Meet Claire Wiseman RNFSA

Claire Wiseman qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1989 and has worked in perioperative nursing for more than 30 years. She entered the operating room in 1991 and became New Zealand’s first Perioperative Nurse Surgical Assistant (PNSA) in 2001. For the past 20 years, she has specialised in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB), Vascular, Head and Neck, Gynaecology, Laparoscopic Surgery and Plastic Surgery, supporting complex surgical care across multiple specialties.

Claire originally qualified as a Perioperative Nurse Surgeon’s Assistant (PNSA) and now practises in the role commonly known as Registered Nurse First Surgical Assistant (RNFSA).

Since 2010, Claire has taught Surgical Assistant Workshops, helping develop and mentor perioperative nurses in the role of Surgical Assistant. She currently works at Allevia Hospital as a Registered Nurse First Surgical Assistant (RNFSA), assists surgeons in the private sector, and is a member of the Liver Transplant Team at Auckland City Hospital.