Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon's assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.
<ul><li>Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.</li><li>Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.</li><li>Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.</li><li>Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.</li><li>Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.</li><li>Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.</li><li>Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.</li><li>Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.</li><li>Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.</li><li>Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.</li><li>Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.</li><li>Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.</li><li>Order surgical supplies.</li><li>Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition.</li></ul>