ACE's First Assistant Training Gives You The Power To Solve Your Most Critical Issues!

Dan Bump, the founder of the ACE Surgical Assistant program, is using the success insights he gained and the secret methods he developed over the years to put some real teeth on your Performance Improvement program and put some wings on YOUR medical career.

"I'd love to help you enjoy tremendous financial and professional success. I'm Dan Bump - that short guy with the funny name who made it big in surgery. In fact, going from surgical scrub to freelance first assistant changed my life and gave me amazingly valuable insights that will help YOU move up the career ladder and earn a reputation as a 'change agent.'

As you continue reading, you'll see how you can use my experience to benefit your patients, as I've helped OR management in hospitals around the country fulfill their missions and advance their careers.

If you don't have Surgical Assistants on your staff, I'm going to show you why it's vital for you to get your current hospital administration staff trained and certified for first assisting in surgery.

ACE Surgical Assisting is my crowning achievement because it put me in the best position to ensure nothing gets in the way of providing exactly what students need. However, since I've been so focused on student success, imagine my surprise when I found most of our students were enrolled by their employers primarily based on the employer's mission to improve performance and increase vital services to their surgeons.

When I discovered I was entirely blind to the many ways we unintentionally but powerfully benefited management, I started to compile a list of what you can expect once your scrub staff is properly trained and certified to first assist:

• You gain increased flexibility to run a hassle-free surgery schedule since your hospital administrator staff is competent and credentialed in an additional role.
• You can more easily expedite the completion of the daily elective schedule. Reduce or eliminate delays in the schedule due to waiting for the assistant or trying to find a proper assistant. This is a big hassle for either you or the surgeon. So proper first assist training will make both of you happier.
• You have one more resource for effectively resolving conflicts in the schedule.
• You can optimize utilization of your operating rooms.

Maintain clinical competencies in ALL areas (including the often overlooked area of first assisting).

• You foster a professional climate in the Operating Room. All staff members can be trained and certified to first assist, including on-the-job trained staff. OJT techs qualify for this training after completing a course of post secondary basic sciences.
• Increase your compliance with Joint Commission standards the Joint Commission is looking into whether scrub staff is first assisting without proper training and certification for that role... and then being recorded on the operative report as second scrub rather than the role they were performing - first assistant.
• Reduce your risk and liability exposure you, your staff, your surgeons, and your facility experience excessive exposure when your hospital admin staff members first assist without proper training. Think what kind of damage a smart lawyer could do with this juicy tidbit. On top of that, he would start salivating if he found the first assistant was recorded in the op report as a second scrub. Could you imagine him making the additional claim that the records were falsified?
• You will give your hospital admin staff retention and recruitment program a shot in the arm. Professional growth is compelling to the right people. So you will powerfully retain your most talented and hard working people and will attract top-notch hospital administrator professionals who are motivated more by growth opportunities than by sign-on bonuses.
• 3 powerful ways to increase surgical revenue and be awarded a larger budget: 1) You can benefit from first assistant revenue and reduce your FTE expenses through the use of our proprietary staffing solution; 2) Surgeons will increasingly utilize your facilities when they can count on having their favorite first assistant on all their cases; and 3) Enhance your reputation as a surgeon-friendly surgical facility. You'll more effectively attract an increasing number of NEW surgeons.
• And much, much more!

As you read on, you will discover eye-opening facts and common-sense solutions that reveal the many ways you benefit. But you may still need the support of senior management in order to purchase this training for your hospital admin staff. So look out for indications of how ACE Surgical Assistant training fulfills the unique missions of both your hospital CEO and Risk Manager.

I can't wait to see how your staff, your surgeons, your facility, and YOUR career all flourish as a result of your innovative problem solving."

-Dan Bump, ACE Surgical Assisting Founder

Call 1-888-221-5992 for details.

Take decisive action now to reduce your surgical risk and liability!

Don't lose sleep worrying about how...

