An operating room technician, also known as a surgical technologist, works primarily in the operating room, performing tasks that keep the surgical environment clean and safe. She is usually a member of a surgical team and provides support to any doctors, nurses, or medical personnel involved in the procedure. Surgical technologists work in a variety of settings, including hospitals and clinics. The majority of surgical technologist jobs are in hospitals; only a small percentage of surgical technologists work in outpatient surgical centers, as private technicians, or as instructors of other technologists.
Scrub technologists, circulating surgical technologists, surgical first assistants, and private scrubs are just a few of the many different types of surgical technologist jobs available. Surgical technologist jobs vary in terms of their responsibilities and the amount of experience or education they have. Each of these specialized jobs has one thing in common: they all spend time in the operating room.
A scrub technologist is a surgical technologist who assists with procedures both before and after they are performed. In general, she must anticipate the needs of each surgeon and nurse, fully comprehend the operation being performed, and maintain a sterile environment. She may check supplies and equipment, lay out sterile linens, and set up the sterile table to the surgeon’s liking, complete with all necessary surgical instruments and equipment. She could drape the sterile field and assist the surgeons and nurses with putting on their surgical gowns and gloves. She may pass surgical instruments and other supplies to the doctors and nurses, cut sutures, prepare sterile dressings, and monitor EKG machines and other electrical equipment once the surgery is underway.
The circulating surgical technologist is one of the most interesting surgical technologist jobs. Unlike the scrub technologist, who is sterile and works in a sterile environment, she is almost always unsterile. While the surgery is in progress, she is responsible for gathering supplies, instruments, and equipment. She may review the patient’s chart, transport the patient to the operating room, place him on the operating table, and position him so that surgery can begin. She may prepare the incision site, apply electrosurgical pads, and count the surgical equipment both before and after surgery to ensure that nothing was sewn back into the patient’s body.
Surgical first assistant is one of the highest levels of surgical technologist jobs. She usually has a higher level of education and experience than most men. The surgical first assistant assists the surgeon with a variety of technical tasks, including hemostatis. A private scrub is another type of surgical technologist. A private scrub tech is a surgical technologist who works for a specific surgeon. She’d be there to help that surgeon with every one of his operations.