How To Become A First Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a first assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

First assistants work in hospitals or clinics alongside medical professionals, assisting them in performing surgeries. They are there with surgeons in the operating room and help the team perform various small technical tasks, such as selecting and passing on equipment, holding open or closing incisions, stopping bleeding, and many more.

You will collaborate with doctors, nurses, and other healthcare staff. You will communicate with patients and be responsible for performing tasks before, during, and after the surgeries. Positioning the patients, cleaning incision areas, disinfecting equipment, sponging blood, dressing wounds will be some of your duties, among many more.

You might be specialized to assist in various types of operations. You will work rotating shifts, covering not just day and night but weekends and holidays as well. Your shifts will be long, so physical fitness and stamina are an absolute must. You will need a degree in surgical technology to take on this role or complete an accredited surgical first assistant program.

ScoreFirst AssistantUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,444

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.5

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 9.43%

Black or African American 10.06%

Hispanic or Latino 18.06%

Unknown 4.85%

White 57.02%

Gender

female 55.52%

male 44.48%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

8.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

8.3

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a first assistant

Explore first assistant education requirements

Most common first assistant degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Associate

17.1 %

Master's

13.3 %

Start to develop specific first assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	24.26%
Patient Care	15.85%
Surgical Procedures	10.54%
Visualization	5.85%
Suturing	3.67%

Research first assistant duties and responsibilities

Teach patients and family members how to manage their post operative home care needs, self-administration of medication and rehabilitation
Execute and monitor strategic merchandising plans to achieve revenue objectives and reduce expenditures while ensuring payroll remains within budget.
Obtain health history via phone prior to surgery and triage patients upon arrival to the ASC.
Insert Foley catheters and intravenous catheter, if need.

Prepare your first assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your first assistant resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a first assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable First Assistant Resume templates

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Apply for first assistant jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a first assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

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