Happy New Year!

Two Year Certification Cycle—January 1, 2020

The new 2-year certification cycle began on January 1, 2020.

This change was announced in 2018 by the NBSTSA Board of Directors. The decision was made to go to the 2-year cycle in order to closely match trends with other allied health profession’s credentialing practices, to help match currently passed legislative requirements in various states as well as encourage and foster on-going continuing education.

New CST’s and CSFA’s will be put on a 2-year renewal cycle initially upon certification.

For those currently certified on a 4-year cycle you don’t need to do anything until time to renew according to your renewal date. Then you will submit your 60 credits for CST or 75 credits for CSFA, pay $25 and your next renewal will be for 2 years. Thereafter you will submit 30 credits for CST or 38 credits for CSFA and pay $25. The number of credits and the fee have been cut in half for the 2-year renewal cycle. Please check the AST website for information on the advanced CE’s now required.

Remember when you’re renewing the first time on the 2 year cycle you have to submit your CE’s based on the 4 year cycle you have just completed. After you’re placed on the 2-year cycle is when those requirements change.

Renewal is a 2-step process. CE’s go to AST / Application to renew along with your renewal fee go to NBSTSA. Remember to allow 4-6 weeks processing time.

Spotlight

Angela Burton, NBSTSA Board of Directors

Angela Burton (Angie) is the current Vice President on the NBSTSA Board of Directors. She joined the NB Board in 2016.

Angie graduated from the Surgical Technology program at Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls, SD in 1997 and began her career at Rapid City Regional Hospital immediately after graduation. Several years later she began teaching as an adjunct instructor for Southeast Tech in Rapid City. One year later she started the Surgical Technology program for Western Dakota Technical Institute.

She has been involved from the early stages of the South Dakota State Assembly and has been involved with AST sitting on many national committees including the PAE exam revision, Certification Exam Study Guide revisions, AST Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology revisions, AST Surgical Technology for the Surgical Technologist revisions and the Education and Professional Standards Committee. She has recently co-authored the textbook, Pharmacology for the Surgical Technologist along with Tiffany Howe.

In 2005 Angie accepted a position at Black Hills Surgical Hospital and currently oversees General Clinical Resources there.

Angie lives in Piedmont, SD with her husband and 2 children. She loves helping people, making a difference and doing something that matters while serving her profession. Angie is extremely proud to be a CST and promotes certification to all surgical technologists.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash