Membership BenefitsBecoming a member of your national surgical assisting professional organization is a positive commitment to your career. When you join the Association of Surgical Assistants, you receive all of ASA's member benefits, including discounts on continuing education, access to malpractice insurance, legislative advocacy, and much more. Learn more about the cost and categories of ASA membership and join today. Member DiscountsContinuing Education and Live EventsMembers of the Association of Surgical Assistants are eligible to receive special discounted rates on live educational events and workshops. ASA members are also eligible to receive discounts on continuing education. Legislative Advocacy for Surgical AssistingThe central focus of ASA's advocacy efforts has been legislative recognition for the profession and protecting the right to practice for credentialed surgical assistants. ASA has been legislatively successful with either licensure or certification in Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, and the District of Columbia. Indiana does recognize the profession in vein harvesting. In 2019, ASA will return to Georgia and file expanded surgical assisting licensure bills in Texas and Virginia. In addition, ASA is beginning discussions with two midwestern states to identify the issues and challenges related to legal initiatives in those particular states. ASA members can log in to learn more about ASA's advocacy efforts. Professional BenefitsProcessing and Recording of Credits - Coming Soon!Malpractice InsuranceThe Association of Surgical Assistants has arranged with Berxi to provide malpractice insurance to ASA members at very affordable rates. Visit the Berxi website. Members Only Facebook GroupOnly ASA members may access the members only Facebook group. On this discussion board, members connect with each other, ask questions, share strategies and get insights. This resource is a crucial avenue for staying current with issues affecting the profession and advice from surgical assistants across the country. National Professional Healthcare InitiativesBureau of Labor StatisticsIn 2013, ASA began discussions with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Four years later, the BLS created a separate occupational code for surgical assistants. Other groups and individuals contributed to this success but ASA initiated the discussions. The Joint CommissionIn 2016, ASA began seeking avenues to communicate with The Joint Commission. After sustained efforts, ASA began to find the appropriate representatives to discuss the challenges to patient safety that occur when practitioners are working outside of their scope of practice. In 2017, ASA scheduled a Joint Commission Surveyor to present the keynote address at the annual fall meeting in Richmond. This relationship is continuing to strengthen. In 2018, an ASA representative attended a Health Care Association Forum sponsored by the Joint Commission. The opening keynote speaker at the Spring 2019 ASA/NSAA Joint Conference was Andrew Bland, MD, Medical Director, Division of HealthCare Quality Evaluation. ASA is now undertaking a survey to provide feedback to The Joint Commission about surgical assistant practices. Association of Healthcare Risk ManagersIn 2016, ASA exhibited at the Association of Healthcare Risk Managers (ASHRM) and presented a mock surgery the following year. In 2018, ASA conducted a survey at the 2018 ASHRM Annual Conference in preparation for a proposal presented at the 2019 ASHRM Annual Conference. This is a critically important audience for surgical assistants to maintain. HealthTrustIn 2017, ASA began conversations with HealthTrust, in conjunction with The Joint Commission effort. HealthTrust credentials surgical assistants in nearly HCA hospitals and will be expanding their credentialing services to other healthcare organizations in 2018. A representative spoke at the ASA 2018 meeting in Phoenix. HealthTrust DHP Credentialing Packet Publisher of Educational Benchmarks
These publications ensure that every surgical assisting student has a standardized knowledge base and clinical competencies. |