As the Association of Surgical Assistants pushes its efforts to unite the surgical assistant community into full swing, a call is going out to all those within the community and throughout that nation to offer their help and support to this new and growing organization. As most of you are aware, the ASA has very recently undergone substantial changes which have affected the leadership, structure, and membership of the organization. Many of our goals have changed as well as a result of this new organizational direction to establish ourselves as an autonomous entity apart from the AST. It is the aspiration of this newly reborn association to unite surgical assistants everywhere into a single voice in favor of a common end. As the face of healthcare is ever changing, we are facing many obstacles in the areas of legislation, reimbursement, visibility, and professional recognition. The time has come for all surgical assistants, regardless of whether or not their title is CFA, CSA, or SA-C, to join us in the fight to overcome these challenges. We are working closely with other professional organizations such as parallel SFA groups, state associations, government bodies, certification organizations, and others to ensure that this effort is a success. We are now calling on you to help make a difference in order to secure the future of the title that you hold. Without active members who have an earnest desire to join us in the restructuring of the ASA and the subsequent advancement of the field of the non-physician surgical first assistant, this effort will face a longer, much more difficult road. We encourage anyone with a desire to help to contact the ASA. We are looking for volunteers to assist with the planning and staffing of public events, the writing of articles and other publications, the formation of state and local assemblies, the organization of potential members, or any other service that you feel would benefit the ASA in this critical time. We would also like to invite all of you, regardless of which credential you may hold, to consider running for elected office in 2011. We openly welcome and encourage feedback from all of you. We want your ideas and comments to be heard. Interested individuals can start by simply responding to this post or by contacting Karen Ludwig at kludwig@ast.org. Together we can make the ASA a true success and provide a constant and fruitful future for surgical assistants everywhere.
Haiti in Ruins
In the wake of the disaster that struck just west of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, a medical emergency is quickly taking a toll on the already devasted country. With significant aftershocks continuing, over 100,000 people reported dead, hospitals and key medical facilities in ruble, and many key medical personnel missing, the area is in full crisis. Current reports are that approximately 3 million people are injured and public health resources are seriously drained. According to the Haiti government, many of these people will not be able to receive the care that they need. In an attempt to send aid to the victims of the earthquake, non-profit organizations are asking for money rather than goods. With many organizations already on the ground providing the victims with the supplies that they need, they are calling for monetary donations to help them in their efforts. Here are some ways we can help:
To send help to Haiti quickly, please text the word “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will automatically be sent to the American Red Cross and will be added to your cell phone bill.
Contact the American Red Cross directly by clicking here.
Help the efforts of InterAction by clicking here.
The National Surgical Assistant Association recently posted changes to the certification eligibility information found on their website. According to the new standards, they will be discontinuing eligibility for the experienced CFA, SA-C, and OPA-C. As of January 1, 2011, Surgical Assistants with these parallel credentials will no longer be able to sit for the CSA examination without first being a graduate of a CAAHEP or NSAA approved Surgical Assisting program or having received appropriate military training. This certification route was originally opened in order to rally the support of other Surgical Assistants and increase the visibility of the profession.
- HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As we enter the new year (and subsequently, the new decade) there is certainly reason to rejoice. 2009 has been a great year for the profession. Surgical Assistants throughout the country have taken action at the local level and many new projects have arisen that have helped to increase the visibility of the profession. On the national level, NSAA and AST/ASA continue to lobby for legislation and we have made strides in the right direction. Now with three states and the District of Columbia formally recognizing the role of the Surgical Assistant and a couple more on the way, we can kick into full gear in 2010. The new year will likely bring an entirely new set of challenges in the wake of healthcare reform and ever changing insurance guidelines. However, now with more unity than ever we will continue to work hard this year and overcome the challenges ahead. Great things are coming out of ASA, and I am excited to see the Association become what it was meant to be, a stand alone umbrella organization for all Non-physician Surgical First Assistants regardless of credential. As far as this site is concerned, Surgical Assistant Resource will continue to serve as a platform for the education, unity, and advancement of both the Surgical Assistant and Surgical Technologist. Of course we need the help of all SFAs and CSTs to accomplish this task. A big thanks goes out to all of those who have helped to build this website. Keep the information coming! This blog can be a great place to post information that you would like to share about local conferences, state association meetings, legislative updates, experiences you have had in the OR, or anything else you feel would help unite us and move the profession along. Thanks again to all of you and have a great new year. HAPPY 2010!!
