first assistant, do u have them?

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Sep 30, 2003

I need to clarify something here. It was not a CRNFA that got paid 62cents............it was a doctor who had billed the insurance and got 62cents. A doctor who was assisting another doctor. I do not know what the CRNFA gets from insurances but I do know if it is a medicare or medicaid patient it is not worth even submitting, from what they tell me.

carcha · Oct 1, 2003

It amazes me that these surgeons assistants are employed everywhere. However my beef is not with or techs, or gps or foreign doctors, its that an individual who today may be serving burgers can after a mere 16 weeks take part in a surgical procedure which for the rest of us comes after years of training and exams. What next?

kathyann · Oct 4, 2003

Carcha,

I have heard of no programs like this...where which a lay person off the street could train for 6 weeks to work doing surgery???

Could you give us more information? because I have never heard of such a thing.

All FA programs, and even CST programs require much more education than this........

Alnamvet · Jan 24, 2004

Originally posted by carcha
It amazes me that these surgeons assistants are employed everywhere. However my beef is not with or techs, or gps or foreign doctors, its that an individual who today may be serving burgers can after a mere 16 weeks take part in a surgical procedure which for the rest of us comes after years of training and exams. What next?

Those are not surgical assistants, they are surgical/or techs. Check the Eastern Virginia Medical School web page regarding their Surgical Assistant program...it's 2 years long, not 16 weeks; next year, it'll be a Masters program. We use them a lot in VA and they are paid handsomely (av'g salary is ~$75000 per annum).

carcha · Jan 25, 2004

it is 16 weeks, I spoke to someone who has taken it. She was a health care aide and now "assists". This is in a european country, not the USA or Canada. Its a joke.