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