• Your hospital's financial health is at risk in this sue-happy society.
• You and your hospital admin staff may be held personally responsible in a malpractice claim.
• Your medical career can be ruined and you can lose your home and other assets.

You'll agree this is scary stuff - but it's real! Let's face it. If your hospital is like most in the country:

• Your surgical technician and Operating Room nurses must regularly first assist or from time to time.
• Perhaps the scheduled assistant is late or doesn't show up.
• Problem: your technicians and nurses lack training and certification to first assist.
• Many hospitals make it worse by recording them in the op report as a second scrub instead of first assistant.

This is a common dilemma in hospitals nationwide. But it is very problematic in medical/legal terms. A smart lawyer could use this information to weaken or destroy your defense in a malpractice case. He'd likely claim the Operating Room record was falsified to cover up the fact that a person was assigned to first assist who wasn't trained and certified for the role.

You no longer have to choose between two bad options - #1 write the first assistant in as the second scrub or #2 risk exposure for using staff to first assist who weren't properly trained for the role.

A much better option #3 is to properly train your staff to first assist with the ACE program. When you do, you can:

• Continue to assign your hospital administrator staff to first assist in order to smooth out the surgery schedule and increase surgeon satisfaction.
• Enjoy increased flexibility to plug them into the first surgical assistant position as needed.
• Accurately record the first assistant as the first assistant, not as the second scrub.
• Stop worrying about any future consequences related to training, credentialing, and accurate recording issues.

And here is an unexpected plus for your Performance Improvement program. ACE Surgical Assisting will prepare your staff for high-level surgical performance; more like an expert than a clumsy new assistants. Surgical risk is dramatically reduced because they won't make the mistakes common to untrained or newly trained assistants.

Imagine how reducing your surgical risk and liability so significantly will contribute to the wellbeing of your hospital admin staff, your surgeons, and your medical facility. How will your decisive action in this matter increase your chances for career advancement?

We make it simple for your entire staff to earn a recognized first assisting credential!

The gold standard is proper training AND recognized credential. It's what they look for in the Medical Staff Office for credentialing, the Joint Commission for compliance to standards, and the courts in defending against a malpractice claim. Until recently, two categories of healthcare professionals on your staff have been unable to access this gold standard:

• On-the-job trained Surgical Technicians are being required to take some extra post secondary courses before they can take an accredited Surgical Assistant Program like ACE's. This would ordinarily mean going to a community college for night and weekend classes. Happily, these courses are now available through ACE Surgical Assisting and we make it easy. We just, in effect, add 4-6 months of distance-learning studies to the assisting program.
• ADNs and Diploma Nurses are in a unique dilemma. They have to do the following before they can finally sit for the CRNFA exam (Certified RN First Assistant):
  • Take an AORN accepted RNFA program, and...
  • Earn a CNOR, and...
  • Go back to the university and get a Bachelors Degree, and...
  • Get 2,000 hours of documented first assisting experience, and...
  • Then sit for the CRNFA exam.

  That is a lot! You have to decide for yourself if it is too much. On top of that, if you still decide to send your ADNs and Diploma Nurses to one of the AORN accepted RNFA programs, they won't be able to get certified anywhere! None of the other nationally recognized certifying agencies accept the RNFA programs for eligibility.

  Solution:Enroll your qualified Operating Room nurses, surgical technicians, and others in the ACE Surgical Assistant Program (CNOR, Bachelors Degree, and CST are all welcome but not required). The graduates of our surgical first assist program are eligible to sit for exams offered by the ABSA (the American Board of Surgical Assistants). This certification is widely known throughout the country.

  The ACE Surgeon Assistant program is also good toward the:

  • Illinois Surgical Assistant Registration
  • Perfectly positioned for other legislation being proposed

   

  Learned amazing amount in just 6 days! "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 Sioux Valley Vermillion Hospital Vermillion, SD

   

  I recommend it to my co-workers! "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 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 Cibola General Hospital Grants, NM

  5 ways the ACE Surgical Assistant Program can assist you in managing your budget.

