# Surgical Technologists

> Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

- Code: 29-2055.00 (O*NET-SOC; SOC 2018 29-2055)
- Family: [Healthcare Practitioners](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations#family-29), one of its 96 occupations
- Tasks: 16 tasks (14 core and 2 supplemental)
- Page: https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-2055.00
- JSON: https://foundation.org.ai/data/tasks/29-2055.00.json

## What the work is made of

1. Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.  
   Core task · Task 15242 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
2. Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.  
   Core task · Task 1959 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
3. Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.  
   Core task · Task 1961 · Rated by 92 people who do the job, July 2013
4. Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.  
   Core task · Task 1963 · Rated by 92 people who do the job, July 2013
5. Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.  
   Core task · Task 15243 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
6. Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.  
   Core task · Task 1960 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
7. Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.  
   Core task · Task 1965 · Rated by 92 people who do the job, July 2013
8. Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.  
   Core task · Task 1964 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
9. Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.  
   Core task · Task 1969 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
10. Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.  
   Core task · Task 1968 · Rated by 92 people who do the job, July 2013
11. Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.  
   Core task · Task 1967 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
12. Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.  
   Core task · Task 15244 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
13. Order surgical supplies.  
   Core task · Task 15245 · Rated by 93 people who do the job, July 2013
14. Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition.  
   Core task · Task 1970 · Rated by 91 people who do the job, July 2013
15. Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations.  
   Supplemental task · Task 1971 · Rated by 92 people who do the job, July 2013
16. Maintain files and records of surgical procedures.  
   Supplemental task · Task 1972 · Rated by 90 people who do the job, July 2013

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## Where this comes from

Quoted from O*NET 29.0, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0: free to copy and reuse, with credit. Nothing on this page is written by the Org.AI Foundation.
