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What does an operating room assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
5 min read
What does an operating room assistant do

An operating room assistant works alongside the surgeons in maintaining the orderly and sterile nature of operating rooms. The assistant ensures that all surgical equipment is clean and hygienic, all monitoring equipment is functional, and everything needed by the doctor is present inside the operating room. The assistant position is vital during an operation. The surgeon may become too focused on the operation at hand that helpful assistants must ensure an operation's smooth flow.

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Operating room assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real operating room assistant resumes:

  • Manage facility organization and cleanliness, maximizing the utilization of the facility and the efficiency of athlete's training routines.
  • Attach electrodes to patients in order to monitor electrocardiogram [EKG].
  • Obtain specimens, perform CPR, provide first aid, and check vital signs.
  • Facilitate patient safety while under anesthesia and awaking from anesthesia.
  • Review all group booking reports (Delphi).
  • Aid surgeons in suturing and management of trauma patients.
  • Track orders and requests via the companies POS system.
  • Assist with CPR of patient, during a cardiac arrest.
  • Maintain and sterilize all scopes in endoscopy department as needed.
  • Field calls from hotel guests with respect to in-room dining experience.
  • Receive food orders and transfer them to kitchen via POS system.
  • Supervise delivery of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and in-room amenities.
  • Identify, block and process staff and VIP lists with each group.
  • Coordinate with casino VIP and entertainment to provide efficient check-ins of VIP guests.
  • Assist RN's with patient recovery in PACU, setup and turn over operating rooms.

Operating room assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 34% of Operating Room Assistants are proficient in Patients, Surgery, and Anesthesia. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Operating Room Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 34%

    Conducted post-operative assessments by monitoring vitals, evaluating scarring/swelling, and checking fluid levels; supervised patients in recovery room.

  • Surgery, 11%

    Maintained cleanliness and orderliness of the operating rooms according to proper protocols to ensure a sterile environment in preparation for surgery.

  • Anesthesia, 5%

    Ordered medical equipment and posted anesthesia charges.

  • Room Turnover, 4%

    Perform a variety of duties on the operating room floor * Assist nurses with equipment, surgical preps, and room turnover

  • Direct Patient Care, 3%

    Assisted PACU nursing staff in the transfer of patient, and direct patient care.

  • Cleanliness, 3%

    Maintain cleanliness and organization of floor storage and housekeeping carts including monitoring inventory.

Most operating room assistants use their skills in "patients," "surgery," and "anesthesia" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential operating room assistant responsibilities here:

Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an operating room assistant to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "nursing assistants and orderlies must communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns." Additionally, an operating room assistant resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "provided good customer service to coaches and athletes through active listening and open communication. "

Compassion. Many operating room assistant duties rely on compassion. "nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly," so an operating room assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways operating room assistant responsibilities rely on compassion: "provide basic patient care in a healing and compassionate environment to patients undergoing surgical procedures. "

See the full list of operating room assistant skills

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Compare different operating room assistants

Operating room assistant vs. Prn

A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations. A PRN must have excellent communication and organization skills, providing quality healthcare services to the patients and the organization.

The annual salary of prns is $5,465 higher than the average salary of operating room assistants.Even though operating room assistants and prns are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require patients, surgery, and direct patient care in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, operating room assistant responsibilities require skills like "anesthesia," "compassion," "room turnover," and "cleanliness." Meanwhile a typical prn has skills in areas such as "healthcare," "occupational therapy," "rehabilitation," and "physical therapy." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, prns reach higher levels of education than operating room assistants. Prns are 7.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Operating room assistant vs. Hospital volunteer

A hospitality intern is responsible for assisting the management team in providing the highest customer service for the guests. Hospitality interns also support the human resources team in sourcing candidates for operations and recommend strategies to maximize the productivity of employees and improve operational processes. They perform administrative and clerical duties as needed under the supervision of a manager and tenured staff. A hospitality intern must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports and sorting files in the database.

Hospital volunteer positions earn lower pay than operating room assistant roles. They earn a $1,794 lower salary than operating room assistants per year.A few skills overlap for operating room assistants and hospital volunteers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "patients," "surgery," and "direct patient care. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, operating room assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "anesthesia," "compassion," "room turnover," and "cleanliness." Meanwhile, a hospital volunteer has duties that require skills in areas such as "emergency room," "physical therapy," "hippa," and "icu." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Hospital volunteers earn similar levels of education than operating room assistants in general. They're 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Operating room assistant vs. Hospitality internship

A nurses' aide is responsible for providing healthcare and welfare assistance to patients in long-term care facilities while under the supervision of a registered nurse or a licensed colleague with extensive expertise. A nurses' aide is mostly involved in basic hygienic tasks, such as helping a patient in bathing and dressing, using the toilet, preparing meals, feeding, and performing basic chores. It is also vital for a nurses' aide to coordinate with supervisors, reporting any changes in a patients' condition or behavior.

On average scale, hospitality interns bring in lower salaries than operating room assistants. In fact, they earn a $3,331 lower salary per year.Using the responsibilities included on operating room assistants and hospitality interns resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "patients," "surgery," and "customer service.rdquo;

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from operating room assistant resumes include skills like "anesthesia," "compassion," "room turnover," and "direct patient care," whereas a hospitality internship is more likely to list skills in "patient care," "physical therapy," "guest service," and "direct supervision. "

Most hospitality interns achieve a higher degree level compared to operating room assistants. For example, they're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Operating room assistant vs. Nurses' aide

Nurses' aides average a lower salary than the annual salary of operating room assistants. The difference is about $3,681 per year.While their salaries may vary, operating room assistants and nurses' aides both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "patients," "compassion," and "direct patient care. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "surgery," "anesthesia," "room turnover," and "cleanliness" are skills that commonly show up on operating room assistant resumes. On the other hand, nurses' aides use skills like electrocardiogram, rehabilitation, home health, and english language on their resumes.The average resume of nurses' aides showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to operating room assistants. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of operating room assistant

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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