  In a time when hospitals are struggling financially to stay open, it's hard to justify education expenses. Education may be the first thing you strike off your budget. Here are 5 good reasons to write the ACE Surgical Assistant program back in:

  #1

  The ACE Surgical Assistant Program is easy on your budget.

  ACE Surgical Assisting tuition is a budget-friendly $3,695 (subject to change without notice). If you really have to stretch your budget or you want to put more of your hospital admin staff through the surgical first assist program than your budget currently allows, you could use one of the these two strategies:

  • You could get everyone you want into the first assist program by using our payment plan. Monthly payments are only $295 each with a down payment of $895 and the employer could pay that or the students may be willing to pay it themselves as long as you cover the down payment.
  • Another way to stretch your budget is to enroll your staff into the 6-day Surgical SkillLab only. This is the hands-on training part of the Surgical Assistant Program. It doesn't fully address all the liability and credentialing issues. But it does improve performance so it mitigates some of the training and surgical risk issues. Once the budget allows, you can enroll them in the rest of the program to fix the rest of your credentialing issues. The lab only is just $1,895 each.

  Another powerful way you can save money is to invite us to your hospital to present the 6 day lab for your hospital administrator staff. You need to provide a minimum of 2 students paid in full and there is a $4,000 custom course fee. But it saves you money on travel costs when you have to send them out-of-state for the lab. You also can get a big PR boost when you inform the community of your Performance Improvement efforts and the advantage it brings to them.

  #2

  Our proprietary staffing solution can ignite your budget
  by reducing your FTE expenses.

  Dan Bump made $105,000 first assisting only 20 hours a week in surgery. Up until now, an assistant would have to become self-employed to get third party reimbursements. Hospitals just don't have the same ability to bill for their first assistants. However, ACE Surgical Assisting has discovered a unique way to turn our billing capabilities and your staff into extra revenue for the hospital or surgery center. This can dramatically reduce your staffing cost and contribute to your bottom line in ways you haven't thought of before.

  What will change when you use our proprietary staffing solution? This nearly automatic solution is completely hassle-free! It won't change the way you do business or the day-to-day work of your Operating Room. The only change you'll notice is the easy, natural flow of increased surgical revenue into your facility.

  Now the ACE Surgical Assistant Program pays for itself many times over. Even if you gave your newly trained nurses and surgical technicians a substantial raise, you'd still have a whole lot left over because our proprietary staffing solution generates revenue for you when they first assist. Does that give you extra leverage to negotiate a larger budget for more training and other pet projects you've been putting on hold? Absolutely!

  #3

  Attrition is expensive and can drain your budget.

  As you well know, attrition can take a heavy toll on your budget. The costs of acquiring and orienting good people can be over the top. By comparison, the cost of keeping good people is minimal. If you fund your staff's first surgical assistant training:

  • You can contractually keep them at least another couple of years.
  • Job satisfaction will go through the roof.
  • Your hospital admin staff will be relieved you have acted in their behalf to reduce their liability.
  • They'll be grateful you are providing them with a great medical career opportunity.
  • They'll be happy because they'll love their training and the new skills they acquire.
  • The new pay raise you can now afford will further spike their job satisfaction.

   

  You'll find first surgical assistant training is a great recruiting incentive. Your recruiting efforts will not only be more fruitful but you'll attract a higher quality employee than sign-on bonuses alone ever could.

  #4

  Surgeons will be so happy you provide trained first assistants, they'll be 'recruit-proofed!' Competing hospitals won't be able to tempt them away.

  New hospitals move into your area and try to tempt your surgeons away. If they succeed, your facility could become a ghost town - a hospital closure statistic.

  Surgeons get attached to their surgical first assistants. They trust them, enjoy working with them, and don't like working with anyone else. They'll reschedule a case if it is impossible for their favorite assistant to be there.

