The most common Surgical Assistant education pathway is to enter into a two-year associate degree program in surgical technology. You can also pursue a certification program which is usually a one year program but an associate program can be a little bit more hands-on though. Now, to become a certified surgical assistant you would have to enter into a certification program from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting or the National Center for Competency Testing. These programs often offer incentives so it would be a good idea to do some research.