| ||||
Summary Job Description | Tasks | |||
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. | Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation. | |||
| ||||
Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation. | ||||
| ||||
Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing. | ||||
| ||||
Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses and anesthesiologists. | ||||
| ||||
Wash and sterilize equipment using germicides and sterilizers. | ||||
| ||||
Prepare, care for and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis. | ||||
| ||||
Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery. | ||||
| ||||
Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, and diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation. | ||||
| ||||
Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs. | ||||
| ||||
Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition. | ||||
| ||||
Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood and glucose, for use during operations. | ||||
| ||||
Maintain files and records of surgical procedures. | ||||
| ||||
Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures. | ||||
| ||||
Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure. | ||||
| ||||
Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card. | ||||
| ||||
Order surgical supplies. | ||||
| ||||
CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies
Surgical Technologists and Technicians
The Benchmark Job Description below represents the specific Position Characteristics of the job used in the Salary Survey. Benchmark Job Descriptions should be inspected carefully to review the degree of matching between an organizations' Job and the Salary Survey Benchmark. Matching internal Jobs to Salary Survey Benchmark Jobs should not be done on Job Title alone. A thorough comparison of Salary Survey Benchmark to Internal Job Descriptions is recommended. A good overlap should exist on any comparisons used on critical Job Dimensions and Competencies.- Job Description
- Knowledges
- Skills
- Abilites
- Tools and Technology
- Education and Experience
- Alternate Job Titles
- Salaries
| ||||
Important Knowledge Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Medicine and Dentistry | Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures. | |||
| ||||
Customer and Personal Service | Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. | |||
| ||||
English Language | Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. | |||
| ||||
Education and Training | Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. | |||
| ||||
Psychology | Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. | |||
| ||||
Public Safety and Security | Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. | |||
| ||||
Biology | Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment. | |||
| ||||
Administration and Management | Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. | |||
| ||||
Mathematics | Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. | |||
| ||||
| ||||
Important Skill Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Monitoring | Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | |||
| ||||
Coordination | Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | |||
| ||||
Operation Monitoring | Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. | |||
| ||||
Active Listening | Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | |||
| ||||
Speaking | Talking to others to convey information effectively. | |||
| ||||
Active Learning | Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. | |||
| ||||
Critical Thinking | Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. | |||
| ||||
Social Perceptiveness | Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | |||
| ||||
Service Orientation | Actively looking for ways to help people. | |||
| ||||
Operation and Control | Controlling operations of equipment or systems. | |||
| ||||
Time Management | Managing one's own time and the time of others. | |||
| ||||
Reading Comprehension | Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. | |||
| ||||
Quality Control Analysis | Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. | |||
| ||||
Judgment and Decision Making | Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. | |||
| ||||
Learning Strategies | Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. | |||
| ||||
Writing | Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. | |||
| ||||
Complex Problem Solving | Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. | |||
| ||||
Equipment Maintenance | Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed. | |||
| ||||
Management of Material Resources | Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. | |||
| ||||
| ||||
Important Ability Competencies | Competency Description | |||
Problem Sensitivity | The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. | |||
| ||||
Oral Comprehension | The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | |||
| ||||
Speech Recognition | The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | |||
| ||||
Oral Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | |||
| ||||
Information Ordering | The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | |||
| ||||
Selective Attention | The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. | |||
| ||||
Arm-Hand Steadiness | The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. | |||
| ||||
Manual Dexterity | The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. | |||
| ||||
Near Vision | The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). | |||
| ||||
Flexibility of Closure | The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material. | |||
| ||||
Perceptual Speed | The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object. | |||
| ||||
Far Vision | The ability to see details at a distance. | |||
| ||||
Finger Dexterity | The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. | |||
| ||||
Speech Clarity | The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | |||
| ||||
Written Comprehension | The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. | |||
| ||||
Deductive Reasoning | The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | |||
| ||||
Category Flexibility | The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. | |||
| ||||
Visualization | The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged. | |||
| ||||
Multilimb Coordination | The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. | |||
| ||||
Trunk Strength | The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing. | |||
| ||||
Hearing Sensitivity | The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. | |||
| ||||
Inductive Reasoning | The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). | |||
| ||||
Number Facility | The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly. | |||
| ||||
