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