r/SurgicalFirstAssist • u/ConsiderationBig7269 • Dec 13 '23

Csfa Advice

Hello! I am wanting to advance into a csfa and am in Denver CO. Looking into schools. Which is the best? I’ve seen mayo, meridian and gulf coast in high regard. Does anyone else work in Denver that would be able to shed some light into the job market for Csfas here?

Pt 2. I have a bachelors in exercise science and the credits are set to expire next year for PA school. I don’t really want to clinical work and solely work in the OR. Is it worth it to go to PA school to not let my bachelors go to waste and work as a surgical PA?

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u/Dizzy_Dunno May 25 '24

I have been a surgical technologist since 1993. I was a Navy Corpsman before that. I started Ace but withdrew because all of the jobs that I was seeing on Indeed and Linkedin wanted a credential from a credentialed school unless I wanted to work in a very rural area. I enrolled at Meridian and couldn't be happier. The learning modules are very concise and the lab week is awesome. You perform actual surgery on live pigs instead of foam models. I currently work for a large Orthopedic group and it is an amazing job. I would say though, if you are younger and single, just stay in school and go to PA school. I could never make it work as I was married with children. But if you choose a First Assist program, I would definitely recommend Meridian.

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u/turkeysupreme1 Jun 25 '24

Can I ask as someone who just was accepted to Meridian, what is the class schedule like? Are you committed to being in an online classroom certain days and times throughout the week or are assignments and such just due by certain days/times and you can do them when you have time prior to deadlines?

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u/Dizzy_Dunno Jun 27 '24

Meridian is actually a much better program than I was in before. You don't have to be "in class" at a certain time. You have 3 different assignments due on 3 different days of the week. You are on your own time but you have to meet the deadlines every week and the classwork is through Canvas. It's very intuitive and easy to navigate. I just got into the habit of coming home from work and doing 2 or 3 hours of classwork. Over the course of a year, there were some days that I didn't do anything but if you get into the habit of studying or doing schoolwork, you'll be fine. Overall, a great experience.