Curriculum

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Mayo Clinic surgical first assistant students training

60%

time spent in clinical settings

40%

time spent in classroom

1,150

hours spent on surgical cases

Student experiences

Course sequence:

There are a total of 34 credits in the program.

Number	Course	Credits
SFA 4400	Applied Surgical Anatomy	4
SFA 4100	Operative Practices and Techniques	2
SFA 4200	Clinical Surgical Practice I	3
SFA 4300	Clinical Surgical Practice II	3
SFA 4500	Surgical Rotation: Clinical I	6
SFA 4600	Surgical Rotation: Clinical II	6
SFA 4700	Surgical Rotation: Clinical III Surgical Specialty Concentrations	5
SFA 4800	Surgical Rotation: Clinical IV Clinical Observation/Grand Rounds	2
SFA 4900	Advanced Topics of Surgical First Assisting	3

Hands-on clinical rotations

The clinical rotations offered as part of the Surgical First Assistant Program require experience in a minimum of 240 cases (approximately 1,150 hours) and include these surgical areas:

General
Orthopedics
Neurosurgery
Trauma
Gynecology
Urology
Plastics
Ambulatory
Robotics
Vascular
Cardiothoracic

Clinical rotations will primarily be conducted at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, with a few weeks at various Mayo Clinic Health System sites. These rural facilities are all located within 70 miles of Rochester and have on-site parking for incoming learners.

In order to take the National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA) examination, candidates are required to complete a minimum of 400 clinical hours and a minimum of 240 cases. The program's clinical experience will exceed these requirements.

Hours

The classroom portion of the program typically includes four or more hours per day, three to five days a week. Days and times vary based on availability of faculty and space.

The clinical schedule can vary but you will never work above 50 hours a week. The minimum case requirement will be discussed prior to entry of the surgical suite with the minimum hour requirement being 950 hours.

Outside work

You may hold outside employment if it does not conflict with your program responsibilities.

Facilities and faculty

Learn more about the facilities and faculty of the Surgical First Assistant Program.

Facilities

Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester is an extensive outpatient complex with substantial research and education facilities. This Mayo Clinic site is among the largest, most advanced medical centers in the world.

You spend time in the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Centers and human anatomy lab, as well as clinical time in the surgical suites of Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester and the same-day surgical suites in the Gonda Building. Opportunities to rotate through Mayo Clinic Health System sites will be expected based on availability.

Mayo Clinic Hospital — Rochester has one of the largest surgical suites in the nation with more than 120 operating rooms. Each year, Mayo Clinic surgeons perform nearly 50,000 surgical procedures — about 200 a day — at the hospital's two campuses. The vast number and type of surgeries, in combination with a highly educated faculty, make Mayo Clinic an ideal educational setting for students in surgical training programs.

Teaching faculty

Sarah Penkava, Program Director

Sarah Penkava started her nursing career in 1998 at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her first experience at Mayo Clinic (2002) was in surgery, specifically with pediatric airways in ENT, ophthalmology, plastic surgery, and oral surgery. Ms. Penkava went on to receive her Master’s in Nursing in 2009.

In 2012, the Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences approved a new program to educate and train Surgical Assistants. Sarah Penkava is the program director and has been with the Surgical First Assistant Program since its inception. She is a Silver Quality Fellow (Mayo Clinic Quality Academy) and received her Instructor of Nursing in 2014. Ms. Penkava is an active member of National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) , the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Association of Surgical Education (ASE).

Helga Olson

Helga Olson joined the faculty in 2012. Ms. Olson received her B.A. in counseling psychology and her M.A in liberal sciences from the University of Findlay and her graduate certification in surgical assisting from Eastern Virginal Medical School. Upon graduation from EVMS, she was hired at Mayo Clinic in the Cardiovascular Division in 2009. Ms. Olson continued her education and completed a master’s degree in clinical anatomy from New York College.

Ms. Olson teaches and coordinates courses in operative practices and techniques, principles of surgical assisting, advanced topics in surgery, and has experience teaching anatomy. She is pursuing additional training in the subject through the Anatomy Training Program (co-sponsored by the Anatomical Society and American Association of Anatomists).

Ms. Olson is an active member of the National Surgical Assistant Association for which she is the vice president. She also served as chair for the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC/STSA) board. ARC/STSA provides national recognition for higher education programs in surgical technology and surgical assisting, in collaboration with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), in order to promote quality surgical patient care through quality credible education.

Tatum Schulz-Fischbach

Tatum Schulz-Fischbach officially joined the faculty in 2023. In 2018, Ms. Schulz-Fischbach graduated from the University of Massachusetts with her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. After graduation, she completed the SFA program at Mayo Clinic and was hired in the Department of Gynecology and Urology here. For the past five years, Ms. Schulz-Fischbach has found a passion for teaching all aspects of surgery and sharing excitement for the surgical assisting career. A couple of her favorite surgeries are robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy and endometriosis procedures. Ms. Schulz-Fischbach continued her education and completed a Master of Arts in Health and Human Services Administration in 2023.

Ms. Schulz-Fischbach is very active at Mayo Clinic with involvement in the HELP program, Coordinating Councils, CSA II Advisory Council, and initiatives promoting patient safety and quality of care. She is an active member of the National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA).

Grading and evaluation

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences uses these evaluative tools: written exams, demonstration of skills, self-assessment exercises, and faculty reviews.

Our system provides students and faculty with a complete look at individual performance. Because programs are small, faculty members are partners in learning with students and closely monitor their progress. Assistance is provided whenever necessary to keep all students on track with the program's learning goals and outcomes.

Graduation and certification

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates receive a certificate of completion from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences. The program requires a grade of 70 percent or greater to pass a course. All courses and clinical work must be completed consecutively; deviation from scheduled coursework is not permitted.

During the last course of the program, you are required to take national certification exams: