Surgical Technicians
What Do Surgical Technicians Do
Surgical technicians assist surgeons, nurses and other staff in the operating room during surgical procedures. They help prepare the operating room, ensuring the area is sterile, transport patients to the operating room and set up surgical equipments, instruments, sterile solutions and drapes. During surgery, surgical technicians pass instruments and various sterile supplies to nurses, surgeons and other medical assistants. Some surgical technicians are responsible for operating lights, sterilizers, suction machines, diagnostic instruments and other large medical equipments.
During any type of surgery, the surgical technicians help prepare, care for and dispose specimens take for laboratory analysis. They assist in applying dressing and take responsibilities such as holding retractors, cutting sutures and counting sponges, supplies, needles and instruments as well as restocking the operating room with new and sterilized supplies. Surgical techs also ensure that all equipments needed in the operation are working properly.
Surgical technicians also prepare patients before surgery by washing, shaving and disinfecting the incision sites. They also observe the vital signs of patients, check charts, cauterize bleeders and assist the staff in the operating room with putting on sterile gloves and gowns.
Surgical technicians work not only in general hospitals that have operating rooms, but also in private institutions such as physician's office, dental offices, surgery centers or outpatient care centers, government institutions and central processing departments. With additional training, however, surgical technicians can advance to become registered nurses, circulating technologists, physician assistants and even surgeons.
Employment of surgical technicians is expected to grow dramatically until the year 2010 as the number of surgery increases due to population growth and aging as well as technological advances that will introduce new surgical procedures and need more surgical technicians. While more and more private institutions employ surgical techs, hospitals will continue to be the primary employer of surgical technicians.
