My days are unpredictable but dedicated to one purpose: safely delivering newborns. I prepare our instruments and operating rooms, which always need to be ready since mothers could arrive needing emergency care at any time. When that call comes, we swiftly get scrubbed in to assist the obstetrician, carefully supplying each tool to gently bring the baby into the world. My role is supporting the doctor so the baby can enter whole and healthy.
CAREER
Surgical Assistants
Overview
Salary Median (2020)
$51,840
Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)
+7.9% (as fast as the average)
Career
Roadtrip Nation Leaders in This Career
What Surgical Assistants Do
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
Other Job Titles Surgical Assistants May Have
Certified First Assistant (CFA), Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA), Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA), Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA), Certified Surgical Technician, Gastrointestinal Technician (GI Technician), Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), Surgical First Assistant, Surgical Scrub Technician (Surgical Scrub Tech), Surgical Technician (Surgical Tech)
How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work
Tasks & Responsibilities May Include
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
Education
Level of Education Attained by Surgical Assistants
Most common level of education among people in
this career: Associate's Degree (25%)
Associate's Degree
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Post-Secondary Certificate
Other*
*All other responses combined for clarity.
Majors Related to Career
Getting Started
Recommended First Step for:
Everyone
There are different routes you can take to become a surgical technician. Loma Linda University Medical Center is a university, so it's a training hospital. Because of that, I was able to get hired and complete a training program to become a surgical technician rather than going to school. You can look into training centers to gain experience or you can look into more traditional educational programs.
This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.