RNAS-C Exam Information and Outline
Registered Nurse Assistant at Surgery - Certified
RNAS-C Exam Syllabus & Study Guide
Before you start practicing with our exam simulator, it is essential to understand the official RNAS-C exam objectives. This course outline serves as your roadmap, breaking down exactly which technical domains and skills will be tested. By reviewing the syllabus, you can identify your strengths and focus your study time on the areas where you need the most improvement.
The information below reflects the latest 2026 course contents as defined by NASC. We provide this detailed breakdown to help you align your preparation with the actual exam format, ensuring there are no surprises on test day. Use this outline as a checklist to track your progress as you move through our practice question banks.
Below are complete topics detail with latest syllabus and course outline, that will help you good knowledge about exam objectives and topics that you have to prepare. These contents are covered in questions and answers pool of exam.
Section I: Surgical Patient Care - Infection prevention - Asepsis - Sterile technique (eg, draping) - Microbiology - Bacterial and viral infections (eg, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, hepatitis, HIV) - Wound healing - Sterilization and disinfection techniques - Diagnostic testing (ie, normal and critical values) - Laboratory tests - Radiological exams - Electrocardiograms - Pharmacology - Antibiotics (eg, bacitracin, cefazolin) - Local anesthetics (eg, lidocaine, bupivacaine) - Coagulation/anticoagulation medications (eg, heparin, protamine, thrombin) - Miscellaneous pharmaceuticals (eg, normal saline, lactated Ringer’s, epinephrine) - Principles of perioperative practice - Positioning - Fundamental principles - Positions (ie, supine, Trendelenburg, reverse Trendelenburg, lithotomy, sitting and semi-sitting, lateral, prone) - Positioning devices and accessories (eg, fracture table, stirrups) - Specimen management - Equipment - Electrosurgical units (ESU) - Lasers - Pneumatic tourniquets - Invasive and noninvasive monitors (ie, types, placement, complications) - Dressing and casting materials and application - Legal aspects of perioperative practice - Informed consent - Scope of practice - Malpractice - Workplace Safety - Standard and transmission-based precautions and personal protective equipment - US Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations Section II: Surgical Skill - Surgical instrumentation - Selection (eg, tissue strength and structure) - Usage - Clamps - Digital manipulation - Forceps - Needle holders - Rectractors (manual, self-retaining) - Scissors - Sharps ( eg, scalpels, saws, drills) - Stapling devices - Suction - Specialty - Cardiovascular - General - Neurological - Obstetric/Gynecological - Ophthalmological - Otorhinolaryngological - Thoracic - Tissue handling - Halsted principles/tenets - Skin preparations - Procedural considerations - Selection of preoperative skin antiseptics - Techniques (ie, abdominal, chest, breast, anorectal, external genitalia, vaginal, extremities, hip, eye, ear, nose, fact, cranial) - Traction/contraction - Types of dissection - Tissue retraction - Exposure (eg, digital, instrumental) - Illumination (eg, headlights, lighted retractors, lighted suction tips, disposable lights) - Sponge/packs (eg, indications for types of sponges, wet/dry, spongesticks) - Suction (eg, evacuation, retraction) - Endoscopic (eg, camera techniques, insufflation/fluid expansion) - Hemostasis - Method (ie, arterial, venous, size of vessel, accessibility of vessel, adjoining tissues, permanent versus temporary, absorbable versus nonabsorbable suture, suture gauge necessary) - Response - Surgeon (ie, beyond first assistant skill, critical tissue, massive bleeding, high venous flow, disseminated intravascular coagulation [DIC]) - First assistant (ie, within first assistant skill, noncritical tissue, routine bleeding) - Technique - Temporary (ie, clamps, vascular clamps, vascular tourniquet, aneurysm clips, vessel loops, umbilical tape, tamponade) - Permanent (ie, vascular clips, vascular staples, aneurysm clips, aneurysm glue) - Pharmacologic - Collagen (ie, liquid, powder, sheet) - Absorbable gelatin sponge - Hydrogen peroxide - Thrombin - Silver nitrate - Blood and fluid replacement - Ligation - Suture ligature - Ties (ie, free hand, reel, instrument - Equipment (eg, ESU, harmonic scalpel, tissue sealer) - Suturing - Suture material - Absorbable - Nonabsorbable - Monofilament - Multifilament - Synthetic - Natural - Layer closure - Peritoneum - Fascia - Muscle - Subcutaneous - Skin - Stapling devices - Skin - Fascia - Ligate and divide - Linear stapler (ie, staple and divide) - Circular stapler (ie, staple and divide) - Suturing techniques - Continuous - Interrupted - Buried - Purse string - Subcuticular - Retention - Traction - Suture needles - Knot tying - One-handed (ie, right-handed, left-handed) - Two-handed (ie, basic knot, square knot, surgeon’s knot) - Instrument ties - Suture ligature - Continuous ties (eg, ligature reel) - Tension - Suture cutting - Surgical drains - Purpose - Types/functions - Methods of securing (ie, suture, tape, safety pin) - Surgical complications - Hemorrhage - Type (eg, arterial, venous, active, passive) - Corrective measures (eg, mechanical, chemical, thermal) - Perforation of viscous or cavity - Type (eg, fluid leak, air leak) - Corrective measures (eg, isolation, aspiration, irrigation) - Contamincation - Sources (eg, break in sterile technique, abscess, contaminated or septic wound, spillage from unprepped bowel) - Corrective measures (eg, isolation, remediation, irrigation, aspiration, pharmacologic agents) - Exposure, retraction, and compression injuries - Sources (eg, instruments, personnel, environment) - Corrective measures (eg, identification of cause, appropriate action) - Cardiac event - Type (eg, arrythmias, arrest) - Corrective measures (eg, alert surgical team, respond per role and certification) - Hypoxia - Causes (eg, airway and/or ventilation, circulation, hemoglobin transportation, cellular metabolism) - Corrective measures (eg, identification of cause, appropriate action) - Shock - Causes (eg, hypovolemic, cardiogenic, neurogenic, metabolic, anaphylactic, septic) - Corrective measures (eg, identification of cause, appropriate action) - Surgeon disability or death - Remain with patient and maintain patient status - Request immediate replacement of supervising surgeon - Critical equipment failure - Type (eg, electrical/power source, mechanical, human error) - Corrective measures (eg, prevention, identification of problem, correction) Section III: Anatomy & Physiology - Anatomy and physiology - Abdominal aorta - Breast - Colon - Hip/Femur/Thigh - Inguinal - Reproductive - Spine - Thoracic - Urological - Surgical pathology - Fractures - Malignancy - Obesity - Trauma - Wound closure Section IV: Procedure Considerations - Surgical procedures and nursing considerations - Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair - Abdominal hysterectomy (total versus subtotal) - Cholecystectomy - Colon resection (transverse) - Inguinal hernia repair - Laminectomy with discectomy - Nephrectomy - Open reduction internal fixation - Reduction mammoplasty - Thoracotomy (right upper lung) - Total hip arthroplasty - Tubal reanastomosis - Wound closure