There are many acronyms used in our profession, and I am going to add one more set for you: SASA is the Subcommittee on Accreditation for Surgical Assisting. It is a permanent subcommittee of the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA).
All program directors know it takes the input and collaboration of many individuals and entities to make a program run: the college, administration, dean, staff, students, accreditation agencies, and communities served all play a role. One key element every institution needs to obtain and maintain accreditation for its surgical technology and surgical assisting programs is an advisory committee. The purpose of these committees is to assist educators and administrators in assessing a program’s goals and learning domains, and providing feedback. In other words, advisory committees help programs run successfully. However, they can be difficult for program directors to manage.
The ARC/STSA Educator’s Scholarship Program is designed to assist surgical technology and surgical assisting educators pursuing academic degrees with the intent of furthering their careers in the field of surgical technology or surgical assisting education. A scholarship of up to $1,000 is awarded annually to the selected recipient.
The ARC/STSA Board of Directors is the governing body for the Accreditation Review Council on Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting—the only Committee on Accreditation (CoA) recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) to determine recommended accreditation action on Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting programs.
National Surgical Technologists Week is arguably the most important week of surgical technology students’ training. It is the time to emphasize the importance of our profession, certification, and the tremendous value we bring to the operating room team.
National Surgical Technologist Week is filled with special recognition for students at Glendale Career College (GCC) in Glendale, California. At GCC, NSTW has been an annual event for the past 25 years. Students are recognized for their outstanding academic achievements and the campus shows its appreciating with special events, including visits from local surgeons who are active in the Program Advisory Committee for Surgical Technology.
To be a surgical technologist and celebrate every year during our National Surgical Technologists Week is truly an honor. Surgical technologists play a vital role in patient care during surgical procedures, and it is surprising to see how few people know who we are and what we do.
Since 2005, the ARC/STSA Board of Directors annually awards multiple scholarships as part of its commitment to the advancement of surgical technology and surgical assisting education. The ARC/STSA Scholarship Program is designed to assist surgical technology and surgical assisting student members and educators in their pursuit of higher education in the professions. At the March 2016 meeting, the Board of Directors awarded $5,050 (combined) in scholarships.
The ARC/STSA Board of Directors recently reviewed the thresholds for, and beginning August 1, 2016, implemented changes to, the graduate and employer outcomes in response to in-depth data analysis and solicited program director feedback.
Preceptors are the seasoned surgical technologists and surgical assistants who have worked in the operating room for a particular service, such as neuro, obstetrics and gynecology, vascular, general and ENT, and have mastered the techniques used by most, if not all, of the surgeons that have privileges. The preceptor is one of the most important and relevant members of the healthcare education team.
