DEFINITIONS.

In this chapter:

(1) "Advisory committee" means the advisory committee created under this chapter.

(2) "Delegating physician" means a physician who is licensed by the medical board either as a doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine and who delegates, to a licensed surgical assistant, surgical assisting and oversees and accepts responsibility for that surgical assisting.

(3) "Direct supervision" means supervision by a delegating physician who is physically present and who personally directs delegated acts and remains immediately available to personally respond to any emergency until the patient is released from the operating room or care and has been transferred, as determined by medical board rule, to another physician.

(4) "Executive director" means the executive director of the medical board.

(5) "Medical board" means the Texas Medical Board.

(6) "Surgical assisting" means providing aid under direct supervision in exposure, hemostasis, and other intraoperative technical functions that assist a physician in performing a safe operation with optimal results for the patient, including the delegated authority to provide local infiltration or the topical application of a local anesthetic at the operation site. This term is synonymous with "first assisting."