As I browsed the web earlier this morning, I stumbled upon a new Surgical Assistant program that is currently in the works. The program will be part of Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, FL. Currently, this campus offers a CAAHEP accredited Surgical Technology program. As of now I have not contacted the school for more information, but I was wondering if any of you knew about this up and coming program. Will they be seeking accreditation through CAAHEP? If so, this would be the only accredited SFA program in the region, and a major benefit for those in Florida who are seeking further education and/or increased visibility for our profession in that state. I know that Florida has been fighting a long battle off and on for legislation over the years, and hopefully this will be an asset to the Florida Association. I am pleased to see new programs springing up. We just need to encourage these programs to seek the proper accreditation so that they can truly prove beneficial.
http://surgtech.gulfcoast.edu/programs/default.asp
I hope this post finds you all well this holiday season. And for those of you having to work or take call on Christmas or New Year’s, you have my sympathy. This season will be my first in four years that I haven’t had to work and take call, and I am ecstatic. Last year I was on call and made it all the way up until 11:45 PM New Year’s eve before I got called in to do a C-Section. Don’t get me wrong, it is always cool to witness the miracle of life, but it can be a little irritating knowing that your friends are eating all of the shrimp cocktail while you are gone. I’m sure you can all relate.
Be safe and have a great week. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
There is a very good article in the newest edition of the ASTSA Newsletter. Heather Burggraff, the Association of Surgical Technologists Student Association (ASTSA) Vice President, offers some information about how ST students can excel at their clinical externship sites. Now, I realize that this information applies to Surgical Technology students on the surface, but I would like to direct this information to SFA students as well.
I remember back to my first time as an “assistant” at the OR table. I felt really cool and important of course, I maybe even felt a little bit of pride in the fact that I was the one asked to assist the surgeon. But in reality, all I really did was hold the leg on a total hip! I had no idea of the types of emotions that I would have later when I became a SFA student at clinicals. The first time I reported to the surgeon (instead of my charge nurse) before the start of the day, I was more than a little nervous. I had been in the OR many many times and had done countless procedures, but this feeling was different. There were a whole new set of rules and expectations. I knew that my peers looked at me in a different way. Many of them wanted me to succeed and saw my hard work as a positive step toward advancing my career and were happy for me. Others, well they were less than excited. Some of my fellow ST’s with aeons more experience than me, were apprehensive and antagonistic about my role as the assistant. This only added to the pressure I felt as I walked into the room. It must have been a hundred degrees in the OR that day. Our patient was scheduled for a lumbar laminectomy/discectomy. I was very nervous but controlled it calmly and collectively. Even though I was sweaty and my headlight wasn’t pointing in the right direction, forcing me to tilt my head in an aweful direction to keep my surgeon from realizing it, I was able to keep it together. That case lasted forever!
Finally, after three long hours that felt like an eternity, the case was pretty much over and I was confident that I had done a superb job. Just when the anxiety was about to subside, my surgeon scrubbed out and started to dictate. Well, that was great except for the fact that the patient’s wound was wide open! Though the scrub (whom I had known for a year at that point) was wearing a mask, I could tell she was smirking as she handed me the suture and pick-ups. Finally, something donned on me. Why was I so nervous? I had received great training and was capable of doing this! Of course pigs are a little different than humans, but dangit I could do this! As I went through the layers and threw my stitches, one phrase looped through my mind like a mantra, “Use the Force!” After working through my inner tribulation, I calmed down again and got the case done. Of course it wasn’t until the last five minutes, but everything worked out well for the case and the patient.
As time went on, day by day, I got less and less nervous. It took me six months to get through all of my clinical rotations as a First Assistant student, but the feeling of accomplishment I had upon completion of my program and subsequently my certification exams still lingers. I know exactly what Heather was feeling on her first day of ST clinicals, and I’m sure you can all relate. The suggestions that she lays out are great, especially for students beginning clinicals for a Surgical Assistant program. No matter how long we have been in the field as Techs, all of those crazy nervous feelings come back again when we move up to the assistant role for the first time.
Read her article here to find out what you can do to lessen the anxiety.
