Will “First Assistant” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔
Unknown Chance of Automation
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Job Description
Assist surgeons during surgery by performing duties such as tissue retraction, insertion of tubes and intravenous lines, or closure of surgical wounds. Perform preoperative and postoperative duties to facilitate patient care.
Job Details
- The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 29-2099.07
☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Surgical Assistants”.
Also Known As…
- Surgical Assistants
- Surgical Technician (Surgical Tech)
- Surgical Scrub Technician (Surgical Scrub Tech)
- Surgical First Assistant
- Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)
- Gastrointestinal Technician (GI Technician)
- Certified Surgical Technician
- Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA)
- Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA)
- Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA)
- Certified First Assistant (CFA)
- Surgical Services Assistant
- Surgical Assistant-Certified (SA-C)
- Surgical Assistant
- Surgery Technician
- Operating Room Technician
- Operating Room Assistant
- Assistant-at-Surgery
Tasks for “First Assistant”
- Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
- Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
- Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
- Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.
- Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
- Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.
- Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.
- Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
- Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.
- Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
- Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.
- Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.
- Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
- Transport patients to operating room.
- Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
- Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
- 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.
- Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.
- Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
- Operate sterilizing devices.
Related Technology & Tools
- Surgical protective goggles
- Patient transport stretchers
- Ethylene Oxide sterilizers
- Wound drains
- Surgical razors
- Nerve stimulators
- Patient positioning devices
- Eye magnets
- Endoscopic camera/video systems
- Pneumatic tourniquets
- Surgical retractors
- Cell savers
- Heart pacemakers
- Telethermometers
- Eye lasers
- Pagers
- Subcutaneous injection syringes
- Sterile gowns
- Intravenous IV sets
- Laptop computers
- Surgical scalpels
- Head stabilizers
- Personal computers
- Blood warming equipment
- Pressure steam autoclaves
- Suction machines
- Cast cutting saws
- Cauterizing equipment
- Surgical robots
- Automated external defibrillators AED
- Sterile drapes
- Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Nd:YAG lasers
- Surgical fracture tables
- C-arm tables
- Flash sterilizers
- Argon beam coagulators
- Cardiac monitoring equipment
- Fluid warmers
- Vascular clamps
- Body stabilizers
- Carbon dioxide CO2 lasers
- Surgical trocars
- Powered surgical drills
- Surgical dermatomes
- Mayo stands
- Surgical clamps
- Surgical masks
- Laparoscopes
- Angiocaths
- Medical staple kits
- Hypothermia units
- Multi-line telephone systems
- Hemostat clamps
- Medical image processing printers
- Fiberoptic endoscopes
- Surgical gloves
- Suture kits
- Specimen collection containers
- Anesthesia carts
- Hospital intercom equipment
- Desktop computers
- Blanket warmer cabinets
- Urinary catheters
- Patient scheduling software
- Nursing documentation software
- Patient tracking software
- Supply documentation software
- Surgery workflow communication software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Microsoft Excel
- MEDITECH software