Post job

Explore jobs

Find specific jobs

Explore careers

Explore professions

Best companies

Explore companies

OverviewJobsResume

Skills

EducationCertificationsDemographicsJob DescriptionHow To HireBest CompaniesJob OutlookComparePart Time jobsEntry Level jobsFull Time jobs
zippia ai icon

Automatically apply for jobs with Zippia

Upload your resume to get started.

First assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
First assistant example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical first assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for first assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 24.3% of first assistant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a first assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 first assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how first assistants use patients:
  • Work in collaboration with cardiovascular surgeons to provide optimal surgical outcomes for adult patients with congenital and acquired heart disease.
  • Prepared patients for surgery, including education, positioning, skin preparation and administration of local anesthetic.

2. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how first assistants use patient care:
  • Advise pertinent information regarding patient care to relief personnel.
  • Coordinated and oversaw patient care to assure that standards of care are met and a disease management model is provided.

3. Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures include the list of tasks that are done while doing surgery. Usually, a surgical procedure involves an incision with instruments, performed to repair damage or heal the disease in a living body. Surgical procedures are performed by trained individuals such as surgeons, doctors, and nurses.

Here's how first assistants use surgical procedures:
  • Prepare operating room and assure supply and equipment availability for surgical procedures.
  • Review information of surgical procedure as needed.

4. Visualization

Here's how first assistants use visualization:
  • Provide visualization of the operative site during the operative procedure.
  • Provide retraction of tissue and organs for optimal visualization with regard to tissue type and appropriate retraction instrument and/or technique.

5. Suturing

Here's how first assistants use suturing:
  • Performed closings of surgical operations, including suturing.
  • Performed steroid knee injections, casts, joint aspiration, suturing, stapling, splints, and cast removal.

6. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how first assistants use cpr:
  • Performed CPR during code blues, customized splints, and provided a variety of wound care.
  • help with paper work - taught people how to preform CPR - currently in the process of becoming a CPR instructor

Choose from 10+ customizable first assistant resume templates

Build a professional first assistant resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your first assistant resume.

7. Catheter

Here's how first assistants use catheter:
  • Insert and remove Foley urinary bladder catheter.
  • Insert or remove urinary bladder catheters.

8. Rehabilitation

Here's how first assistants use rehabilitation:
  • Participated in the preparation and the execution of Iraq Rehabilitation Exhibition in Egypt.

9. Sterile Technique

Here's how first assistants use sterile technique:
  • Maintain highest standards for sterile technique and patient safety.
  • Trained in sterile technique and instrument maintenance/sterilization.

10. Sponges

Here's how first assistants use sponges:
  • Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.
  • Maintained correct operative counts of sponges, instruments and sharps.

11. Cleanliness

Here's how first assistants use cleanliness:
  • Inspected work areas to ensure compliance with federal regulations regarding cleanliness.
  • Maintain cleanliness of kitchen and serviceability of kitchen appliances

12. Plastic Surgery

Here's how first assistants use plastic surgery:
  • Completed suture removal and ultra sound therapy in busy plastic surgery clinic.
  • Experience with General, OB/GYN, Podiatry, Urology, Vascular and Plastic Surgery.

13. Wound Closure

Here's how first assistants use wound closure:
  • Prepped and draped, completed surgical wound closures with staples, sutures, and dermabond.
  • Maintain hospital privileges for wound closure, first assistance, open and endoscopic vein harvesting, and other physician directed care.

14. Retractors

Here's how first assistants use retractors:
  • Assisted the Surgeon if needed by holding retractors, and any necessary function under the direction of the Surgeon.
  • Hold retractors or instruments as directed by the surgeon.

15. Knee

Here's how first assistants use knee:
  • Assisted on total knee and hip replacements as well as fracture care.
  • Total joint arthroplasties: knee, hip, and shoulder.
top-skills

What skills help First Assistants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

List of first assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a first assistant resume and required skills for a first assistant to have include:

  • Patients
  • Patient Care
  • Surgical Procedures
  • Visualization
  • Suturing
  • CPR
  • Catheter
  • Rehabilitation
  • Sterile Technique
  • Sponges
  • Cleanliness
  • Plastic Surgery
  • Wound Closure
  • Retractors
  • Knee
  • Surgical Instrumentation
  • Patient Education
  • Emergency Room
  • General Surgery
  • GYN
  • Electrocautery
  • Physical Exams
  • Resuscitation
  • Ortho
  • Discharge Summaries
  • Surgical Cases
  • ICU
  • Medical History
  • Pre-op
  • Splints
  • Admission Orders
  • Foley Catheters
  • EMR
  • Photo Shoots
  • Acls
  • Vital Signs
  • Outpatient Clinic
  • Sales Floor
  • Urology
  • Inventory Control
  • CABG

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs