What Are the Job Duties of a Surgical Assistant?
Nov 27, 2014 | 9:00 am
Surgical assistants or surgeon assistants provide assistance and support to a licensed surgeon during an operation tasked with a wide range of crucial tasks. The job duties of surgical assistants vary based upon on their position of employment. To become a surgical assistant, a person interested in this profession must finish a surgical assistant program and meet the appropriate licensing standards.
To become a surgical assistant, you must first complete the required educational background and get the necessary on the job training assisting, so you can be able to practice your career. With more than two hundred and fifty accredited surgical assistant programs, it is not that difficult to find a program that will best suit your personal preferences. You need to complete the required courses with units in basic medical sciences as well as other more general subjects that are related to human physiology. Pursuing a career as a surgical assistant is a rewarding experience because you will aid people to get back on their feet after experiencing a traumatic physical damage.
Job Duties Of Surgical Assistants
The AASPA or American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants indicates that the main job of surgical assistants is to assist a surgeon or doctor during a procedure. Surgical Assistants perform critical tasks that include but not limited to applying dressings and making sure that the area of operation remains clean and sterile. A Surgical Assistant may clarify a procedure with a client before the scheduled surgery and carry out routine examinations after that.
The job assignments for a surgical assistant outside of surgical procedure differ, depending on the employer. A Surgical Assistant who works in the office of a licensed physician may carry out some office work, including documentation and managing phone calls.
Educational and Licensing Requirements
Most surgical assistants programs are presented at the graduate level and may possibly need past experience in healthcare. The training programs include subjects in basic and advance anatomy, human disorders as well as pharmacology. Also, operating room and surgical techniques like wound closing could possibly be given their own study course. Those who want to complete a degree to become surgical assistants must go through comprehensive clinical trainings that require carrying out supervised rotations in various healthcare facilities.
A surgical assistant must also complete all the licensing requirements of the state depending on where he or she is planning to practice the profession. It is important to pass and complete the PANCE or Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam, which is given NCCPA or National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. When this examination is passed, the individual can earn the Physician Assistant-Certified diploma. The NSAA (National Surgical Assistant Association) on the other hand provide a Certified Surgical Assistant certification that also requires a standard passing score implemented on the certification exam.
Becoming a surgical assistant can be a truly rewarding profession. This may not pay as good as being a licensed physician, but you can easily complete a Surgical Assistant program and get your employment fast.