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Operating room assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, operating room assistants don't need a college education. The most common degree for operating room assistants is bachelor's degree with 43% graduates, with only 23% operating room assistant graduates earning high school diploma. Operating room assistants who decided to graduate from college often finish University of Phoenix or University of Massachusetts Boston. Some good skills to have in this position include patients, surgery and anesthesia.

Popular operating room assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), Medical Assistant, or Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT). To improve operating room assistant qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in operating room assistant education paths.

What education do you need to become an operating room assistant?

What degree do you need to be an operating room assistant?

The most common degree for operating room assistants is bachelor's degree, with 43% of operating room assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 23% and high school diploma degree at 20%.
  • Bachelor's, 43%
  • High School Diploma, 23%
  • Associate, 20%
  • Diploma, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 8%

What should I major in to become an operating room assistant?

You should major in business to become an operating room assistant. 14% of operating room assistants major in business. Other common majors for an operating room assistant include nursing and general studies.

Best majors for operating room assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1Business14.3%
2Nursing9.9%
3General Studies8.2%
4Psychology7.0%
5Biology6.3%

20 best online courses for operating room assistants

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1. Introduction to Cataract Surgery

coursera

This comprehensive course will give you the fundamental knowledge needed to begin performing cataract surgery by phacoemulsification and extracapsular removal. Each step from preoperative evaluation to postoperative care will be covered to help prepare you for the operating room...

2. Operations and Patient Safety for Healthcare IT Staff

coursera

Now that you've been introduced to the world of Health IT and the important role played by electronic health records (EHRs), we'll focus on other technologies that play a role in maintaining ongoing operations in healthcare. Telemedicine, patient portals, barcode scanners, printers, and medical devices are just some of the technologies that impact providers and patients. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be asked to troubleshoot issues with a wide variety of tools. You'll see a scenario with...

3. Interior Design for your Modern Home: A Room by Room Guide

udemy
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Learn how to take charge of your home interior design and confidently make the right design decisions...

4. Design your Room Using Sketchup

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Learn the principles of interior design and how to use Sketch Up to make a 3D model of a bedroom's layout and décor...

5. Navigating Healthcare Supply Chain Operations

coursera

This course is the continuation of "Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations". If you have not visited the first part yet, please check it out before starting this course. If you have finished the first part of this series: Introduction to Healthcare Supply Chain Operations, you will be able to apply what you learned to your own career. The foundational knowledge and project plan from the introduction are carried through in this deeper dive into healthcare supply chain operations. In...

6. Value-Based Care: Managing Processes to Improve Outcomes

coursera

COURSE 3 of 7. This course is designed to introduce you to critical office-based processes that a value-based practice must manage in the drive towards improved patient outcomes. In Module 2, we’ll focus on office-based and clinical patient-based supporting functions. At every level in healthcare, guidelines, processes, and functions exist to improve outcomes, and following a consistent process will return the best effect. Refine your understanding of value and learn strategies to provide real...

7. How to Design a Room in 10 Easy Steps

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Interior Design Made Simple...

8. Become a Virtual Assistant

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Live Free. Work Virtually. Virtual Assistant Training...

9. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

coursera

The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

10. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

coursera

This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...

11. Virtual Assistant Training, a Complete Guide: Work From Home

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4.4
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Rock Star Virtual Assistant Training: Create an online business + become a freelancing virtual professional in any field...

12. Operational Risks Management ORM

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4.3
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Operational Risks Management ORM Case Studies for Risk Management, Compliance, Audit, IS Security, Banking Professionals...

13. Must-Have Tools for Virtual Assistants in 2023

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Step by step tutorials for over 30 tools that will make your Virtual Assistant business and productivity skyrocket!...

14. Supply Chain Management A-Z: Operations & Logistics Basics

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Supply Chain Management Basics: An MBA style course to boost your career as a business operations & logistics manager...

15. Google Assistant development with Actions on Google

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Google Assistant development in Node.js with Actions on Google & Dialog Flow & Firebase for Google Home & Android device...

16. The Complete RxJava 3 For Android Development Masterclass

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Architect Android Apps With Rx Java 3 , MVVM, Room DB, Retrofit 2 & Dagger 2. Advanced Android Architecture mastery...

17. Executive Assistants: Manage Client's GCal (Beginners)

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Google Calendar (2018) Setup, Strategies and Scripts...

18. How to Find Your FIRST Virtual Assistant Clients

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Find clients that you love working with, and who love working with you!...

19. Public Speaking and Presenting at Work

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4.5
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Master professional presentation skills, develop confidence, command the room, facilitate meetings & design your speech...

20. Set Up A Photography Studio With Equipment - On A Budget

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(349)

Learn How To Set Up A Photography Studio On Any Budget: Location, Room, Backgrounds, Lighting, Props And More!...

Average operating room assistant salary by education level

Operating room assistants with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $38,089 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, operating room assistants earn a median annual income of $37,009 compared to $36,016 for operating room assistants with an Associate degree.
Operating room assistant education levelOperating room assistant salary
Master's Degree$38,089
High School Diploma or Less$35,330
Bachelor's Degree$37,009
Some College/ Associate Degree$36,016

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.

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