The RN First Assist collaborates with the surgeon or obstetrician and the health care team in performing a safe operation with optimal outcomes for the patient. The RN first assistant practices perioperative nursing and must have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgment specific to clinical practice. The RN first assistant practices in collaboration with and at the direction of the surgeon or obstetrician during the intraoperative phase of the perioperative experience. The RN first assistant does not concurrently function as a scrub nurse.