Welcome
The National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) was the first organization in the country to establish standards of professionalism and proficiency for Non Physician Surgical Assistants.
NSAA has a stringent process to qualify individuals to sit for the certification examination in order to receive the prestigious Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) credential. Only those individuals who possess the knowledge, skills and proficiency to perform surgical assisting at the advanced level obtain the credential.
The certification examination for the CSA credential is known throughout the country as the most comprehensive, complex and thorough examination for testing the knowledge, skills and proficiency of the surgical assistant. Exam questions are reviewed by surgeons, Certified Surgical Assistants and academics before being accepted for the examination database.
Certified Surgical Assistants (CSA) make the difference in the operating room! Patient safety is the first priority in the operating room. Making certain that the operating team is made up of the most highly skilled individuals assures the best possible scenario for a patient receiving surgical intervention.
When the first assistant is a CSA – the patient is assured that the assistant has successfully passed the most stringent certification examination in the country for the Non Physician Surgical Assistant.
NSAA is proud of its CSA’s and the process each of them went through to receive this prestigious credential!
History
In 1979, a group of Surgical Assistants banded together to form the Virginia Association of Surgical Assistants, set up a job description and standards for practice. This group saw a need for S.A.’s and the need for education. The Eastern Virginia Medical School then became the home for the S.A. program.
With the help of the Department of Surgery at Norfolk General Hospital, they developed a Certification Exam. This group also conducted a survey across the country to find out just how many people were out there working in the capacity of a Surgical Assistant.
They were amazed to find how many S.A.’s were going unrecognized for the job they performed.
Reaching out across the United States, the membership grew and thus the Virginia Association of Surgical Assistants became the National Surgical Assistant Association in 1983.