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Date: 06/30/2025

Surgical Assistants

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.
    • Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.
    • Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
    • Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
    • Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
    • Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.
    • Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
    • Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
    • Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
    • Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.
    • Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.
    • Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
    • Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
    • Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
    • Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
    • 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.
    • Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
    • Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.
    • Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
    • Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
    • Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.
    • Transport patients to operating room.
    • Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.
    • Operate sterilizing devices.
    • Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
    • Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.
    • Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.
    • Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.

    Skills

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    N/A
    Workplace Documents
    N/A
    Graphic Literacy
    N/A

    Abilities

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    Knowledge

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    Career Video

    Additional videos and more information available on CareerOneStop

    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 65070/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 31.28/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 710
    • Yearly Projected Openings 40

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Self Control
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Autotransfusion units
    • Blanket or solution warmer cabinets
    • Blood warming or transfusion systems
    • Cardiac output CO monitoring units
    • Cardiac pacemaker generators or cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers CRT-P
    • Cast cutters or saws
    • Chemical or gas sterilizers
    • Desktop computers
    • Diagnostic or interventional vascular catheters for general use
    • Electronic medical thermometers
    • Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment
    • Endoscopic hemostatic balloons or needles or tubes or accessories
    • Endoscopic instrument sets
    • Endoscopic video cameras or recorders or adapters or accessories
    • Eyemagnets for ophthalmic surgery
    • Goggles
    • Hospital intercom systems
    • Hypodermic injection apparatus
    • Intravenous or arterial fluid warmers
    • Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
    • Lap mayo trays or mayo stands for surgical use
    • Laparoscopes or laparoscopic telescopes
    • Medical carts
    • Medical imaging dry laser printers or imagers
    • Medical staff isolation or cover gowns
    • Medical staplers for internal use
    • Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
    • Notebook computers
    • Operating room patient fracture tables or orthopedic tables
    • Operating room patient positioning devices for general use
    • Operating room patient procedure tables
    • Pagers
    • Patient stretchers
    • Personal computers
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Specimen collection container
    • Steam autoclaves or sterilizers
    • Surgical clamps or clips or forceps
    • Surgical dermatomes or dermabraders or dermameshers
    • Surgical drains or drain sets
    • Surgical drapes
    • Surgical gloves
    • Surgical isolation or surgical masks
    • Surgical lasers
    • Surgical nerve stimulators
    • Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers
    • Surgical pneumatic or electric tourniquets
    • Surgical power equipment sets
    • Surgical retractors
    • Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines
    • Surgical shave kits or prep razors or clippers
    • Surgical suction machine or vacuum extractor or ultrasonic surgical aspirator
    • Surgical trocars for general use
    • Suturing kits or trays or packs or sets
    • Therapeutic heating or cooling units or systems
    • Urinary catheterization kits

    Technology

    • Medical software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software
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