What Does it Take to Be a Surgical Assistant?
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.
List of Surgical Assistant Job Duties
- 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.
- Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.
- 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.
- Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
- Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.
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What a Surgical Assistant Should Know
When polled, Surgical Assistants say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Types of Surgical Assistant Jobs
- Surgical Assistant
- Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)
- First Assistant
- Surgical Medical Assistant
- Surgical Scrub Technician (Surgical Scrub Tech)
Is There Going to be Demand for Surgical Assistants?
There were about 127,800 jobs for Surgical Assistant in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 19.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 25,100 new jobs for Surgical Assistant by 2026. The BLS estimates 11,000 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Surgical Assistant are Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Illinois, Rhode Island, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Do Surgical Assistants Make A Lot Of Money?
The average yearly salary of a Surgical Assistant ranges between $28,130 and $72,720.
Surgical Assistants who work in New Mexico, Alaska, or Washington, make the highest salaries.
How much do Surgical Assistants make in each U.S. state?
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,230 |
| Alaska | $62,580 |
| Arizona | $48,840 |
| Arkansas | $42,300 |
| California | $50,150 |
| Colorado | $46,270 |
| Connecticut | $55,450 |
| Delaware | $48,900 |
| District of Columbia | $54,210 |
| Florida | $42,730 |
| Georgia | $46,960 |
| Hawaii | $54,660 |
| Idaho | $48,750 |
| Illinois | $47,590 |
| Indiana | $49,300 |
| Iowa | $42,590 |
| Kansas | $49,180 |
| Kentucky | $51,780 |
| Louisiana | $38,370 |
| Maine | $51,500 |
| Maryland | $44,590 |
| Massachusetts | $55,950 |
| Michigan | $45,640 |
| Minnesota | $55,940 |
| Mississippi | $36,900 |
| Missouri | $46,580 |
| Montana | $42,630 |
| Nebraska | $45,370 |
| Nevada | $45,980 |
| New Hampshire | $50,390 |
| New Jersey | $53,570 |
| New Mexico | $60,690 |
| New York | $55,700 |
| North Carolina | $39,230 |
| North Dakota | $46,370 |
| Ohio | $42,780 |
| Oklahoma | $43,960 |
| Oregon | $54,520 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,070 |
| Rhode Island | $55,490 |
| South Carolina | $42,820 |
| South Dakota | $54,290 |
| Tennessee | $64,010 |
| Texas | $43,990 |
| Utah | $41,150 |
| Vermont | $50,140 |
| Virginia | $48,050 |
| Washington | $59,950 |
| West Virginia | $43,490 |
| Wisconsin | $44,080 |
| Wyoming | $51,120 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Surgical Assistants
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Surgical Assistants may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Word processing software
- MEDITECH software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Palm OS
- Patient tracking software
- Nursing documentation software
- Patient scheduling software
- Supply documentation software
- Surgery workflow communication software
Becoming a Surgical Assistant
Learn what Surgical Assistant education requirements there are.
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Surgical Assistants Work
The table below shows the approximate number of Surgical Assistants employed by various industries.
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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