Community Health Systems Professional Services Corporation·Las Cruces, New Mexico
The Surgical Technician First Assist provides direct support to surgeons during invasive procedures by maintaining a sterile field and handling instruments. They also perform critical tasks such as tissue dissection, controlling bleeding, suturing, and assisting with wound closure.
The Surgical Technician First Assist provides direct support to surgeons during surgical procedures, ensuring efficient operative and invasive procedures by maintaining the sterile field, providing necessary instruments and supplies, and assisting in critical surgical tasks. This role requires advanced technical skills to support the surgical team, including positioning patients, retracting tissues, controlling bleeding, suturing, and applying dressings. The Surgical Technician First Assist collaborates with surgeons, nurses, and other surgical team members to ensure optimal patient outcomes and post-operative care.
Essential Functions
Functions as a scrub person during surgical procedures, preparing and organizing sterile supplies and instruments, maintaining an organized sterile field, and providing necessary instruments and supplies to the surgical team.
Performs first assistant duties, including providing exposure through instrument handling, retractors, suctioning, and sponging techniques as directed by the surgeon.
Handles and dissects tissues, clamps blood vessels, coagulates bleeding points, and places drains as instructed by the surgeon.
Assists with wound closure, including suturing subcutaneous layers and skin, applying staples, and dressing surgical sites per surgeon instructions.
Ensures sterility and safety standards, conducting proper counting procedures with the RN circulator, following infection control protocols, and taking corrective actions if needed.
Prepares and transports surgical instruments for decontamination, ensuring proper handling and sterilization for future use.
Assists in post-procedure room turnover, ensuring procedural areas are properly cleaned and prepared for subsequent surgeries.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
Complies with all policies and standards.
• 1-3 years of experience as a Surgical Technician or First Assist in an acute care setting required
Candidates must have 1-3 years of experience as a Surgical Technician or First Assist in an acute care setting. Required certifications include CST, CSFA or CSA, and BCLS.
Market context
Allied health roles in New Mexico often draw steady demand from hospitals, outpatient clinics, and surgical settings, especially for candidates with hands-on experience and current BLS certification. These positions can be competitive because employers may prefer NBSTSA or NCCT certification and practical experience that supports fast onboarding. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits here to save research time, then confirm your certification status and tailor your application to the specific setting.