Surgical Assistants — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$66,800
United States, 2025
Employment
22,270
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons. May, in accordance with state laws, help surgeons to make incisions and close surgical sites, manipulate or remove tissues, implant surgical devices or drains, suction the surgical site, place catheters, clamp or cauterize vessels or tissue, and apply dressings to surgical site.
- O*NET code
- 29-9093.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
- Maintain an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment.
- Pass instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
- Assist with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
- Verify the identity of patient or operative site.
- Obtain or inspect sterile or non-sterile surgical equipment, instruments, or supplies.
- Assist members of surgical team with gowning or gloving.
- Cover patients with surgical drapes to create and maintain a sterile operative field.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$39,690
25th percentile
$50,170
75th percentile
$88,010
90th percentile
$107,610
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.6
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Service Orientation3.4
- Coordination3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.3
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 14 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
14
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.0 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.8 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.4 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.4 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
Related careers
Supplemental
National median $358,550
Compare with Surgical AssistantsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | $161,710 | — | 2025 |
| Florence, SC | $133,380 | 200 | 2025 |
| DC | $123,390 | 90 | 2025 |
| AZ | $111,170 | — | 2025 |
| CO | $107,440 | — | 2025 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $102,730 | 200 | 2025 |
| Lexington, KY | $102,330 | 100 | 2025 |
| NV | $100,820 | 230 | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $100,820 | 200 | 2025 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $99,530 | 270 | 2025 |
| Canton, OH | $97,800 | 70 | 2025 |
| El Paso, TX | $94,730 | 60 | 2025 |
| Austin, TX | $93,380 | 110 | 2025 |
| NJ | $90,710 | — | 2025 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $88,570 | 40 | 2025 |
| Nashville, TN | $87,080 | 340 | 2025 |
| Dallas, TX | $87,080 | 490 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $86,890 | 120 | 2025 |
| SC | $85,580 | 480 | 2025 |
| Dayton, OH | $84,750 | 60 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Surgical Assistants to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.