Job Summary
The Surgical Technician First Assist provides direct support to surgeons during surgical procedures, ensuring efficient operative and invasive procedures by maintaining the sterile field, providing necessary instruments and supplies, and assisting in critical surgical tasks. This role requires advanced technical skills to support the surgical team, including positioning patients, retracting tissues, controlling bleeding, suturing, and applying dressings. The Surgical Technician First Assist collaborates with surgeons, nurses, and other surgical team members to ensure optimal patient outcomes and post-operative care.
Essential Functions
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Functions as a scrub person during surgical procedures, preparing and organizing sterile supplies and instruments, maintaining an organized sterile field, and providing necessary instruments and supplies to the surgical team.
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Performs first assistant duties, including providing exposure through instrument handling, retractors, suctioning, and sponging techniques as directed by the surgeon.
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Handles and dissects tissues, clamps blood vessels, coagulates bleeding points, and places drains as instructed by the surgeon.
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Assists with wound closure, including suturing subcutaneous layers and skin, applying staples, and dressing surgical sites per surgeon instructions.
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Ensures sterility and safety standards, conducting proper counting procedures with the RN circulator, following infection control protocols, and taking corrective actions if needed.
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Prepares and transports surgical instruments for decontamination, ensuring proper handling and sterilization for future use.
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Assists in post-procedure room turnover, ensuring procedural areas are properly cleaned and prepared for subsequent surgeries.
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Takes call assignments as scheduled, responding promptly to emergency or on-call surgical cases as required.
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Performs other duties as assigned.
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Complies with all policies and standards.
Qualifications
- 1-3 years of experience as a Surgical Technician or First Assist in an acute care setting required
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
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Proficiency in surgical techniques, aseptic principles, and sterile field maintenance.
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Strong knowledge of surgical anatomy, instrumentation, and procedural workflows.
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Ability to anticipate surgeon needs and respond quickly to intraoperative changes.
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Strong attention to detail in surgical counting procedures, patient positioning, and procedural safety.
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Effective communication and teamwork skills, ensuring smooth collaboration with surgeons, nurses, and anesthesia providers.
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Knowledge of infection control standards, regulatory compliance, and patient safety guidelines.
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Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure surgical environment, demonstrating composure and professionalism.
Licenses and Certifications
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CST - Certified Surgical Technologist required and
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Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) through NBSTSA required or
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Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) through NSAA required
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BCLS - Basic Life Support required
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ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support preferred
Equal Employment Opportunity
This organization does not discriminate in any way to deprive any person of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the status of any employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, or military or uniformed services, in accordance with all applicable governmental laws and regulations. In addition, the facility complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment including, but not limited to: hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. If you are an applicant with a mental or physical disability who needs a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, contact the director of Human Resources at the facility to which you are seeking employment; Simply go to http://www.chs.net/serving-communities/locations/ to obtain the main telephone number of the facility and ask for Human Resources.
