Advance your career by earning a Surgical First Assistant certificate. At COD, you'll discover: 

• Small class sizes that ensure students receive personalized attention.
• Dedicated instructors with years of professional experience.
• Instruction utilizing state-of-the-art equipment.
• Flexible online courses.
• Affordable programs without creating overwhelming debt or draining a savings account.

Surgical First Assistant, Certificate

The Surgical First Assistant Certificate will prepare students to assist the surgeon in surgical operations safely and expeditiously. The program provides advancement opportunities for Certified Surgical Technologist through a variety of instructional methods including online, laboratory, and clinical experience. Eligible students will be prepared to take a national certification exam. This certificate requires 35 credits in the courses listed below.

The Surgical First Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).

Outcomes Assessment Exam Results

Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) exam given by the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) results:

Class Success Rate by Year 

2025

Retention rate: 10/11, 90%
CSFA Participation in Certification Exam: = 10/10, 100%
CSFA Pass Rate in Certification Exam (first try): 9/10, 90%
Graduate Placement (in field, continuing education) = 10/10, 100%

Employer surveys sent: 10/10
Return rate: pending
Satisfaction rate: pending

Graduate surveys:
Return rate: 10/10, 100%
Satisfaction rate: 10/10, 100%

2024

Retention rate: 11/12, 92%
CSFA Participation in Certification Exam: = 11/11, 100%
CSFA Pass Rate in Certification Exam (first try): 9/11, 81%
Graduate Placement (in field, continuing education) = 11/11, 100%

Employer surveys sent: 11/11
Return rate: 8/11
Satisfaction rate: 8/8

Graduate surveys:
Return rate: 11/11, 100%
Satisfaction rate: 11/11, 100%

2023

Retention rate: dropped/incomplete:
CSFA Participation in Certification Exam: = 11/11, 100%
CSFA Pass Rate in Certification Exam (first try): 8/11, 72%
Graduate Placement (in field, continuing education) = 11/11, 100%

Employer surveys sent: 11/11
Return rate: 8/11
Satisfaction rate: 8/8

Graduate surveys:
Return rate: 11/11, 100%
Satisfaction rate: 11/11, 100%

2022

Retention rate: 16 enrolled, 2 dropped/incomplete: 14/16, 87.5%
CSFA Participation in Certification Exam: = 14/14, 100%
CSFA Pass Rate in Certification Exam within 1 year): 13/14, 92%
Graduate Placement (in field, continuing education) = 14/14, 100%

Employer surveys:
Sent rate: 14/14, 100%
Return rate: 10/14, 71%

Satisfaction rate: 10/10, 100%
Graduate surveys:
Return rate: 14/14, 100%
Satisfaction rate: 14/14, 100%

2021

Retention rate: 12 enrolled, 1 dropped/incomplete= 91%
CSFA Participation in Certification Exam: 11/11 = 100%
CSFA Pass Rate in Certification Exam : 8/11= 72%
Graduate Placement (in field, continuing education) = 11/11 = 100%

Employer surveys:
Return rate: 8/11 = 72%
Satisfaction rate: 8/8 = 100%

Graduate surveys:
Return rate: 11/11 = 100%
Satisfaction rate: 11/11 = 100%

Students are expected to provide proof of a Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan prior to the start of the program or clinical start. The insurance plan must cover you throughout the length of your clinical experience, which in most cases, consists of the entire length of the program. If you are in need of Health Insurance, please note the following important dates and visit cod.studentbenefitplans.com.

Important Dates

• Open Enrollment: Typically opens November through mid-January
  If you will need health insurance ANYTIME within the next year, you must apply during the current open enrollment period.

If you miss open enrollment, but have a qualifying life event, you can still apply during a Special Enrollment Period.

While we cannot guarantee your official acceptance into the program, you need to be aware that there is short timeframe of when you are able to purchase a Health Insurance plan. The purpose of this step is to make you aware and that the time to research and purchase is NOW. Purchasing health insurance outside of this timeframe will take months and may prohibit your admittance into the Program. NOTE: Obtaining Health Insurance is NOT an application requirement but it is a requirement to be in the program.

Incoming health science students have certain requirements that must be met throughout the program. Refer to the resources below for more information.

