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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.

Tasks
28 tasks23 core, 5 supplemental
Family
Healthcare PractitionersOne of its 96 occupations
Code
29-9093.00SOC 2018: 29-9093

Read the 28 tasks Download this record as JSON

What the work is made of

23 core tasks and 5 supplemental, each quoted as published, with the survey it came from.

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Core: central to the jobSupplemental: done by some, not all

  1. Task 1. Verify the identity of patient or operative site.Core taskTask 19315Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  2. Task 2. Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.Core taskTask 19299Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  3. Task 3. Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.Core taskTask 19306Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015
  4. Task 4. 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.Core taskTask 19294Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  5. Task 5. Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.Core taskTask 19298Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015
  6. Task 6. Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.Core taskTask 19302Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  7. Task 7. Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.Core taskTask 19289Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  8. Task 8. 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.Core taskTask 19296Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  9. Task 9. Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.Core taskTask 19307Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015
  10. Task 10. Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.Core taskTask 19293Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  11. Task 11. Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.Core taskTask 19290Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  12. Task 12. Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.Core taskTask 19305Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  13. Task 13. Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.Core taskTask 19310Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  14. Task 14. Operate sterilizing devices.Core taskTask 19311Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  15. Task 15. Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.Core taskTask 19312Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  16. Task 16. Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood.Core taskTask 19300Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015
  17. Task 17. Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.Core taskTask 19291Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  18. Task 18. Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.Core taskTask 19292Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  19. Task 19. Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies.Core taskTask 19308Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  20. Task 20. Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.Core taskTask 19295Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  21. Task 21. Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.Core taskTask 19288Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  22. Task 22. Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices.Core taskTask 19303Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  23. Task 23. Transport patients to operating room.Core taskTask 19314Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015
  24. Task 24. Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery.Supplemental taskTask 19313Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  25. Task 25. Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.Supplemental taskTask 19297Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  26. Task 26. Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain.Supplemental taskTask 19301Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  27. Task 27. Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.Supplemental taskTask 19309Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015
  28. Task 28. Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques.Supplemental taskTask 19304Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015

Where this comes from

Quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor, and credited. Nothing on this page is written by us.

How we copy and credit sources
  1. Published by
    O*NET 29.0, U.S. Department of LaborEmployment and Training Administration
  2. Classification
    Standard Occupational Classification 2018, 29-9093
  3. License
    CC BY 4.0Free to copy and reuse, with credit
  4. Changed by us
    Nothing.

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