The Surgical Care Practitioner™ (SCP™) certification is a voluntary, post-graduate professional credential that validates demonstrated competency in surgical care through objective assessment and standardized evaluation.
SCP™ certification is designed to support patient safety, quality of care, and institutional credentialing processes by providing documented evidence of surgical competency.
Individuals who hold the SCP™ designation have:
Use of the SCP™ designation indicates that the certificant has met the certifier’s standards of competency and professional practice in surgical care.
SCP™ certification:
All clinical practice authority remains subject to applicable laws, regulations, and institutional policies.
SCP™ certification is available to qualified surgical clinicians, including Physician Assistants and equivalent regulated professionals, who:
Eligibility requirements may vary by specialty track and are applied uniformly.
Certification decisions are based on multiple objective measures, which may include:
In addition to SCP™ Core certification, individuals may earn specialty-specific SCP™ certifications (e.g., Cardiac Surgery) that validate competency within defined surgical disciplines.
Certification in one specialty does not imply certification in others.
SCP™ certification may be awarded at progressive levels based on experience and demonstrated competence.
Certification is time-limited and requires periodic recertification to maintain active status and authorized use of the SCP™ mark.
The Surgical Care Practitioner™ (SCP™) designation is a certification mark owned by the SCP™ Certifying Body.
Use of the mark is permitted only to individuals who:
Unauthorized or misleading use of the SCP™ designation is prohibited and subject to enforcement.
SCP™ certification standards, assessments, and enforcement are administered by the SCP™ Certifying Body in accordance with published policies, including:
These measures ensure consistent, objective, and fair application of the SCP™ certification mark.
SCP™ certification exists to:
SCP™ certification is voluntary and intended to complement—not replace—existing professional and institutional requirements.
The Surgical Care Practitioner™ (SCP™)
certification and the AAPA‑CAQ serve complementary but different purposes. The CAQ primarily validates knowledge and experience through a written examination and attestation. SCP™ validates demonstrated surgical competence through performance-based assessments such as Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), case-based judgment evaluation, and skills integration. SCP™ is designed specifically to support hospital credentialing, onboarding, and quality documentation. Both credentials are voluntary, non-licensure, and may be held together to reflect both cognitive expertise and hands-on surgical competency.