The American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA) is committed to ensuring that surgical assistants meet clearly defined professional standards. To uphold these standards, we continuously recruit Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)—experienced professionals who provide expertise in the surgical assistant field and help develop our certification examinations.

Open Call for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) – 2027 Appointments

The American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA) is now accepting applications for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the 2027 appointment year.

ABSA is seeking qualified, active SA-C certificants interested in contributing their professional knowledge and clinical expertise to the ongoing development, review, and validation of the Surgical Assistant–Certified (SA-C) certification examination.

SMEs play an important role in maintaining the quality, relevance, and integrity of the ABSA certification examination while supporting the advancement of the surgical assisting profession.

We encourage qualified certificants representing diverse surgical specialties, professional backgrounds, geographic regions, and practice settings to apply.

Important Dates

  • Application Deadline: November 30, 2026
  • Application Review and Selection: December 2026
  • Appointment Start Date: January 1, 2027

How to Apply

Interested individuals must submit the following:

  1. Completed ABSA Subject Matter Expert (SME) Application
  2. Current résumé or curriculum vitae (CV)

Submit completed application materials to: [email protected]

Download the ABSA SME Application

Applications will be reviewed based on professional qualifications, clinical experience, and ABSA certification-program needs. Submission of an application does not guarantee selection.

Selected applicants will be notified in December 2026 and provided with the required Commitment to Serve Agreement and other applicable documentation before beginning their appointments on January 1, 2027.

We encourage eligible SA-C certificants to apply and help shape the future of surgical assistant certification.

Qualifications

  • Holds the ABSA’s SA-C credential and is in good standing
  • Follow ABSA rules, guidelines and processes for writing items
  • Maintains total confidentiality and security of all testing materials
  • No conflicts of interest either direct or perceived

Benefits

  • Recertification fee waived while actively participating as an SME.
  • Gain continuing medical education (CME) credits. ( 2 credit hours per 5 questions)
  • Receive item writing training that you can use as a skill-set.
  • SME role can be included on your curriculum vitae.
  • Contribute to the surgical assistant profession.
  • Define and validate the surgical assistant profession tasks and knowledge base.
  • A key contributor to the ABSA Certification Examination for Surgical Assistants.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Develop a minimum of 10 examination questions annually for potential inclusion in the certification examination.
  • Review examination questions for accuracy, clarity, and relevance.
  • Collaborate with other SMEs to evaluate examination content.
  • Attend quarterly SME meetings.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality and security of all examination materials.

Make an Impact

Becoming an SME is an opportunity to shape the surgical assistant profession, develop your professional skills, and contribute directly to the quality and integrity of ABSA certification exams.

If this is something you would like to pursue, please email [email protected] for further information.