Healthcare Practitioners
Surgical Assistants
Also called: Certified Surgical Technician (Certified Surgical Tech), CRNFA (Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant), CSA (Certified Surgical Assistant), CSFA (Certified Surgical First Assistant)
US median pay
$66,800
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+6.1%
faster than average
Openings a year (US)
1,400
24,400 employed
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
What they do day to day
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
- Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
- Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Coordinate or participate in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation impairment.
- Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Service Orientation3.4/5
- Coordination3.4/5
- Operations Monitoring3.2/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.2/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Operation and Control2.9/5
Knowledge
- Medicine and Dentistry4.2/5
- Education and Training3.9/5
- Public Safety and Security3.3/5
- English Language3.2/5
- Biology3.1/5
- Customer and Personal Service3.0/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): Postsecondary nondegree award.
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.