Surgical Assistants
Health Science · Diagnostic Services
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $35,660; experienced workers reach $109,000. About 230 people do this job in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Job outlook
Alamo region (San Antonio and 12 surrounding counties), Texas Workforce Commission projection 2024 to 2034; U.S. figures from the BLS.
- Employment change
- +15.0%
- Openings a year
- 16
- Employed in 2024
- 207
Typical entry education: Postsecondary nondegree award
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
1 program, with the college that teaches each.
Skills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Monitoring3.5
- Coordination3.3
- Service Orientation3.3
- Operations Monitoring3.4
What the work is
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.
- Adjust and maintain operating room temperature, humidity, or lighting, according to surgeon's specifications.
- Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
- Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
- Assist in the insertion, positioning, or suturing of closed-wound drainage systems.
- Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
- Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- High school or less13%
- Certificate15%
- Some college11%
- Associate degree25%
- Bachelor's degree24%
- Master's degree8%
- Doctoral or professional4%
Job zone 3, medium preparation: Training, an associate degree, or a few years of related experience.
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