Surgical Assistant Registry
Tennessee licensure and qualification standards for qualified professionals assisting in surgical procedures.About Tennessee's Surgical Assistant Registry
Tennessee’s Surgical Assistant Registry is maintained by the Tennessee Department of Health through the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners to ensure that individuals assisting in surgical procedures meet established education, training, and competency standards. Registration is required for surgical assistants practicing in the state and helps promote accountability, transparency, and patient safety in surgical settings.
To be licensed, Surgical Assistants must provide required documentation, demonstrate appropriate qualifications, and comply with state laws and rules governing surgical assistants. Registrants are expected to practice within their defined scope and maintain professional standards while working under the supervision of a licensed physician. This ensures the state’s broader commitment to safe, high-quality surgical care.
The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners establishes standards of practice and regulates the licensing of those qualified to practice in the professions of genetic counseling, surgical assistants, anesthesiologist assistants, medical spas, office-based surgery centers, radiology assistants, and x-ray operators in medical doctor’s offices.
Licensure Scam Alert
The Department of Health has been made aware that some licensees of a few different health licensure boards have received fraudulent communications from individuals claiming to be from those licensee’s licensing boards. The communications, often by phone, may threaten arrest or license suspension, demand personal information, or require payment of fines. Some of them have been accompanied by fraudulent letters claiming to suspend the license. Please note:
- Phone calls may “spoof” or appear to be from the boards’ number;
- If you need to verify the identity of a TN board investigator, call (615) 741-8485 or email OIV.Complaints@tn.gov.
- The health-related board investigators will never demand that you provide personally identifying information, such as a social security number, date of birth, or bank or credit card account numbers over the phone;
- These types of licensing scams are a problem nationwide.
If you believe you are the recipient of a fraudulent communication claiming to be from your licensing board:
- If you believe you are the recipient of a fraudulent communication claiming to be from your licensing board:
- Report the communication to the Internet Crime Complaint Center Internet Crime Complaint Center at using the code "TDHHPBSCAM2026". This will allow law enforcement to link these scams for improved investigation.
- Complainants can alternatively call the Fusion Center Tipline (800TBIFIND) or submit a tip online at TBI but the IC3 is preferred.
· Notify the Department of Health at (615) 741-8485 or email OIV.Complaints@tn.gov
Contact
Contact the Board of Medical Examiners
615-532-3202 local or 1-800-778-4123 nationwide
Medical.Health@tn.gov
665 Mainstream Drive, 2nd Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
Filing Complaints
Click to file an online complaint against a healthcare provider.
Call 800-852-2187 to speak with someone in the Office of Investigations.
Click to download a copy of the complaint form to print and mail.
Board Websites & Meeting Playlists
Click the alphabetical menu below to visit the websites of individual Health Professional Boards
Click the alphabetical menu below to view recorded meetings of Tennessee Health Professional Boards
Applying for Licensure
In 2017, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted Public Chapter 410 which requires individuals who are working or seeking licensure as Surgical Assistants to register with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
For mailing documents please sent to: Board of Medical Examiners, Attn. Surgical Assistants, 665 Mainstream Dr., Nashville TN 37243.
Application
Forms
- Declaration of Citizenship (PH-4183)
- Declaration of Eligibility for Expedited Licensure Process for a Military Member (PH-4279)
- Declaration of Eligibility for Expedited Licensure Process for a Spouse of a Military Member (PH-4280)
- Request for Duplicate License (PH-4058)
- Name and Address Change Request
- Affidavit of Retirement (PH-3460)
- Reporting of Convictions of Physicians
- Petition for Declaratory Order
- Request for Advisory Ruling
- Public Record Request Form
- Application for Licensure Reinstatement
Meetings, Members, & Minutes
Meeting Schedule
Public Notices will remain online until the minutes are ratified and posted on the Meeting Minutes page.
Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at 665 Mainstream Drive, MetroCenter.
Continuing Education
Failure to comply with continuing education requirements may result in disciplinary action against the licensee or registrant. The disciplinary action will be reported on the Department of Health license verification web site.
All licensees are required to renew their license every two years. The renewal cycle is set up whereby everyone renews in their birth month. The year they renew depends on whether they were born in an even or odd year. Thus the renewal of their professional license is set up in their birth month every two years.
