Thank you for your interest in Meridian's SFA Online Program. This web site will cover many of the details as well as the progression of the course.

Meridian was started in December of 1999. Since then we have trained over 4500 students in our various programs. Our initial goal was to develop courses that raised the bar and set the standard, while at the same time keeping tuition costs at a minimum. I believe we have achieved that goal.

The SFA Online Program was developed with the concept that the student must understand why he/she is performing a specific task, followed by the knowledge and ability of how to complete the actual task. We called this our "Why-to-How'' philosophy.  Meridian formed an advisory panel made up of surgeons, nurses, OR directors and certified surgical assistants. The curriculum was developed into a three-stage program: academic, hands-on, and clinicals. For several reasons, we firmly believe that Meridian's program is the best available on the market today:

1. This course is strong in the academic stage. Students will learn the particulars of each surgery, but the course also takes the patient from the General Practitioner right through the post operative stage, allowing the student to understand symptoms, causes, and various treatment methods as well as why certain surgeries may or may not be recommended, continuing into the actual treatment phase and followed by post-op considerations. Also during the academic portion students will learn basic fundamentals as well as legal and business issues.

2. The hands-on portion of this course is our Applied Sciences Lab, which we believe sets us apart from any other training institute. All of the hands-on portion of the course is accomplished in a state-of-the-art animal lab at Meridian Institute Of Surgical Assisting in Joelton, Tennessee. . From Meridian's inception we felt that in order for our students to really gain the experience necessary to move into the clinical phase they must have more hands-on experience than just working on rubber parts in a hotel room setting. In this lab you will work with live tissue and real bleeding, as well as perform surgeries in a real-life setting. We believe there can be no compromise on real and actual training. This lab is discussed in greater detail in this web site.

3. Our commitment to customer service is and always will be unparalleled.  Since this program is done online, we are able to utilize many different forms of academic and student support. We have established an e-mail support system and dedicated office hours for students.

As you begin your journey towards fulfilling your desire to become a first assistant, we hope that you will give us your trust in the same way students from all over the country have done. We truly want to help you achieve your goals and dreams. We know you will find Meridian's course to be of the highest standard available, offering only the cutting edge training that you deserve while maintaining the lowest tuition prices.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me personally. It would be my pleasure to assist you and answer whatever questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Dennis A. Stover CST, CSA
President