As used in this chapter the following terms have the meanings ascribed:
Board - the Board of Medicine, established by § 203(a) of the Act, D.C. Official Code § 3-1202.03(a) (1) (2001).
Committee - the Advisory Committee on Surgical Assistants, established by § 203 (c-3) of the Act. D.C. Official Code § 3-1202.03 (c-3) (2001).
Director - The Director of the Department of Health, or his or her designee.
Immediately available - physically present in the surgical suite and capable of responding to the surgical assistant and the patient as medically appropriate.
Practice by surgical assistants - means the provision of aid by a person who is not a physician licensed to practice medicine, under the direct supervision of a surgeon licensed in the District, in exposure, hemostasis, closures, and other intraoperative technical functions that assist a physician in performing a safe operation with optimal results for the patient.
Surgical assistant - a person licensed to practice as a surgical assistant under the Act, or meeting the requirements for licensure in the District, regardless of whether he or she are licensed in fact, until March 6, 2009.
Surgical suite - includes the operating room as well as contiguous recovery rooms.
Supervising surgeon - a surgeon licensed by the Board who delegates to a licensed surgical assistant surgically assisting and oversees and accepts responsibility for the surgical assisting.
The definitions in § 4099 of chapter 40 of this title and the Act are incorporated by reference into and are applicable to this chapter.
D.C. Mun. Regs. tit. 17, r. 17-8099