Surgical Assistant or Technologist

What is a Surgical Assistant or Technologist?

Duties

A surgical assistant or technologist needs to carry out the following duties:

• Fully comply with the standards of practice and follow principles of utilising sterile techniques for surgical procedures, including closely observing the surgery for any risk of contamination and initiating remedial steps.
• Communicate clearly and courteously with physicians, visitors and other hospital employees, while maintaining patient and physician confidentiality.
• Provide support with preparation of surgical beds with clean linens, retrieving appropriate equipment, checking the condition of surgical lights and replacing faulty bulbs when required.
• Report the status of the operating room to staff and physicians handling the next shift while also restocking and returning equipment or supplies where possible.
• Support the surgical team by paying attention to detail and passing appropriate sterile items to doctors and nurses.

Day In The Life

As a surgical assistant, you will be assisting a surgeon or a surgical team in several ways. It starts with the preparation work required before an operation is conducted, right from setting up the operating room with all surgical instruments and equipment, and making patients ready for surgery by disinfecting and washing incision sites, assisting patients onto the operating table and covering them with sterile drapes.

Besides patient preparation, you will provide hands-on support with managing various equipment depending on the type of surgery, and supporting efficient surgical room turnaround. Surgical assistants also hold incisions open for clear access, wipe away blood during the operation and suture said incision at the end of the procedure.

Your tasks make you a vital part of the sterile team and you may not leave the operating room or come into contact with anything that is not sterile during the course of the surgery. After the operation is complete, this role requires you to assist the team with applying and securing bandages and other dressings to the incision site. Transferring the patient to recovery rooms and ensuring that all supplies are restocked in the operating room forms another important responsibility, once a surgery has taken place.

Work Schedule

A surgical assistant or technologist typically works at full time positions and will have to be on call at all times of the day including weekends, nights and holidays. You may also have to work longer than an 8-hour shift at one stretch. The nature of the work requires you to wear scrubs while operating. The work involves being physically fit to be able to move patients between the recovery room and operation theatre, and lift heavy trays of medical instruments when needed. It is also a risky job with numerous occupational hazards such as latex allergy, sharp injuries, blood borne pathogens, laser plumes, anesthetic gases, etc.

Growth Of The Job

Professionals in this field can look forward growth at 30% until 2022, which is faster than average for other professions. In the coming years, there will be an increase in the demand for surgical assistants, due to multiple factors.

With more advances in the medical field, surgery has become less risky and is performed more frequently to address many ailments and injuries. With an aging population, older people will need more operations. Future generations will be more willing to undergo medical surgeries for improving their life quality. For instance, a patient might be more receptive to undergoing a knee replacement surgery to be able to enjoy a better and comfortable life.

Typical Employers

Surgical assistants or technologists find work at medical clinics, hospitals and healthcare corporations. A few are needed at outpatient care centers or the office of physicians and other medical professionals that perform surgical procedures.