Job Description for a Surgical Technologist

Surgical techs prepare sterile fields.

Surgical technologists work in operating rooms under the direction of surgeons and registered nurses. Their basic role is to help ensure that procedures are as safe and efficient as possible. Scrub surgical technologists and second assistants are considered entry-level positions. With additional experience and training, they can become circulators or surgical first assistants, or specialize in a field like neurosurgery. Hospitals are the main employers of surgical technologists. Individuals who have completed a training program and become nationally certified have a major advantage in the job market.

Handling Surgical Supplies

Operating rooms have to be prepared so everything is ready in the right place when surgery begins. Surgical technologists anticipate which supplies will be needed and assemble them. They check equipment to make sure it's working properly. Medications and solutions also need to be retrieved. Techs perform counts of all supplies to ensure that nothing is left in the patient when the doctor closes the incision.

Maintaining a Sterile Field

All members of a surgical team must follow the correct procedures for maintaining a sterile field, but surgical techs are primarily responsible for it. They clean and prepare operating rooms. Supplies are set up on a sterile table using specific procedures to avoid contamination. Surgical techs also help gown and glove the doctors and nurses. They watch the other health care workers in the operating room to make sure that the sterile field isn't accidentally broken.

Assisting Surgeons

Surgical techs need to be able to anticipate the needs of surgeons. This skill is refined over time as they repeatedly work with the same doctors and assist in similar types of operations. For example, surgical tools must be held in the air where the surgeon can grab them when needed without looking away from the patient. Other duties include cutting sutures, operating sterilizers, suctioning, holding retractors and connecting drains. These things are usually done by the second assisting technologist.

Circulating

Sometimes surgical techs act as circulators. In this role, they assist with the surgery but are not sterile. This allows them to complete any unsterile tasks that are needed, such as keeping written records during the procedure. They're able to leave the room to transport specimens to the lab or get additional equipment while surgery is in progress. Circulators may assist with anesthesia. The patient care tasks that surgical technologists perform are usually done by the circulators.

Patient Care

Surgical techs have specific duties related to patient care before, during and after operations. They need to review the patient's medical chart and may have to look up information in it for other members of the surgical team. Before an operation, they may obtain consent and prepare the incision site by shaving or washing the skin. Surgical techs transfer patients between rooms and onto operating tables and assist with draping and positioning. They may help monitor vital signs, insert catheters and apply wound dressings.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Surgical Technologists
• Association of Surgical Technologists: Job Description