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Working outside your
scope of practice? Watch out!
If you scrub in surgery, you could get into serious trouble unless you enroll in a First Assistant or Surgical Assistant Program right away. Even if you weren’t thinking of school, you’re on this site because you are one of the many who realize how much you need training to cover yourself for what the hospital is already making you do.
"Wait!!! Hold on just a minute!!!
What do you mean I could get into trouble?"
You’ve been in this situation many times before. You have to assist the surgeon because there is no assistant or the assistant is late. You are excited at first because assisting is what you have always wanted to do. But then you are there, in the OR, and surgery begins. Your palms start to sweat. Your heart is beating faster from the adrenaline rush you get just thinking you are going to be a partner in the surgery instead of observing from the Mayo stand.
Then you realize… you aren’t trained to do it! You only have a fuzzy idea of what the surgeon expects from you and you have no qualifications that allow you work on this patient. What if someone found out? What if something went wrong? What if they decided it was your fault? Would your hospital protect you? Are you protected under your hospital’s malpractice insurance?
The answer is ‘no’ and you already know it. But now you’re being put in a dangerous position by your hospital AND, insult to injury, they’re making you do a job they aren’t paying you for. Here’s how most hospitals try to solve the problem:
- They add first assisting to your job description to make it seem like you're working within your scope of practice.
- They re-label your role on the op report calling it 'second scrub' even though you were the first assistant.
Does that work for you? It shouldn’t! It’s a band-aid, not a cure. You are not protected at all even though they make it seem like you are. All malpractice suits go to court unless they settle out of court for some significant amount of money. Do you think the hospital would be willing to pay millions of dollars to protect you and keep you safe? I’m sure you know the answer without me telling you.
You could lose everything you care about. The problem is HUGE but the answer is SIMPLE. All you need to do is get the proper training and certification. Once you have that, you’re protected. And best of all, you’ll start getting paid for the work you’re doing. You’ll be a REAL assistant not a retractor holder. You’ll close wounds and perform surgical techniques with the surgeon’s direction… and gratitude.
You have to take responsibility for the safety of your own career. Don't rely on some band-aid solutions that don't protect you anyway. Proper training is easier than you think. You've got to act now. Enroll in a Surgical Assistant Program. It doesn't even have to be ours! Just get the training and certification you need for your own protection. Click First Assistant Training to find out what to look for in a program and to find out about ours. If you'd rather talk to someone, call Sarah at 1-888-221-5992 and she'll be happy to help you.
“All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage
to pursue them.” -Walt Disney
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To verify program accreditation, CLICK HERE
Approved and regulated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board.
Agents licensed By the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board.
To verify school approval, CLICK HERE
The ACESA Surgical Assistant Program is approved by the American Board of Surgical Assistants, Inc. (ABSA). Upon passing the ABSA exam, graduates can use the
title 'SA-C' (Surgical Assistant - Certified.)
ACESA, Inc.
Phone: 1-888-221-5992
Fax: 1-303-221-4747
4950 S. Yosemite St., F2 #343
Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111
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).
