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Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) Career and Certification
Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) Career and Certification
Becoming a certified surgical assistant (CSA) requires experience in a related area, such as nursing or physician assisting, often combined with college coursework. Read more about the education and certification requirements for CSAs.
What You Need to Know
As a surgical assistant, you will help surgeons with different tasks during an operation, like positioning patients, controlling bleeding, applying sutures and identifying both anatomy and surgical instruments. Becoming a certified surgical assistant (CSA) requires having previous allied healthcare experience, completing an approved program and meeting the required number of clinical hours.
<table border="1"><tr><td><b>Program Options</b> </td><td> Surgical First Assistant Certificate, Associate in Applied Science in Surgical Assisting, Master of Surgical Assisting</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Licensing</b> </td><td> In states that require licensure, candidates must be board certified</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Career Outlook (2021-2031)*</b> </td><td> 6% growth, faster than average</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Median Salary (2021)*</b> </td><td> $48,510</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---HowDoIGetAdmittedToASurgicalAssistantProgram">How Do I Get Admitted to a Surgical Assistant Program?</h3><p>There are many training programs approved by the National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA). These are mostly certificate programs and may take 1 to 2 years to complete. The entrance requirements for these programs generally include experience as a certified surgical technologist (CST), operation room nurse (CNOR) or physician assistant (PA-C) or having military medical training. A bachelor's degree in a science-related field along with CPR certification are also common requirements.
</p><h3 id="section---DoCSAsNeedToBeCertified">Do CSAs Need to Be Certified?</h3><p>Once you graduate from an NSAA-approved surgical assisting training program, you will become eligible to take the examination to earn the Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) designation. If you are a practicing allied health professional, you can also sit for the examination if you meet the right qualifications. Requirements for certification include 2,250 hours of rotation as a surgical assistant and letters of recommendation from surgeons. You can also qualify to take the examination if you have received military medical training with an emphasis on surgical assisting.
</p><p>Continuing education in surgical assisting is necessary for maintaining your CSA designation. Every two years as a CSA, you must complete 50 education credits in order to re-certify. You can earn continuing education credits through a variety of means, such as attending conferences, taking job-related college courses and teaching related subjects.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatIsTheEmploymentOutlookForThisCareerField">What is the Employment Outlook for This Career Field?</h3><p>As a CSA, you'll have many different career options available to you. Certified surgical assistants are employed in:
</p><ul><li>Hospitals
</li><li>Independent clinics
</li><li>Doctor's offices
</li></ul><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that roughly 118,900 surgical technologists will be employed by 2029. This is a 6% increase in jobs from 2021, during which time about 128,700of these professionals were employed. As of May 2021, the median salary for surgical technologists was $48,510.</p>
