | 0.5 | ||
| Approximate Clinical Hours | 343 | 8 | |||
| Total Program Hours | 676 | 29 | |||