During this past week, information was released from Steris Corporation and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the currently marketed Steris System 1 (SS1) peracetic acid table-top sterilizer. According to the FDA, the agency “has not approved or cleared the currently-marketed SS1 and the agency has not determined whether it is safe or effective for its labeled claims, including claims that it sterilizes medical devices.” This news comes on the heels of a warning letter sent to SterisCorporation in May of 2008 stating that changes made to the sterilizer would significantly alter the safety and functionality of the device, thus creating a possible danger to patients coming into contact with items processed in the new SS1. Current FDA regulations require medical device manufacturers to inform the agency of significant changes to medical devices that can affect patient safety by submitting a premarket notification or 510(k), which was not completed by Steris. According to Steris Corporation, the changes in question made to the device took place between 1988 and 2002. In July of 2008, Steris responded to the FDA by denying the necessity of a new 510(k), which it reluctantly submitted on January 5thof this year. Apparently, during a conference call with Steris, the FDA made recommendations regarding the use of alternative methods of sterilization by customers who have purchased the device. Although at this time, the FDA has not determined the safety or effectiveness of the device. According to the FDA, Steris has not been in satisfactory compliance with its recommendation to switch product users to an effective alternative means of sterilization. Therefor, Steris has discontinued US sales of the SS1 device other than customer support. Their sales discontinuation however does not constitute a recall. Steris has reportedly devised a “time-table” for switching users to another means of sterilization. In the mean-time, the FDA has issued the following statement on their website to current users of the SS1:
“If you have an acceptable alternative to the SS1 to meet your sterilization and disinfection needs, you should transition to that alternative as soon as possible to ensure continued patient safety. If you do not have an acceptable alternative to the SS1, you should promptly assess your facility’s patient-care needs and sterilization and disinfection requirements and take steps to obtain legally-marketed substitutes for the SS1.”
Surely this news will come as a shock to many healthcare facilities. I find it interesting that the problems started over a year ago and has only really come to the attention of many facilities this week with the release of the FDA’s SS1 customer letter on December 3rd, and response from Steris to its customers on the 6th. For those of you looking for more information on the matter, please read the attached references:
STERIS Releases Letter to Customers Regarding SYSTEM 1 – Endonurse article December 7, 2009
Steris System 1 Customer Notice January 20, 2009
Now more than ever the time has come to increase the visibility of the Surgical Assistant in the operating room. With all of the new changes that will be coming down from Washington and Obama-care (whatever they may be), and healthcare reform in the forefront of the public eye, we need to ensure that all Certified Surgical First Assistants join in the efforts of NSAA and AST/ASA to include the CSA, CFA, and SA-C in the reform process. As I read through the new December issue of the NSAA Node this evening, I agreed strongly with David Jennette that we should all be making a concerted effort to be active in our organizations. For those of us who are members of NSAA, we are aware of their push to have all members join the American College of Surgeons as Affiliate members. I would like to take this opportunity to also encourage fellow CFAs and our SA-C friends to do likewise. There are the obvious benefits to joining ACS, like the journal and their great website archives, but more than that, joining ACS is a great way to increase the visibility of the profession and let other healthcare providers and the public know who we are and what we do. Part of the three-fold mission of my website is Unity. Getting us all on the same page with ACS is a great step in that direction. We all need to step up to the plate and do our part to make certain that we, as a profession, succeed and muscle through these challenging and uncertain times in our nation. It is easy for us to sit back and become complacent in the face of hard work, and I have seen a lot of us doing just that by wondering how we are going to jump ship and go into other professions when things get tougher. This is a battle we can and will win, but it takes time. We need to realize that ours is one of the newest career fields in healthcare, and look how far we have come! We need to stop moaning about the way things are, and go out and help this profession to become what we want it to be. So let’s become more involved! If you’re a member of NSAA, you can become a Regional Ambassador and serve at the state or national level by completing the form in the December Node (see attached link below). And if you are a CFA or SA-C, join ASA and see what you can do to help increase our visibility. Every little bit counts.
The possibility of public health emergencies arising in the United States concerns many people in the wake of recent hurricanes, tsunamis, acts of terrorism, and the threat of pandemic influenza. Though some people feel it is impossible to be prepared for unexpected events, the truth is that taking preparedness actions helps people deal with disasters of all sorts much more effectively when they do occur.
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