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Becoming a surgical tech isn't nearly as difficult as becoming a doctor, but you can't exactly waltz straight from high school into the OR, either. Be prepared to get a certificate or degree, pass muster in an internship and earn some credentials. The right skills will help, as well.

Once you find the right educational program for you, it can be completed in as little as 12 months. The overall objective of most surgical assistant programs is ensuring students can perform surgical assistant skills with proficiency.

The Surgical Assistant's responsibilities include applying dressings, sterilizing the operation site, inserting tubes and intravenous lines, providing pre and post-operative care to patients, and completing some clerical work such as record keeping and handling the phones.

California Average As of Dec 13, 2020, the average annual pay for a Surgical First Assistant in California is $121,453 an year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $58.39 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,336/week or $10,121/month.

An early career Certified Surgical First Assistant with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $25.45 based on 149 salaries. A mid-career Certified Surgical First Assistant with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of $25.90 based on 117 salaries.

Once you find the right educational program for you, it can be completed in as little as 12 months. The overall objective of most surgical assistant programs is ensuring students can perform surgical assistant skills with proficiency.

Common roles and responsibilities of a surgical first assistant include: Positioning the patient for surgery and aiding with draping. Clearing the area where the surgeon will operate and holding open incisions by using tissue retractors, sponges, or operating suction or irrigation equipment.

It may take at least five or six years to complete training and education to become a surgeon assistant. An associate degree program will take about two years to complete, while a bachelor's degree program can take three to four years to complete.

In order to become a surgical first assistant, a surgical technologist would need to have several years of experience in the operating room, meet the prerequisites and educational requirements to apply to and complete an accredited surgical first assistant program, and then pass the exam to become a certified surgical ...

Have a valid RN license in the state where you practice. Complete a CCI accepted RNFA Program. Earn the CNOR title (Certified Nurse Operating Room) Earn a Bachelor's Degree. Log 2,000 hours as an RNFA.