Surgical Assistant Information
Surgical assistants are health care professionals who prepare patients and operating rooms for surgical procedures, according to Education-Portal.com. They also help surgeons perform a wide variety of duties during an operation. Surgical assistants should have strong communication skills and good manual dexterity and must work well in high-pressure situations.
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Duties
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Surgical assistants are responsible for choosing the correct instruments and equipment for an operation, according to DegreeDirectory.com. They also situate radiographs so that the doctor can use them as a reference during a procedure, according to the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. In addition, surgical assistants help position and drape patients for surgery, insert urinary bladder catheters and retract tissues and organs to improve doctors' view of the surgical area during an operation.
Other Responsibilities
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Stopping the flow of blood during a procedure by applying chemical agents, for example, is another major responsibility of surgical assistants. Surgical assistants must keep a surgical area sterile and also can clamp and cut tissue according to a doctor's orders. Closing wounds and applying wound dressings also are important in surgical assisting. Surgical assistants must be prepared to help resuscitate patients who experience a heart attack or other critical problems as well.
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Education
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Surgical assistants complete surgical technology programs that are accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs and last 10 to 22 months. Courses in this type of program cover topics such as microbiology, pharmacology, complications during surgery and advanced anatomy. To get into these programs, students should already have a Bachelor of Science degree or an associate degree in an allied health care field with three years of recent experience. Many programs prefer surgical technologists, operating room nurses or physician assistants with current certification. Aspiring surgical assistants also should have their cardiopulmonary resuscitation/basic life support certification. Individuals with three years of current operating room scrub or assisting experience also can get into surgical assistant training programs.
Certification/Opportunities
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After completing an accredited program, students can seek certification from the Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist as a Certified Surgical Technologist/Certified First Assistant. They also can choose to seek certification from the National Surgical Assistant Association as a Certified Surgical Assistant. Some states additionally require surgical assistants to be licensed. Surgical assistants can find work in a wide variety of specialty fields in surgery, such as neurosurgery, spinal surgery, ophthalmologic surgery and even plastic surgery. Other options include cardiac, obstetrical and trauma surgery.
Outlook
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The demand for surgical assistants and other related workers remains strong as the population continues to grow and age, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The elderly population will require more surgical procedures. The average salary for surgical assistants in 2010 was $44,000, according to Indeed.com.
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References
- Photo Credit operating room image by Maciej Zatonski from Fotolia.com