Time Sharing | The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). | |||
| ||||
Visual Color Discrimination | The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness. | |||
| ||||
Auditory Attention | The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds. | |||
| ||||
Control Precision | The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions. | |||
| ||||
Extent Flexibility | The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs. | |||
| ||||
Written Expression | The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand. | |||
| ||||
Mathematical Reasoning | The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. | |||
| ||||
Memorization | The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures. | |||
| ||||
Speed of Closure | The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns. | |||
| ||||
| ||||
Tools/Technology Example | Product Category | |||
Database software | Data base user interface and query software | |||
| ||||
Electronic medical record EMR software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Email software | Electronic mail software | |||
| ||||
Graphics software | Graphics or photo imaging software | |||
| ||||
Internet browser software | Internet browser software | |||
| ||||
Nursing documentation software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Patient scheduling software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Patient tracking software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Supply documentation software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Surgery workflow communication software | Medical software | |||
| ||||
Word processing software | Word processing software | |||
| ||||
Adjustable height instrument tables | Instrument tables for surgical or obstetrical delivery use or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Air driver drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Anesthesia machines | Gas anesthesia apparatus | |||
| ||||
Argon beam coagulators | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Autoclaves | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
| ||||
Autologous blood recovery systems | Blood recovery and delivery systems | |||
| ||||
Autotransfusion systems | Autotransfusion units | |||
| ||||
Blood/fluid warmers | Intravenous or arterial infusion fluid warmers | |||
| ||||
Carbon dioxide CO2 lasers | Surgical lasers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cardiac leg wedges | Operating room patient positioning devices or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cavitrons | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cell savers | Autotransfusion units | |||
| ||||
Central venous catheters | Central venous catheters | |||
| ||||
Chest drains | Pleural cavity drainage unit or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cholangiocath catheters | Surgical or endoscopic catheters or catheterization kits or drainage bags | |||
| ||||
Continuous suction machines | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Coronary bypass pumps | Heart and lung machines or accessories | |||
| ||||
Craniotome drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cryo units | Cryosurgery equipment or accessories | |||
| ||||
Cryo-ophthalmic units | Cryosurgery equipment or accessories | |||
| ||||
Defibrillators | Automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles | |||
| ||||
Dermatome blades | Surgical dermatomes or dermabraders or dermameshers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Dermatomes | Surgical dermatomes or dermabraders or dermameshers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Desktop computers | Desktop computers | |||
| ||||
Digital Imaging Communications in Medicine DICOM diagnostic medical printers | Medical imaging dry laser printers or imagers | |||
| ||||
Digital electrosurgical units | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Doppler ultrasound equipment | Cardiac ultrasound or doppler or echo units or cardioscopes | |||
| ||||
Drains | Surgical drains or sets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Electrocautery equipment | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Electronic blood pressure cuffs | Electronic blood pressure units | |||
| ||||
Electrosurgical grounding pads | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Electrosurgical monitors | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Electrosurgical units | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Endoscopic camera/video systems | Endoscopic video cameras or recorders or adapters or accessories | |||
| ||||
Endoscopic vein harvesting equipment | Vein harvest systems | |||
| ||||
Endoscopy equipment | Endoscopic equipment or procedure carts or accessories | |||
| ||||
Ethylene oxide sterilizers | Chemical or gas sterilizers | |||
| ||||
Eye lasers | Surgical lasers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Eye magnets | Eyemagnets for ophthalmic surgery | |||
| ||||
Fiber optic luminators | Medical exam headlights or headlamps or accessories | |||
| ||||
Flash autoclaves | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
| ||||
Fluoroscopy equipment | Medical cine fluoroscopy equipment | |||
| ||||
Foot-operated suction units | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Fracture tables | Operating room patient fracture tables or orthopedic tables or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Graspers | Endoscopic clamps or dissectors or graspers or forceps or ligators | |||
| ||||
Hemorrhoidal circular staplers | Staplers for internal use | |||
| ||||
Hyper/hypothermia units | Therapeutic heating or cooling units or systems | |||
| ||||
Instrument positioning equipment | Surgical instrument holders or positioners | |||
| ||||
Instrument tables | Instrument tables for surgical or obstetrical delivery use or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Insufflators | Oxygen insufflator or its accessories | |||
| ||||
Internal mammary artery IMA retractors | Cardiovascular or thoracic retractors | |||
| ||||
Intestinal stapling devices | Staplers for internal use | |||
| ||||
Intraluminal staplers | Staplers for internal use | |||
| ||||
Kleinert-Kutz elevators | Surgical elevators or levers | |||
| ||||
Lab specimen containers | Specimen collectors | |||
| ||||
Laparoscopes | Laparoscopes or laparoscopic telescopes | |||
| ||||
Linear staplers | Staplers for internal use | |||
| ||||
Lithotripters | Surgical lithotripters or accessories | |||
| ||||
Loupes | Surgical microscopes or loops or magnifiers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Manual blood pressure units | Mercury blood pressure units | |||
| ||||
Master control units or manipulators | Surgical controller instruments | |||
| ||||
Mayo stands | Lap mayo trays or mayo stands for surgical use or accessories | |||
| ||||
Medical image database systems | Medical picture archiving computer systems PACS | |||
