| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to surgical technology; creating pt. XVII |
| 3 | of ch. 468, F.S., relating to minimum requirements to |
| 4 | practice surgical technology; providing legislative |
| 5 | intent; providing definitions; providing requirements for |
| 6 | training and certification for a surgical technologist; |
| 7 | providing for continuing education requirements; providing |
| 8 | contracting, employment, and supervision guidelines for a |
| 9 | health care facility employing a certified surgical |
| 10 | technologist; allowing a licensed practitioner to perform |
| 11 | surgical technology as long as such practitioner is |
| 12 | performing within his or her scope of practice; allowing a |
| 13 | student or resident in specific areas of medicine to |
| 14 | perform surgical technology as long as such student or |
| 15 | resident is performing within the scope of his or her |
| 16 | duties; requiring the Agency for Health Care |
| 17 | Administration to enforce the requirements of this part; |
| 18 | providing an effective date. |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 21 |
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| 22 | Section 1. Part XVII of chapter 468, Florida Statutes, |
| 23 | consisting of sections 468.91, 468.93, 468.95, 468.97, 468.99, |
| 24 | 468.101, and 468.103, is created to read: |
| 25 | 468.91 Legislative intent.-The sole legislative purpose |
| 26 | for enacting this part is to ensure that every surgical |
| 27 | technologist employed in this state meets minimum requirements |
| 28 | for safe practice as a member of the surgical care team. It is |
| 29 | the legislative intent that surgical technologists who fail to |
| 30 | meet minimum competencies or who otherwise present a danger to |
| 31 | the public health and safety be prohibited from practicing in |
| 32 | this state. |
| 33 | 468.93 Definitions.-As used in this part, the term: |
| 34 | (1) "Health care facility" means a hospital, freestanding |
| 35 | surgical outpatient facility, or other similar entity that uses |
| 36 | surgical technologists. |
| 37 | (2) "Surgical technologist" means a person who practices |
| 38 | surgical technology. |
| 39 | (3) "Surgical technology" means surgical patient care |
| 40 | performed collaboratively with the surgical team that includes, |
| 41 | but is not limited to, the following tasks or functions: |
| 42 | (a) Preparing the operating room for surgical procedures |
| 43 | by ensuring that surgical equipment is functioning properly and |
| 44 | safely; |
| 45 | (b) Preparing the operating room and the sterile field for |
| 46 | surgical procedures by preparing sterile supplies, instruments, |
| 47 | and equipment using sterile techniques; |
| 48 | (c) Anticipating the needs of the surgical team based on |
| 49 | knowledge of human anatomy and pathophysiology and how those |
| 50 | needs relate to the surgical patient and the patient's surgical |
| 51 | procedure; and |
| 52 | (d) Performing tasks at the sterile field, as directed, |
| 53 | including: |
| 54 | 1. Passing supplies, equipment, or instruments. |
| 55 | 2. Sponging or suctioning an operative site. |
| 56 | 3. Preparing and cutting suture material. |
| 57 | 4. Transferring and irrigating with fluids. |
| 58 | 5. Transferring and administering drugs within the sterile |
| 59 | field, according to applicable law. |
| 60 | 6. Handling specimens. |
| 61 | 7. Holding retractors and other instruments. |
| 62 | 8. Applying electrocautery to clamps on bleeders. |
| 63 | 9. Connecting drains to suction apparatus. |
| 64 | 10. Applying dressings to closed wounds. |
| 65 | 11. Performing sponge, needle, supply, and instrument |
| 66 | counts with the registered nurse circulator. |
| 67 | 468.95 Training and certification required.- |
| 68 | (1) A person may not practice surgical technology in a |
| 69 | healthcare facility in this state unless the person meets one of |
| 70 | the following requirements: |
| 71 | (a) Has successfully completed a nationally accredited |
| 72 | educational program for surgical technologists and holds and |
| 73 | maintains the Certified Surgical Technologist credential |
| 74 | administered by the National Board of Surgical Technology and |
| 75 | Surgical Assisting or its successor; |
| 76 | (b) Has completed an appropriate training program for |
| 77 | surgical technology in the United States Armed Forces or Public |
| 78 | Health Service Commissioned Corps; |
| 79 | (c) Provides evidence that the person was employed to |
| 80 | practice surgical technology in a healthcare facility on the |
| 81 | effective date of this act; or |
| 82 | (d) Is in the service of the Federal Government, to the |
| 83 | extent the person is performing duties related to that service. |
| 84 | (2) A person may be employed or contracted to practice |
| 85 | surgical technology during the 12-month period after successful |
| 86 | completion of a surgical technology program, but may not |
| 87 | continue to be employed or contracted with beyond that period |
| 88 | without documentation that the employee or contractor holds and |
| 89 | maintains the Certified Surgical Technologist credential |
| 90 | required in this section. |
| 91 | (3) A health care facility in this state may not employ or |
| 92 | otherwise contract for the services of a surgical technologist |
| 93 | unless the person meets the requirements of this section. |
| 94 | 468.97 Continuing education required.- |
| 95 | (1) A person who qualifies to practice surgical technology |
| 96 | in a healthcare facility under s. 468.95(1)(b) or (c) must |
| 97 | annually complete 15 hours of continuing education to remain |
| 98 | qualified to practice as a surgical technologist. |
| 99 | (2) A healthcare facility that employs or contracts with a |
| 100 | person to practice surgical technology shall verify that the |
| 101 | person meets the continuing education requirements of subsection |
| 102 | (1) and, where applicable, that the person has maintained the |
| 103 | Certified Surgical Technologist credential. |
| 104 | 468.99 Supervision and compliance.-A healthcare facility |
| 105 | shall supervise each person employed or contracted by a |
| 106 | healthcare facility to practice surgical technology according to |
| 107 | the healthcare facility's policies and procedures to ensure that |
| 108 | the person competently performs delegated tasks preoperatively |
| 109 | and in accordance with this part and other applicable laws. |
| 110 | 468.101 Applicability.-This part does not prohibit any |
| 111 | licensed practitioner from performing surgical technology tasks |
| 112 | or functions if the person is acting within the scope of his or |
| 113 | her license or any medical student, osteopathic student, or |
| 114 | resident from performing surgical technology tasks or functions |
| 115 | if the person is acting within the scope of his or her duties. |
| 116 | 468.103 Enforcement.-The Agency for Health Care |
| 117 | Administration shall enforce the requirements of this part. |
| 118 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |