What is a Professional Assistant?
Professional Assistants in Surgery Ltd offers experienced practitioners who all hold the relevant national and transferable qualifications to assist during surgical procedures.
Advanced Scrub Practitioner
The Perioperative Care Collaborative (2003) Position statement defines the Advanced Scrub Practitioner (ASP) as a role undertaken by a health care practitioner providing competent and skilled assistance under the direct supervision of the operating surgeon while not performing any form of surgical intervention.
Advanced Scrub Practitioners are able to act as the primary or second assistant, undertaking very specific skills:
- Preparation
- Positioning
- Handling of Instruments
- Tissue Retraction, Handling & Exposure
- Assistance with Surgical Haemostasis
- Male & Female Urinary Catheterisation
- MAS - Camera Op Skills
- Assisting with Sutures & Ligatures
- Application Suction
- Pre & Post Op Visiting
Advanced Scrub Practitioner with extended skills
The ASP with extended skills is a practitioner who has undertaken additional education and training to further extend their Advanced Scrub Practitioner skills detailed above and in also able to also undertake.
- Surgical knot tying
- Superficial wound closure (Subcutaneous and skin layers)
- Application of direct electrocautery
- Post operative local anaesthetic wound infiltration
Surgical Care Practitioner
The National Association of Assistants in Surgical Practice (2004) defines a Surgical Care Practitioner as a practitioner working both in and out of the operating room who undertakes specified surgical intervention either under direct, indirect or proximal supervision. Surgical Care Practitioners are speciality led and within their specialties have advanced roles often performing surgical intervention. Many are able to perform minor surgery with only proximal supervision and regularly get involved in the teaching of junior doctors in surgery training. Whilst Surgical Care Practitioners are specialty led, they are all able to act as an Advanced Scrub Practitioner with extended skills in any other specialty.
Doctor in Surgical Training
All of our surgical trainees are experienced medical practitioners who have gained the MRCS / FRCS or equivalent experience in surgery. They are able to perform surgical intervention in their dedicated specialties, and can cover the same scope of surgical activities as the Surgical Care Practitioner.
All PAS Ltd Professional Assistants have the relevant qualifications, the necessary documentation to fulfil the requirements of the Health Care Commission and the individual Independent Healthcare Organisations.
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