Being a surgical technologist today offers a wide variety of areas in which to work. A few organizations that employ people who are trained as surgical techs include hospitals, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgery facilities and even some specialists.
As a surgical technologist, you can be prepared to learn how to do the following:
- Be the lead scrub person on the team when preparing for an operation or delivery. This would require you to make sure that everyone is wearing appropriate clothing (including scrubs) and has washed not only their hands but their arms in the manner required prior to surgery.
- Make sure all the tools and instruments that will be used for the procedure are sterile. This also includes preparing the room where the operation and/or delivery will occur.
- Before the surgery, prepare patients by washing the disinfected the area where an incision may occur.
- Help surgeons, anesthesiologists and registered nurses during the procedure.
Quick Thinking Skills and Steady Hands Needed
As a vital member of a surgical team, a surgical technologist needs to anticipate what a surgeon or other member of the team may need in order to do their job. This includes not only having all the necessary tools and supplies on hand, but also being able to quickly locate any other tool or piece of surgical equipment that might be called in at the last minute.
Also vital in this career is the ability to handle and correctly identify a specific piece of equipment or specialized tool that a surgeon may need. Passing a tool that a surgeon needs firmly and quickly is essential. Any potential tool that might be dropped in an operating room would be considered unsterile and an additional tool that's already sterilized would have to be located.
Post Surgery
After a delivery or surgical procedure, the surgical tech might also help properly dispose of any waste matter from the operation. Also, any specimens from a patient would need to be properly labeled and transported to a laboratory for further analysis.
Finally, a surgical technologist would assist in transporting a patient back to a recovery room and checking on the patient. Additionally, they would make sure that both the operating room and the equipment are clean and sterile once again and ready for the next patient.
Photo Source: morgueFile
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