# 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. - Code: 29-9093.00 (O*NET-SOC; SOC 2018 29-9093) - Family: [Healthcare Practitioners](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations#family-29), one of its 96 occupations - Tasks: 28 tasks (23 core and 5 supplemental) - Page: https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-9093.00 - JSON: https://foundation.org.ai/data/tasks/29-9093.00.json ## What the work is made of 1. Verify the identity of patient or operative site. Core task · Task 19315 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 2. Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures. Core task · Task 19299 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 3. Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field. Core task · Task 19306 · Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015 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 task · Task 19294 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 5. Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment. Core task · Task 19298 · Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015 6. Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings. Core task · Task 19302 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 7. Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers. Core task · Task 19289 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 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 task · Task 19296 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 9. Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures. Core task · Task 19307 · Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015 10. Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment. Core task · Task 19293 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 11. Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning. Core task · Task 19290 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 12. Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events. Core task · Task 19305 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 13. Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies. Core task · Task 19310 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 14. Operate sterilizing devices. Core task · Task 19311 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 15. Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure. Core task · Task 19312 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 16. Monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume and color of blood. Core task · Task 19300 · Rated by 76 people who do the job, July 2015 17. Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems. Core task · Task 19291 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 18. Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving. Core task · Task 19292 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 19. Gather, arrange, or assemble instruments or supplies. Core task · Task 19308 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 20. Coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature. Core task · Task 19295 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 21. Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications. Core task · Task 19288 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 22. Assist in applying casts, splints, braces, or similar devices. Core task · Task 19303 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 23. Transport patients to operating room. Core task · Task 19314 · Rated by 77 people who do the job, July 2015 24. Remove patient hair or disinfect incision sites to prepare patient for surgery. Supplemental task · Task 19313 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 25. Incise tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins. Supplemental task · Task 19297 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 26. Postoperatively inject a subcutaneous local anesthetic agent to reduce pain. Supplemental task · Task 19301 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 27. Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters. Supplemental task · Task 19309 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 28. Assist in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques. Supplemental task · Task 19304 · Rated by 78 people who do the job, July 2015 ## More in Healthcare Practitioners - [Acupuncturists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1291.00): 18 tasks - [Acute Care Nurses](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1141.01): 26 tasks - [Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1141.02): 24 tasks - [Allergists and Immunologists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1229.01): 16 tasks - [Anesthesiologist Assistants](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1071.01): 16 tasks - [Anesthesiologists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1211.00): 18 tasks - [Art Therapists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1129.01): 25 tasks - [Athletic Trainers](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-9091.00): 23 tasks - [Audiologists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1181.00): 22 tasks - [Cardiologists](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-1212.00): 26 tasks - [Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/29-2031.00): 21 tasks - 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