AST Continuing Education Policies for the CST and CSFA - 4 year Certification Cycle

8 e) The completion date is used to determine if the course was completed as an AST member. If completed as a non-member, the $400 non-member processing fee must be submitted. f) General nursing and physician assistant college courses that are not specifically related to the medical-surgical practice of surgical technology or surgical first assisting will not be accepted for CE credits. g) The following college courses or subjects are not accepted for CE credit(s). 1. Astronomy 2. Communication 3. Computer 4. Fine arts 5. Geography 6. Geology 7. History 8. Literature 9. Philosophy 10. Physical education 11. Political science 12. Religion h) The following is a list of college subjects to provide guidance as to the courses that could be accepted for CE credit(s). 1. Advanced anatomy and physiology 2. Advanced microbiology 3. Advanced pathophysiology 4. Advanced pharmacology 5. Chemistry, including organic chemistry and biochemistry 6. Embryology 7. General biology 8. Genetics 9. Healthcare human resources 10. Healthcare management and business 11. Mathematics 12. Physics 13. Psychology, including abnormal psychology, clinical psychology, developmental psychology, and neuropsychology 14. Sociology 15. Teaching methods i) College courses will be awarded five CE credits for each semester hour completed. 1. Example: 3 college credit semester course: 3 x 5 = 15 CE credits. 2. College courses submitted as quarter hours will be converted to an equivalent number of semester hours using the formula, quarter hour ÷ 1.5 = semester hour(s). j) Documentation requirement: Unofficial college transcript – no exceptions are made. k) Recommendation: Please submit a copy of the course description(s) from the college or university catalog.