NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CERTIFYING AGENCIES (NCCA) RENEWS ACCREDITATION FOR NBSTSA’S SURGICAL TECHNOLOGISTS’ CERTIFICATIONS
LITTLETON, CO (July 2, 2025) – The National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) is pleased to announce that the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has renewed its accreditation for a 5-year period. The Certified Surgical Technologist (CST®) and Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA®) were first recognized by the NCCA in 1984 and 1992, respectively, making them the longest and most trusted surgical technology credentials recognized by healthcare providers, licensure boards, and education professionals.
NBSTSA’s prestigious CST and CSFA national certifications have been the gold standard for surgical technologists and surgical first assistants since they were founded in 1974. Today, the CST and CSFA are held by more than 86,000 surgical technologist and surgical first assistants and continue to be recognized throughout the United States as a mark of excellence.
“As the original certification for surgical technologists and surgical first assistants, the National Board is proud to continue our 51-year legacy of preparing professionals, validating they have met educational and training requirements through our CST exam and are prepared for the demands of the job,” said NBSTSA CEO Robin Y. Jenkins, CAE, ICE-CCP. “We know many healthcare systems and travel opportunities mandate a CST or CSFA, and we are grateful for the trust our longstanding track record has built with the medical community.”
NCCA was created by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) to help ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public through the accreditation of certification and credentialing programs that assess professional competence. Accreditation of the CST and CSFA credentials by NCCA provides an independent validation that NBSTSA’s CST and CSFA credentialing programs have met recognized credentialing industry standards for its development, implementation, and maintenance of the credentials that assess competence of surgical technology professionals.
NCCA’s rigorous renewal process evaluated every component of NBSTSA’s processes and procedures against their accreditation standards in the areas of sound examination and psychometric practices, secure examination management, proficient staff/subject matter experts, program ethics, commitment to quality assurance, and among many others.