| ||||
Medical imagining laser printers | Medical imaging dry laser printers or imagers | |||
| ||||
Microscopes | Surgical microscopes or loops or magnifiers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Minidriver drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Motorized lift tables | Instrument tables for surgical or obstetrical delivery use or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Needle holders | Surgical needle holders for general use | |||
| ||||
Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Nd:YAG lasers | Surgical lasers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Nerve stimulators | Surgical nerve stimulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Neurotome drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Notebook computers | Notebook computers | |||
| ||||
Ohio suction units | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Orthopedic arm boards with drains | Operating room patient fracture tables or orthopedic tables or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Orthopedic drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Personal computers | Personal computers | |||
| ||||
Personal digital assistants PDA | Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers | |||
| ||||
Pneumatic tourniquets | Surgical pneumatic or electric tourniquets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Portable suction units | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Positioning equipment | Operating room patient positioning devices or accessories | |||
| ||||
Pulmonary resuscitators | Resuscitation kits | |||
| ||||
Remote manipulation robots | Surgical controller instruments | |||
| ||||
Retractors | Surgical retractors for general use | |||
| ||||
Ring stands | Surgical equipment stands or accessories | |||
| ||||
Robotic arms | Surgical power equipment sets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Robotic manipulators | Surgical controller instruments | |||
| ||||
Scalpels | Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines or accessories | |||
| ||||
Skin staplers | Staplers for skin closure | |||
| ||||
Slow suction units | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Smoke evacuators | Surgical smoke evacuators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Spark-gap electrosurgical units | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Stents | Surgical tracheal stents | |||
| ||||
Sterad machines | Chemical or gas sterilizers | |||
| ||||
Steri-vac aeration cabinets | Sterilization cabinets | |||
| ||||
Sternal saws | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Stretchers | Patient stretchers or stretcher accessories | |||
| ||||
Suction machines | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical aspirators | Surgical suction machines or vacuum extractors or ultrasonic surgical aspirators or regulators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical clamps | Surgical clamps or clips or forceps or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical dilators | Surgical dilators or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical dissectors | Surgical dissectors | |||
| ||||
Surgical drapes | Surgical drapes | |||
| ||||
Surgical drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical elevators | Surgical elevators or levers | |||
| ||||
Surgical forceps | Surgical clamps or clips or forceps or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical lasers | Surgical lasers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical navigation systems | Surgical controller instruments | |||
| ||||
Surgical pneumatic drills | Surgical pneumatic or battery or electric saws or drills or pin drivers or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical probes | Surgical probes or directors | |||
| ||||
Surgical retractors | Surgical retractors for general use | |||
| ||||
Surgical robotics equipment | Surgical power equipment sets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical robots | Surgical power equipment sets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Surgical stapling equipment | Staplers for internal use | |||
| ||||
Surgical tubing or irrigation tubing | Surgical suction or irrigation tubings or accessories | |||
| ||||
Suture needles | Suture needles | |||
| ||||
Suturing kits | Suturing kits or trays or packs or sets | |||
| ||||
Suturing needle forceps | Suturing kits or trays or packs or sets | |||
| ||||
Syringes | Medical syringes without needles | |||
| ||||
Tablet computers | Tablet computers | |||
| ||||
Thermal cautery units | Electrosurgical or electrocautery equipment or accessories or related products | |||
| ||||
Tourniquets | Tourniquets | |||
| ||||
Tracheostomy tubes | Tracheostomy tubes | |||
| ||||
Ultrasonic cleaners | Ultrasonic cleaning equipment | |||
| ||||
Vacuum extractors | Surgical vacuum extraction devices or curettes or related products | |||
| ||||
Venodynes | Vascular sequential compression devices or tubing | |||
| ||||
Video cassette recorders VCR | Video cassette players or recorders | |||
| ||||
Voice activated surgical systems | Surgical power equipment sets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Warm air blankets | Surgical blanket or solution warming cabinets or accessories | |||
| ||||
Washer sanitizers | Instrument disinfectant washing equipment | |||
| ||||
Washer sterilizers | Steam autoclaves or sterilizers | |||
| ||||
Wheelchairs | Wheelchairs | |||
| ||||
Wound drains | Medical incision drains | |||
| ||||
X ray machines | Medical x ray units for general diagnostic use | |||
| ||||
| ||||
Prerequisite Qualification Category | Education and Experience Level | |||
Required Level of Education | Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in Personnel Services, Engineering-related Technologies, Vocational Home Economics, Construction Trades, Mechanics and Repairers, Precision Production Trades) | |||
| ||||
On-the-Job Training | Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months | |||
| ||||
On-Site or In-Plant Training | Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months | |||
| ||||
| |||
Alternate Job Title(s) | |||
Anesthesia Technician | |||
Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) | |||
Endoscopic Technologist | |||
Operating Room Surgical Technician (OR St) | |||
Operating Room Technician (OR Tech) | |||
Scrub Technician | |||
Surgeon's Assistant | |||
Surgery Technician (Surgery Tech) | |||
Surgical Assistant | |||
Surgical Orderly | |||
Surgical Scrub Technician | |||
Surgical Scrub Technologist | |||
Surgical Technician | |||
Surgical Technologist (CST) | |||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1995
- 2023 International Compensation Technologies and The Clayton Wallis Company. All Rights Reserved World Wide ictcw.com Member, WorldatWork - Formerly American and Canadian Compensation Associations (ACA/CCA) |