# Surgical Assistants

> 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.

- **SOC code:** 29-9093.00
- **Canonical URL:** https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-9093-00
- **Also known as:** Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA), Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), Surgical First Assistant, Surgical Technician (Surgical Tech), Certified First Assistant (CFA), Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant (CRNFA), Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA), Certified Surgical Technician
- **Frame:** "AI exposure" means task overlap (how codifiable the work is), not jobs lost or a forecast. Every figure below is traced to a named public dataset.

## What this work is

**Core tasks** (O*NET):
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- 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.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Apply sutures, staples, clips, or other materials to close skin, facia, or subcutaneous wound layers.
- Prepare and apply sterile wound dressings.
- Discuss with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
- Determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures.
- Clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.
- Assess skin integrity or other body conditions upon completion of the procedure to determine if damage has occurred from body positioning.
- Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.

## Skills, tools, capabilities

**Knowledge, skills & abilities** (O*NET, highest importance first):
- Medicine and Dentistry _(knowledge)_
- Oral Comprehension _(ability)_
- Active Listening _(essential_skill)_
- Arm-Hand Steadiness _(ability)_
- Finger Dexterity _(ability)_
- Near Vision _(ability)_
- Customer and Personal Service _(knowledge)_
- Oral Expression _(ability)_
- Problem Sensitivity _(ability)_
- Speech Clarity _(ability)_
- Speaking _(essential_skill)_
- Written Comprehension _(ability)_

**Skills in demand:**
- Finger Dexterity _(Common Skill)_
- Active Listening _(Common Skill)_
- Speech Recognition _(Specialized Skill)_
- Reading Comprehension _(Common Skill)_
- Information Ordering _(Specialized Skill)_
- Critical Thinking _(Common Skill)_
- English Language _(Common Skill)_
- Inductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Deductive Reasoning _(Common Skill)_
- Biology _(Specialized Skill)_
- Complex Problem Solving _(Common Skill)_
- Writing _(Common Skill)_

**Tools & technology:**
- MEDITECH software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Excel _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft Office software _(hot technology)_
- Microsoft PowerPoint _(hot technology)_
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Nursing documentation software
- Patient scheduling software
- Patient tracking software
- Supply documentation software
- Surgery workflow communication software

## AI exposure & outlook

- **AI task-overlap index:** 3rd percentile (Low) across all occupations — composite of current-era exposure studies (ai-exposure-index-v1).
- **LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou):** 11th percentile (Low) — source: eloundou_gamma.
- **AI assistant applicability (Microsoft):** 2nd percentile (Low) — source: microsoft_applicability.
- **Projected employment (BLS 2024–34):** 5.1% growth (About average); 1.6k annual openings; 25.3k → 26.6k jobs.
- **Pay & employment (BLS OEWS, May 2024):** median $60,290; 22,860 employed.

## Sources

- **O*NET** (30.3) — U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)** (May 2024) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS Employment Projections** (2024–2034) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **Microsoft “Working with AI”** (working-with-ai) — Microsoft Research. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/
- **“GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.)** (arXiv 2303.10130) — OpenAI / academic. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130

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_Generated from Singulariki's joined dataset; data snapshot 2026-06-02T21:00:32.945303+00:00. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-9093-00_