• Clinical Requirements Packet - Learn more about health requirements you may need to complete prior to registration or after program admission.
• Social Security Number (SSN) Requirements - While the College may not require an SSN for admission to all healthcare programs, students should be aware that the absence of an SSN may limit or prevent their ability to participate in certain clinical experiences, obtain required licensure or certification or secure employment upon graduation. Many healthcare employers, clinical education sites, licensing agencies and credentialing organizations require a valid SSN for employment, criminal background checks, payroll processing and/or professional licensure or certification. Students are strongly encouraged to verify SSN requirements with the applicable licensing board, certifying agency and prospective employers before enrolling in a healthcare program.

The Surgical First Assistant Certificate program will provide students with career ladder advancement opportunities as a surgical assistant using a variety of instructional methods. The program's didactic content will be offered in an online format, allowing the students to continue their employment. The program will also consist of a suture lab and clinical experience. The student is responsible for securing his/her own clinical preceptor and clinical site.

The Surgical First Assistant program will educate and train students to actively, safely, and expeditiously assist the surgeon in surgical operations. The Surgical First Assistant program will provide students with experience in aiding in surgical procedure exposure, hemostasis, closure, and other intraoperative surgical functions that help a surgeon carry out a safe surgical procedure with optimal results for the patient. In addition to intraoperative duties, the Surgical First Assistant program will also provide students with the knowledge and skills to perform preoperative and postoperative functions to better facilitate proper patient care under the direction and supervision of a surgeon in accordance with hospital policy and appropriate laws, regulations and standards.

Surgical First Assistant Program graduates will:

• Prepare competent entry-level surgical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
• Provide a safe and caring environment, in which working as a part of the surgical team can provide a positive outcome for the patient.
• Provide the student with the information and skills necessary to demonstrate the ability to apply advance knowledge of normal and pathological surgical anatomy and physiology.
• Stimulate the ability to demonstrate effective communication about the surgeon's preferences and specific patient's need to the surgical team such as suture needs, specialty supplies and instrumentation, and equipment.
• Develop an understanding of and demonstrate the ability to provide preoperative skills such as assessing patient information, history, preoperative tests (EKG, EEG, EMG, lab values, diagnostic imaging), safety measures, biopsy results, positioning and draping.
• Develop a comprehension of, in order to display, the ability to provide intraoperative skills such as visualization, trocar insertion, injection of local anesthetics, hemostasis, tissue handling, placement and securing of wound drains, and closure of body planes.
• Acquire the knowledge necessary to demonstrate the ability to provide postoperative skills in patient care such as dressing application, patient transfer and transport, transfer of care, and monitoring for immediate complications.
• Learn the responsibilities of a team member and to apply the roles of a surgical assistant.
• Provide an environment that encourages individual motivation and growth.
• Stimulate technical and critical thinking and provide students with problem solving skills. To provide patient care applying knowledge to practice by incorporating this technical and critical thinking along with clinical reasoning.
• Recognize and to stimulate leadership qualities and abilities promoting professionalism in the field of surgical assisting.

As defined by the American College of Surgeons, the surgical first assistant provides aid in exposure, hemostasis, closure and other intraoperative technical functions that help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient. In addition to intraoperative duties, the surgical first assistant also performs preoperative and postoperative duties to better facilitate proper patient care. The surgical first assistant to the surgeon during the operation does so under the direction and supervision of that surgeon and in accordance with hospital policy and appropriate laws and regulations.

In general, surgical first assistants have the following responsibilities:

• Determine specific equipment needed per procedure
• Review permit to confirm procedure and special needs
• Select and place of x-rays for reference
• Assist in moving and positioning of patient
• Insert and remove Foley urinary bladder catheter
• Place pneumatic tourniquet
• Confirm procedure with surgeon
• Drape patient within surgeon’s guidelines
• Provide retraction of tissue and organs for optimal visualization with regard to tissue type and appropriate retraction instrument and/or technique
• Assist in maintaining hemostasis by direct pressure, use and application of appropriate surgical instrument for the task, placement of ties, placement of suture ligatures, application of chemical hemostatic agents, or other measures as directed by the surgeon
• Use electrocautery mono and bi-polar
• Clamp, ligate, and cut tissue per surgeon’s directive
• Harvest saphenous vein, including skin incision, per surgeon’s directive
• Dissect common femoral artery and bifurcate per surgeon’s directive
• Maintain integrity of sterile field
• Close all wound layers (facia, subcutaneous and skin) as per surgeon’s directive
• Insert drainage tubes per surgeon’s directive
• Select and apply wound dressings
• Assist with resuscitation of patient during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events in the operating room
• Perform any other duties or procedures incident to the surgical procedure deemed necessary and as directed by the surgeon

