The Australian Association of Nurse Surgical Assistants (AANSA Inc.) represents both practising and student Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistants (PNSA’s) in order to support the profession, provide information to the general public, surgeons and health facilities regarding our services, and to lobby the healthcare authorities and relevant health departments of the Australian Government to recognise and remunerate the benefits that a PNSA is able to provide.
AANSA strives to push the boundaries of quality nursing services in the perioperative arena and it’s members are advanced practice nurses with further postgraduate qualifications at either the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters level, This Masters course is currently offered by La Trobe University.
All PNSA practitioners must:
- be Registered Nurses with experience of more than 5 years in their chosen field of specialty (within the perioperative area),
- have attained further qualifications as stated above
- be registered with AHPRA,
- hold their own individual insurance covering professional indemnity and public liability and;
- have an active ABN if in private practice. Our PNSA’s also are employed directly by both surgeons and healthcare facilities.
Practising members generally operate as surgical assistants for 1 or more surgeons in chosen surgical specialties and like medical assistants (GP’s and other doctors) invoice the patient directly for the service they provide.
Currently there is no Medicare rebate for the PNSA, however discussions are progressing presently regarding specific entitlement to a limited provider number giving PNSA patients access to the Medicare rebate. It is then hoped that private health funds will also allow rebates for these patients.
The PNSA provides a legitimate, well-defined and professional service for their surgeon and patient alike, and where possible also contributes to the surgical assisting ‘on-call’ rosters for the hospitals they are accredited in.
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