Career-boosting trade secrets of the nation's leading first assistant trainer can take you from handing instruments to first assisting in surgery and becoming a 6-figure earner in a year or less!

How a short, shy, goofy, nerdy, show tune loving surgical tech with a funny name went from making $35,000 a year (working 50 to 60 hours a week, taking everybody's call, and thinking he was going to have to get out of surgery and into computers to make a decent living) to being a surgery dynamo and making $105,000 a year with a flexible 20 hour work week!

And the best part: Dan Bump, the founder of ACESA, is using the success insights and secret methods he developed over the years to help you achieve the same success he has had – or better (Many of his students and protégés have far surpassed his highest income after applying his exclusive training secrets). Here's Dan's story as he tells it. Find out how his unique experience can change your life.

 

Dan Bump, CFA Program Director

“Hi. I'm Dan Bump - that short guy with the funny name who made it big in surgery. When I first heard about surgical assisting for surgical techs and OR nurses, I wasn’t making enough money in the hospital no matter how much call I took. It saddened me to think I might have to leave surgery so I could provide for my wife and children the way I thought a good husband and father should.

 

I loved surgery so much you could often here me at the scrub sink singing (poorly) renditions of my favorite show tunes. I was in my element and very happy working with surgeons and the rest of the surgical team. Surgery defined me. The last thing I wanted to do was change careers.

 

Then one day out of the blue, I was given an opportunity to join a group of self-employed Surgical Assistants in Denver where: 1) I’d get to stay in surgery instead of going into computers; 2) I’d get even closer to the surgery, working hand-in-hand with the surgeon like a partner; 3) I’d make more money; and 4) I’d be my own boss.

 

It’s hard to say which of these 4 benefits really sold me most. What pushed me over the top was the assisting agency, Colorado Surgical Assisting, Inc. (CSA), offered a training program. It wasn’t a formal training program like what you see today. Back in 1989 (Darn! I just told you I'm short. Now I'm giving away my age.) there were no formal programs for working techs, nurses, and other surgery professionals. You’d have to quit work and go to PA school.

 

Dan Bump gives a little positive feedback at the Surgical SkillLab, 6 Days to Expertise.

The CSA program, instructed by the owner Al Sanchez, was more of an apprenticeship. The competition for surgeons and cases in Denver was brutal. If Al’s assistants were going to survive and succeed in such a cutthroat, competitive environment, they would have to be among the best and they would have to be able to quickly gain a surgeon’s trust. So the ultimate goals were:

• To make us so good, surgeons literally would become addicted to our assisting so they wouldn't want to work with anyone else.
• Surgeons expected the assistants in our group to perform the same or better than their own partners would if they assisted. That meant we had to acquire the same skills surgeons had and perform them expertly! Scary? Maybe. It’s a high bar but proper training worked like a charm.

• Since there were no formal training programs, the credentialing process at hospitals didn’t require it and nobody in the OR knew we were students. We were simply expected to perform like experienced assistants from the first day. Al’s training was exactly what we needed. It made us look experienced, not new. After all, we were doing what experienced first assistants did.

What was the result of designing his apprenticeship around these goals? Highly unique and very powerful training that produced 'ready-to-go,' expert-level Surgical Assistants. His teaching methods were so effective I can’t think of a single person he taught who didn’t go on to become very successful in their own right. This training philosophy greatly influenced the ACESA program.

 

But being highly skilled isn’t all you need to be a successful freelance assistant. What I learned from Al about marketing and good business practices was key to making $105,000 a year working just 20 hours a week. Since those days, I’ve learned a lot more about how to increase competence and give my students and protégés the ultimate in success.

 

Dan awards a well-deserved certificate to a happy student.

If there was one thing I didn't like...

We literally held the keys to success and yet we could only put one person a year through the apprenticeship! That wasn't enough. It wasn't right. So I started the very first school in the country with a formal first assisting program for working OR professionals. That is why I've been referred to as 'the father of first assistant training.' We set the program up so ANY surgical tech, OR nurse, or other qualified surgery professional nationwide could take the program without quitting their current jobs.

 

The program is still well-known and owes its success my own student success formula:

1) Give students the same skills surgeons have and 2) Teach them up front the success secrets and tricks-of-the-trade experts usually take years to discover through experience and painful trial and error; and 3) Mentor them into becoming successful freelance assistants if that is their goal.

 

This school was called the National Institute of First Assisting, Inc. (NIFA). I started NIFA with a partner who was an expert in sales. The marriage of his sales expertise and my surgical and teaching expertise made it possible for us to help thousands of techs and nurses become successful Surgical Assistants.

 

When the partners decided it was time to go our separate ways, I started the American Center for Excellence in Surgical Assisting, Inc. (ACESA) so I'd be free to innovate, fine-tune, and build on my student success formula. The sales partner kept NIFA and now he's free to change the program with the bottom line and increased sales in mind.

 

ACESA is my crowning achievement because it put me in the best position to make sure nothing gets in the way of providing exactly what you need, not only to survive but to achieve the same success in surgery as mine – or better. That is the mission and we do it every day at ACESA.

 

Many programs give you lectures and book learning but leave your surgical skills training to the surgeons in your clinical internship. My mission can’t be accomplished that way. Doesn’t common sense and your own experience tell you you’d be better off if an expert at the school gives you skills? You be the judge...

Some of your surgeons will be angry the school pushed skills training off onto them, some surgeons may be good teachers and others not, some surgeons will be patient and others will yell at you a lot or throw instruments, and some surgeons will take the necessary time with you and others want to get their cases done as fast as possible.

