Definition of a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) in its Physicians as Assistants at Surgery 2011 Study states "Registered nurses with specialized training may also function as first assistants..."

The Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) states that the RNFA is a perioperative registered nurse (NIFA Note: they also include the Advanced Practice nurse without OR experience) who works in collaboration with the surgeon and health care team members to achieve optimal patient outcomes. The RNFA must have acquired the necessary knowledge, judgment, and skills specific to the expanded role of RNFA clinical practice. Intraoperatively, the RNFA practices at the direction of the surgeon and does not concurrently function as a scrub nurse.