By ARC/STSA Accreditation Team

As you celebrate the success of student graduations and look forward to the well-deserved summer break, we wanted to remind you about several accreditation documents with an August 1, 2022, effective date; including the new Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Surgical Technology (Standards), the Core Curriculum for Surgical Assisting, 4th edition (CCSA4e), and six new ARC/STSA policies. Make sure to review   the documents carefully and discuss these important changes with your advisory committee at its next meeting, if you have not already.

ARC/STSA Policies with an August 1, 2022, effective date:

  • Accreditation Fundamentals for Educators (AFE) Workshop Attendance Policy
  • Associate Degree Implementation Policy for Surgical Technology Educational Programs
  • Clinical Evaluation, Case Log and Clinical Expectations Policy for Surgical Technology Educational Programs
  • Laboratory Sufficiency Policy for Surgical Technology Educational Programs
  • Outcomes Threshold, Reporting and Assessment Policy
  • Program Advisory Committee (PAC) Member and Meeting Policy

All policies may be found on our website https://arcstsa.org/policies/.

Curriculum and Standards with an August 1, 2022, implementation date:

  • Core Curriculum for Surgical Assisting, 4th edition
    • The ARC/STSA has established August 1, 2022, as the date for full implementation of the CCSA, 4e. SA programs must utilize the CCSA, 4e, in its entirety after this date.
    • Surgical Assisting programs will complete an attestation of the date of their CCSA, 4e, implementation within their 2022 Annual Report.
    • The ARC/STSA mailed a hard copy of the CCSA, 4e, to each CAAHEP-accredited Surgical Assisting Program in July 2020. Programs may access a digital copy of the CCSA, 4e, on the ARC/STSA website at https://arcstsa.org/standards/.
  • Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Surgical Technology (Standards)
    • The ARC/STSA has established August 1, 2022, as the date for full implementation of the Surgical Technology Standards.
    • Surgical Technology programs with site visits scheduled beginning August 1, 2022, will be evaluated using the 2022 Standards. Initial accreditation applicant programs that have already received a Self-Study Report will complete an addendum to the Self-Study to demonstrate implementation of and compliance with the 2022 ST Standards.
    • A digital copy of the Surgical Technology Standards can be found on the ARC/STSA website at https://arcstsa.org/standards/.

Don’t spend summer in a sweat – ARC/STSA staff is here to help! Send your questions regarding the August 1, 2022, implementation dates, or any other accreditation topic, to info@arcstsa.org and receive a response from staff within 1-2 business days.