During the Holiday Season, I have one thing to say, "First Assistants Rejoice!"

The newly revised CFA Practice Examination is now available from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting--check it out!

"This is a 175-item online practice examination that matches the content and difficulty of the NBSTSA's CFA National Examination for Surgical First Assistants," reads the online description of the test.

"Developed using the same procedures as the actual CFA examination, the CFA Practice Examination assists the candidate in preparing for the actual test. The CFA Practice Examination is an excellent study tool for examination candidates, credentialed practitioners, students, or anyone interested in evaluating individual knowledge related to the National CFA Examination."

Click here to learn about purchasing the test.

And read on for another great resource for everyone in the profession!

Happy Holidays from all of us at NIFA!

Rodney Jensen, CST/CFA

SFA Program Director

Largest Web Resource for SAs Launched

Have you seen SurgicalAssistantResource.org?  

Launched just last week, the new website combines two existing websites, Surgical Technology Resource and Surgical Assistant Resource, to create the largest database of information for Surgical Technologists and Surgical Assistants on the web.   

The site is the brainchild of Douglas J. Hughes, CST, CSFA, CSA, CRCST, BAS, who lives near Fresno, CA, and teaches Surgical Technology at San Joaquin Valley College. Over the past year he had set up separate resource websites for STs and SAs, and he recently decided to combine them.

"Surgical Assisting is after all the next logical career step for many STs, and what better way to inform them and get them interested in the profession than to include them in this project?" Douglas says. "Not to mention that there is significant overlap in many of the issues that are tackled on the site."  

Also, the combining of the two sites has made the administration side of the project much more fluid for Douglas, who is the site's owner, operator, Webmaster, blogmaster, programmer, researcher, designer, editor, and spokesperson.
 
SurgicalAssistantResource.org offers extensive career information about becoming an ST or SA . . . a large and growing Frequently Asked Questions section that addresses accreditation, education and training, professional organizations, maintaining certification, expected salaries, and much more . . . a job board that allows you to post your resume . . . and a social network called "OR Team!" where you can create a profile, post a photo and communicate with other Surgical Techs and Surgical Assistants.

Douglas sees Surgical Assistant Resource as having a threefold mission: to educate, unite, and advance the profession of the non-physician Surgical First Assistant. "These three steps will give us the head start we need," he says, "to win the race toward the goal of national recognition and legislation."

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIFA. NIFA does not give any express or implied warranty as to the accuracy of statements made by our contributors and does not accept any liability for error or omission. It is the responsibility of all OR personnel to work within and adhere to their facility bylaws and individual state scope of practice.    

The National Institute for First Assisting (NIFA) is the nation's leader of distance learning First Assistant programs. NIFA's new SA250 Surgical First Assistant program is CAAHEP accredited and prepares Surgical Assistants for the role of Certified First Assistant.