  If your hospital administration staff has been well-trained to assist and over time they develop a surgeon's favorite status, your surgeons will resist any temptation when other hospitals come knocking - even if they also provide Surgical Assistants.

  When do you want your staff to begin bonding with your surgeons like this? You can't start after the competition begins. You have to lay the foundation now. Maintaining your current surgeons is vital to your hospital and the ACE Surgical Assistant Program will be key to avoiding hospital closure.

  #5

  Attract new surgeons like a magnet. Increasing your OR utilization is the 'hidden benefit' that blows the rest out of the water!

  Want some really great word-of-mouth advertising? You'll get a barrel full if you treat your surgeons to a staff of OR Nurses and Surgical Technicians well-trained to first assist whenever they need it. Finding their own assistants is often one of a surgeon's biggest hassles. Your surgeons will be so happy you eliminated this hassle for them, they'll talk up your medical facility to their colleagues and they'll talk you up to upper management.

  Your CEO will want to use these points in his surgeon recruiting efforts:

  • Surgeons won't have to waste time looking for an assistant last-minute.
  • Surgery delays can be avoided.
  • Most of the time, he'll be able to count on using his favorite first assistant.
  • On the few times his favorite assistant is unavailable, he can count on a highly-trained and capable substitute.
  • The surgeon's liability is reduced because the first assistants are formally trained and nationally certified. You don't have to use a scrub tech or nurse who wasn't trained to assist as an 'extra pair of hands.'
  • Surgeons will get highly-skilled first surgical assistants. They won't have to keep one eye on the assistant while keeping the other eye on the procedure.
  • Your assistants will be trained by ACE Surgical Assisting. That means they got the best training available bar none, training that shows in your staff's confidence, knowledge, and performance.
  • Since surgeon assistants will always be available from your staff, surgeons won't have to assist each other as much (or ever). This frees them up to do more of their own surgeries, do practice building activities, or just spend more time with their families!

   

  So in addition to maintaining and 'recruit proofing' your current surgeons, your CEO will be empowered to be a more effective surgeon recruiter. New surgeons bring in new surgeries and a tremendous amount of new surgical revenue.

  Give us a call now at 1-888-221-5992 and ask for Sarah. She'll help you analyze your specific need for training, liability reduction, and determine if our proprietary staffing solution will increase your surgical revenue.

  P.S. Also inquire about any 6-day labs in your area that you can get your hospital admin staff into.

  P.P.S. If there aren't any labs in your area, be sure to ask about bringing the lab to your medical facility to train your staff. Enjoy even more convenience, cost savings, and good community PR.

  Call 1-888-221-5992 for details.

  Learn More About the ACE Training Program

  Learn More About the ACE Skill Lab

  ACE Surgical Assisting Mission

  ACE Surgical Assisting is dedicated to the individual development of skills, knowledge, and responsibility essential to successful surgical assisting practice in the operating room. A challenging and effective learning environment for busy surgery professionals who desire to become First Surgical Assistants is therefore essential.

  ACE is committed to inspiring students to pursue success through learning and to achieve the highest levels of performance with: 1) extensive hands-on skills training and realistic surgical simulations; 2) distance-learning technology to acquire knowledge without leaving work; and 3) a well-rounded clinical experience under the direct supervision of surgeons that students work with and at the healthcare facilities where they are employed.

  The ACE Surgical Assistant Program is approved by the American Board of Surgical Assistants, Inc. (ABSA). Graduates of the surgical first assist program are eligible to sit for the ABSA certifying exam and earn the SA-C title (Surgical Assistant Certified).

  Approved and regulated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Private Occupational School Board. Agents licensed By the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Division of Private Occupational Schools. To verify, go to http://highered.colorado.gov/dpos/.
   

  W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. and Ansell Occupational Healthcare are proud to provide surgical materials to ACE to greatly enhance formal Surgical Assistant training for Operating Room Nurses, Surgical Technicians, and other qualified surgical professionals.
   

  Click on the Covidien logo to download suture profiles and a knot tying manual from their website.