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