HealthProviders DB is a comprehensive database of healthcare providers, including a complete directory of all Surgical Assistants.
Other Specialist/Technologist Healthcare Taxonomy Code 246ZC0007X
As of today, the following are the total number of Surgical Assistants nationally, in your state, and near your location.
Select the State to show the list of Surgical Assistants by State. In addition, you can also narrow the list by City and more from the filter panel.
Alaska – Alabama – Armed Forces Pacific – Arkansas – American Samoa – Arizona – California – Colorado – Connecticut – District of Columbia – Delaware – Florida – Federated States of Micronesia – Georgia – Guam – Hawaii – Iowa – Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Kansas – Kentucky – Louisiana – Massachusetts – Maryland – Maine – Marshall Islands – Michigan – Minnesota – Missouri – Northern Mariana Islands – Mississippi – Montana – North Carolina – North Dakota – Nebraska – New Hampshire – New Jersey – New Mexico – Nevada – New York – Ohio – Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania – Puerto Rico – Palau – Rhode Island – South Carolina – South Dakota – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Virginia – Virgin Islands – Vermont – Washington – Wisconsin – West Virginia – Wyoming
Medicare
The following are the total number of Surgical Assistants who accept Medicare in your state, the number who have opted out of Medicare, and the total number excluded from participation in Medicare nationwide.
You can download the Surgical Assistants dataset using HealthProviders DB Export.
What do Surgical Assistants do?
Surgical assistants, also known as surgical first assistants, work directly with surgeons to provide hands-on assistance during operations, such as making incisions and closing wounds.
To become a surgical assistant, you typically need an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a health-related field and specific coursework in anatomy and science.
Requirements also include either vocational training or a one-to-two-year training program, followed by professional certification, and they generally have a good salary, with the average in California around $56,374 annually.
What they do
- Directly assists the surgeon during operations by performing tasks like making incisions, placing retractors, and assisting with wound closure.
- Helps with hemostasis (stopping bleeding) by clamping, ligating, or cauterizing vessels.
- Manages tissue manipulation, suctioning, and other intraoperative needs.
- Works collaboratively with the surgical team and must have excellent decision-making, organizational, and physical stamina skills.
Education and training
Education: An associate’s degree in an allied health field or a bachelor’s degree in a health-related science is required.
Coursework: Specific coursework in subjects such as human anatomy, basic sciences, and microbiology is required.
Training: A one- to two-year training program in surgical assisting is typically required. These programs are often accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP).
Certification and salary
Certification: Certification is required and must be renewed every two years.
Salary: Varies by location and experience. For example, the average annual wage for a surgical assistant in California is approximately $56,374, or about $27 per hour.
Surgical Assistant vs. Surgical Technologist
Surgical technologists: primarily prepare the operating room, manage equipment, and hand instruments to the surgeon and first assistant.
While both work in the operating room, their roles are distinct.
Surgical assistants (or first assistants) work directly with the surgeon on the patient, performing tasks like suturing and making incisions.