Graduates from the Surgical First Assistant program at College of DuPage will be given an opportunity to become a Surgical First Assistant and are eligible to take the Certified Surgical First Assistant Examination (CSFA-ERC) from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assistant (NBSTSA).

This program has mandatory lab skills, competencies and exams that must be passed prior to going to clinical rotations. If the student does not successfully complete the competencies, then the student will be asked to withdraw from the program.

The applicant is responsible for securing his or her own clinical preceptor (surgeon) and clinical site.

The process of obtaining a clinical site and starting a clinical contract can take up to 12 weeks. The clinical affiliation agreement must be fully executed prior to receiving permission to register for the program.

Applicants must also identify a surgeon who will be willing to serve as a main preceptor. An agreement letter and a copy of the surgeon’s CV/resume is required prior to registration. It is recommended that students obtain more than 1 main preceptor (surgeon).

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) along with the ARC-ST/SA require that all surgical procedures that are part of the 140 mandated cases are done “off the clock”, meaning on your own time. Students must complete 140 surgical procedures: 20 general surgery cases, and 120 cases can be done in any specialty as long as it requires a surgical first assistant and/or upon surgeon request.

CAAHEP also mandates that the clinical component of the program shall be educational in nature. Also, students shall not be substituted for personnel during the clinical component of the program. College of DuPage does have a Student Work Policy in place, which is also required by the accreditation body.

The intent of the Student Work Policy is to ensure that medical control and accountability exist. Medical control and accountability exist when there is unequivocal evidence that Surgical Assisting students are not operating as independent practitioners on clinical assignment and when SA students are under direct medical control or in a system where timely medical audit and review provide for quality assurance. The sponsoring institution program should establish and implement a Student Work Policy reviewed and approved by the Program Advisory Committee (PAC). The Student Work Policy should minimally state:

• All activities including clinical in the program must be educational
• Students must not be substituted for hired staff

NOTE: If the student is also an employee of the Facility, the Student and Facility will abide by the following: Student is not to function as an employee when performing student clinical rotations, and may not wear any identifiable information indicating they are an employee of the Facility. When the Student is functioning as an employee of the Facility, the time shall not be considered as student clinical rotation hours.

To participate in any Health Career program at College of DuPage that has a direct patient care or clinical education component, applicants must possess additional non-academic skills. These occupational standards are consistent with the duties of the entry-level professional in that field and are set by the individual program. These skills, which protect the health and well-being of patients, may include, but are not limited to, the ability to:

• Lift, push, pull and/or carry greater than 100 pounds
• Lift and transfer patients to and from wheelchairs, stretchers, beds and imaging tables
• Move, adjust and manipulate equipment
• Position patients for exams
• Respond appropriately to sounds such as the patient’s voice and movements at a normal conversational volume
• Respond appropriately to equipment signals such as sound and light
• Manipulate the necessary hospital equipment for patient care such as dials, switches, push button keyboards
• Perform for a prolonged period without breaks in a typical shift of eight hours
• Communicate orally and in writing with patients, doctors and other personnel clearly and effectively, and have the ability to follow verbal and written directions

In the surgical assisting profession, you may be exposed to fumes, chemicals, cold, noise, radiation, blood/body fluids, and infectious diseases. See the packet for the Health Career program to which you are applying for specific occupational requirements. Students who do not meet these standards may be considered ineligible for a program and can be withdrawn from all program classes. If you are unsure whether you can meet these requirements, you are advised to consult an adviser, counselor or member of the program faculty to discuss the situation, and/or schedule an appointment with your physician prior to applying to the program or enrolling for classes