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The Nursing Commission released three new frequently asked questions for Advanced Registered Nurses and Registered Nurses. All three questions are found under the new Perioperative Nursing Care topic.

  • Is certification required for the Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARNP) to perform in the role of a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) or surgical first assistant?

The nursing laws and rules do not require the perioperative RN or ARNP to obtain certification to function in the role as a RNFA/surgical first assistant. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the RN or ARNP obtain the CRNFA or other equivalent certification to demonstrate training and competency. The institution may require certification and/or specific training. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the registered nurse use the Scope of Practice Decision Tree to determine if an activity is within the nurse’s scope of practice. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the registered nurse use the Scope of Practice Decision Tree to determine if an activity is within the nurse’s scope of practice.

  • Is the hospital or institution required to perform the credentialing and privileging process for the Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARNP) to function in the role of the Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)/surgical first assistant?

The institution may require the perioperative RN or ARNP to complete the credentialing and privileging process to function in the role of the RNFA/first assistant. Credentialing is the process of assessing and confirming the license or certification, education, training, and other qualifications or a licensed or certified healthcare practitioner. Privileging is the process of authorizing a health care practitioner’s specific scope and content of patient care services. The nursing laws and rules do not require credentialing and privileging. Other state facility laws/rules, federal requirements/regulations (such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), and accreditation standards (such as Joint Commission) may require certification, credentialing, and privileging of the RN or ARNP performing in the RNFA/first assistant role. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the registered nurse use the Scope of Practice Decision Tree to determine if an activity is within the nurse’s scope of practice.

  • Can the Registered Nurse (RN) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse function in the role of a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)/surgical first assistant to perform the functions of the Master Uterine Manipulator (MUM) during robotic surgery (such as hysterectomy procedures) without the RNFA Certification (CRNFA) or without going through the credentialing or privileging process performed by the institution?

Within the role of the RNFA/surgical first assistant there are specialty surgical areas that may require additional training. It is within the scope of practice of the appropriately prepared and competent RN or ARNP to perform the functions in the role of a RNFA or surgical first assistant to perform the functions of the MUM. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the RN or ARNP obtain the CRNFA or other equivalent certification to demonstrate training and competency. The institution may require certification and/or specific training.

The institution may require RN or ARNP to complete the credentialing and privileging process to function in the role of the RNFA or first assistant. Credentialing is the process of assessing and confirming the license or certification, education, training, and other qualifications or a licensed or certified healthcare practitioner. Privileging is the process of authorizing a health care practitioner’s specific scope and content of patient care services. Other state or federal requirements/regulations and accreditation standards (such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or Joint Commission) may require certification, credentialing, and privileging of the RN or ARNP performing in the RNFA/first assistant role.

The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission recommends the registered nurse use the Scope of Practice Decision Tree to determine if an activity is within the nurse's scope of practice.

You may review additional frequently asked questions related to nursing practice on our Practice web page.