The Board of Directors of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology
and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA), upon the recommendation of the Subcommittee on
Accreditation for Surgical Assisting
(SASA), is pleased to present the 2008 CAAHEP Standards & Guidelines for
the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Surgical Assisting
as approved by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST), the National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) and subsequently by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) at the open hearing in Denver on July 25, 2008. These revised SA Standards are part of a CAAHEP process which requires each of the Committees on Accreditation (e.g.; ARC/STSA) to periodically review and update their standards to reflect both outcomes based accreditation and changes to the educational needs of the profession.
These SA Standards & Guidelines are the direct result of three years of review and analysis as part of the CAAHEP process for standards revision and are designed to address the needs of our sponsors, accredited programs, students, practitioners and educators in reflecting the professional development of the field of surgical assisting.
The SA Standards & Guidelines became effective August 1, 2008 and are posted at the link above for your easy access. Please note, only programs currently accredited or which have submitted a completed accreditation application package to the ARC/STSA prior to August 1, 2008 may continue to operate under the 2002 Standards & Guidelines for a limited time. Those programs should begin to transition to the 2008 Standards and should refer to the 2008 Standards Implementation Timeline to determine which Standards may be met at a later date.
Please note: Under the 2008 Standards & Guidelines, all Surgical Assisting programs will begin reporting outcomes (e.g.; retention, certifying exam performance, positive placement, graduate satisfaction and employer satisfaction) by submitting an Annual Report beginning in 2011.
Please contact the ARC/STSA home office at 303-694-9262 if you have any questions or need assistance.
Updated 09/21/09