When renewing, the document that is signed states the licensee has fulfilled all the requirements for renewal. That means no continuing education documentation is to be mailed in with the renewal and that the licensee attests to having obtained the required continuing education. The only time continuing education is to be mailed in is when an official audit is conducted and the licensee is mailed a certified letter from this office requiring submission of the documentation.
All documentation must be retained by the licensee for at least four years from the end of the renewal period in which the continuing education was acquired
The Board may waive or otherwise modify the requirements in cases where there is an illness, disability, or other undue hardship that prevents a licensee from obtaining the requisite number of continuing education hours. Requests for waivers or modification must be sent in writing to the Administrative Office prior to the expiration of the renewal period in which the continuing education is due.
CE Broker
At this time, it is not required that licensees register for an account but the board is encouraging licensees utilize CE Broker as a tool to track required continuing education. CE Broker is the official tracking system for the Tennessee Division of Health Professional Boards. Your professional board has provided you with a free Basic Account, so you'll have their helpful continuing education tracking tools right at your fingertips.
Free Access
Within the free Basic Account, you will have access to your Course History and CE Compliance Status. This lists all of the courses which have been reported thus far and indicates whether or not you have satisfied your renewal requirements. From here, you may easily find and report any CE that might be missing. CE Broker is 100% free to use and you will never have to pay to access all of the necessary tools to renew your license!
How to activate your free CE Broker account
Activating your free Basic Account provided to you by your board is a simple 3-step process.
- Visit the CE Broker basic account webpage
- Next, enter your license number
- Track your continuing education!
Comprehensive Course Search
One of the best free tools CE Broker provides is the Course Search. You can easily find every course needed to successfully complete your license renewal, with just a few clicks! After you are finished with each course, educational providers will report the credits directly into CE Broker for you - but you should always retain a copy of the certificates for your records. To find courses, visit courses.cebroker.com/search/tn and select your profession.
Helpful Support Center
CE Broker provides dedicated support 8AM- 8PM ET, Monday through Friday, with a team of experts trained on the rules and regulations of the Tennessee's Health Professional Boards. You can Reach CE Broker by phone at 877-434-6323, or click for information on the CE Broker Customer Support Team.
Other Benefits of using CE Broker
Track and know precisely how many hours you've completed and how many hours are remaining;
Available convenience features like a personalized transcript and a personal account manager;
Bring CE compliance wherever you go with the CE Broker mobile app (available for Iphone and Android).
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
You can renew online or by paper renewal application. To renew online, please visit https://apps.tn.gov/hlrs/. To renew using the paper renewal application you receive in the mail, please complete the paper renewal application, and return it along with the required renewal fee to the address specified on the renewal notice.
If you lose the paper application you received in the mail, you can contact us at 615-532-4384 for a generic renewal notice to be e-mailed to you.
Approximately ninety (90) days in advance of your expiration date, you will receive a paper or electronic renewal notice notifying you of your upcoming expiration. Individuals who are “opted in” to receive electronic notifications from our office will receive the notification at the email address we have on file. Licensees who did not opt in will receive a paper renewal notice.
The Board is not a records keeper of your continuing education. You will only be requested to send in continuing education proof if you are randomly selected for an audit after renewing your license.
The Committee may conduct a continuing education audit of any licensee after the licensee renews. Upon receipt of the audit notice, if you fail to provide the required continuing education then the Committee’s administrative office will enforce the Committee’s policy on continuing education: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/CP_Pol020607.pdf.
All registrants must complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education during the twenty-four (24) months that precede licensure renewal.
Policies, Rules, & Statutes
Statutes
Statutes are proposed and made law by the Tennessee State General Assembly (Legislature). The Board, following specific notice requirements and hearings, adopts rules. Both have the force of law and may be used in the regulation of a profession. The statutes pertaining to this Board are found at T. C. A. 63-1 (Division of Health Related Boards) and T.C.A. 63-2 (Medical Records).
Click here for the Lexis Nexis site of the Tennessee Code Annotated.
Rules
Click for the General Rules and Regulations of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners
This Page Last Updated: April 21, 2026 at 12:18 PM