 

So, just like my mentor Al Sanchez, I do the equivalent of taking you under my wings and teaching you everything you need. It’s the only proven success formula. That’s why I make 6 days of extensive hands-on training the centerpiece of the ACESA program even though I could save a lot of money by following the crowd of programs that dispense with costly hands-on training.

 

Dan Bump and a capable and confident class graduating from the Surgical SkillLab, 6 Days to Expertise.

 

Here is an unexpected benefit our students get that others don't. Because you learn so much at the 6 day lab and perform so well in your internship right from the beginning, your surgeon sponsors will say in effect, “What’s left for me to teach?” The near universal answer is to teach you their trade secrets. Surgeons are able to go much deeper with you than they ever could with students of programs that offer little or no preclinical skills training.

 

I feel proud and privileged that my life course has led me to ACESA. For me, it’s a dream come true. You will be delighted with our training and our team. But don’t just take my word for it. See what our students and graduates have to say. As you browse through this website, you’ll see numerous testimonials and you can get even more if you go to the home page and click the ‘Testimonial’ link.

 

Thank you for reading my story. I hope it has been eye-opening and has helped you better understand the evolution of ACESA training and how enrolling yourself or your staff in the ACESA distance-learning Surgical Assistant Program can make you prosper in surgery like no other program can.”

 

Dan Bump, CFA, Program Director

American Center for Excellence in Surgical Assisting, Inc.

p.s.  Give us a call now at 1-888-221-5992 and find out how the ACESA Experience can change your life like it did for Dan.

p.s.s.   Inquire about any six-day labs you can get in that are close to you. We can also bring the lab to your hospital for added convenience.

 

Ross McDonald, SA-C , Freelance Surgical Assistant Meza, Arizona “ACESA is an outstanding program. Mr. Dan Bump’s ability to bring his extensive surgical background to bear and relate that to students in a positive and enlightening way makes for an invaluable educational opportunity. Anyone seriously considering a career as a Surgical Assistant would be remiss not to take advantage of it. The Surgical SkillLab was unbelievable! We had students from all over the US with every possible level of experience from rookie to seasoned pro. By the end of the lab, Dan was able to have us all performing new and practical skills like they were second nature. I had learned to suture in the Navy as a Corpsman and felt that my skills were good. Dan was able to refine my skills and instill in me a higher level of competence and confidence than I had before. The time that I have spent in the ACESA program has opened my eyes to the endless opportunities to individuals in the burgeoning and lucrative field of Surgical Assisting. I now have a job with a premium Surgical Assisting service. My income has increased dramatically and I am well on my way to a 6 figure income! The laparoscopic portion of the lab was especially beneficial to me. The skills that I learned there, I was immediately able to implement in surgery. This got me noticed to such an extent that I was asked to become a patient side assistant using the Da Vinci robotic surgical system. Now I am in a perfect position to dramatically increase my income by assisting on procedures where robotics is used. I consider myself fortunate to be on the cutting edge. The ACESA program has equipped me with the knowledge, skill, and confidence to be the best and we are now looking for more ACESA trained people to hire.”

 

“I enjoyed the interaction of team teaching. Loved the extreme patience with which you handled knot tying.  I was amazed at how much a person could learn in six days.” John Jorgensen, Director of Surgical Services

 

“Dan, you’re an excellent teacher, I really learned a lot. Why didn’t you become a surgeon? It was really nice to learn something you haven’t seen and done before. In case of emergency, I will know how to anticipate what the surgeon needs. It’s my first time to see 8-0 Prolene suture. It took me a long time to familiarize myself with suturing technique and use of loupes in microvascular surgery but I made it and I’m happy with the experience I had. I have already recommended this class to my co-workers. Thank you very much.”    Ceferina Brinquis, OR Manager

 

"ACESA is a knowledgeable company with YOUR success as their ultimate goal. The suturing and tying techniques that I learned were very beneficial. Knowing the best way to achieve the desired result and how to work under certain circumstances helped to build my confidence for working in almost any situation. The program has been extremely helpful in developing my skills to becoming an exceptional first assistant. The teaching styles accommodate every type of learner and also cover topics that may not have been covered in (tech) school. Overall, the program helps build confidence and provides skills that will be useful for a lifetime. It is great for novices and those that want to refine their skills."   Denise Skarin, ST

 

"ACESA is great! The labs were of great benefit for all the hands-on experience. The skill labs were extremely helpful in refining my skills after finishing my RNFA program. It provided more of the 'hands-on' aspect to complement what I had already learned to becoming an expert at assisting in surgery."   Connie Heaps, RN, CNOR, RNFA

 

"The people at ACESA are extremely helpful. The hands-on training really makes a big difference. I never thought I would learn so much in just 6 days. This lab has gone so far beyond my expectations, I feel as though I have been given an enormous gift by Dan. It is so wonderful to know that there are still genuinely good people in this world. He has restored my faith in people again. The knowledge and experience you gain will certainly make you stand out as an experienced SA."   Georgina Saldana, CST

 

 

 

ACESA, Inc.

Phone: 1-888-221-5992

Fax: 1-303-221-4747

4950 S. Yosemite St., F2 #343

Greenwood Village, Colorado   80111

info@acesatraining.com

 

 

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Covidien, W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., and Ansell Occupational Healthcare are proud to provide surgical materials to ACESA to greatly enhance formal Surgical Assistant training for OR Nurses, Surgical Techs, and other qualified surgical professionals. Covidien also provides suture profiles and a knot tying manual for download from their website(click on the logo above).