Dear Department of Health Professions and the Board of Medicine:

Schools for Allied Health Professionals know as SFAHP provides excellence in education that can be found in the curriculum, students, staff, faculty, and equipment. SFAHP believes that quality instruction as well as hands-on clinical instruction is paramount to a student’s success. The School also believes that instructors that come directly from the allied health field will enhance the instruction, making the student more employable thereby meeting the needs of the field. Since 2006 SFAHP has graduated over 100 Surgical Assistants that have taken the ABSA. Most graduates that seek privileges in hospitals recognize the American Board of Surgical Assistants as an excellent organization.

As the President of SFAHP and a Surgical Assistant that has taken my certification through the ABSA board and NSAA have supported the ABSA because of their outstanding performance in credentialing candidates. We believe that it is vital to the employment opportunities our students seek after completing the surgical assistant program at our school.  If ABSA can not be added to the list of approved and or recognized credentialing organizations for surgical assistants, in the State for Virginia,  our graduates would be tremendously impacted. Our students seek employment in traveling agency nationally and in some cases internationally. Therefore, it will limit many opportunities for our students that seek privileges and employment in the State of Virginia.

I would strongly request that ABSA is added to the list of approved and or recognized credentialing organization, for the surgical assistants, in the State of Virginia.

I would like to thank the Department of Health Professions and the Board of Medicine for considering my request. Your assistants in this matter is greatly appreciated,

Nora Flores

President

School for Allied Health Professionals