Demo

Surgical First Assist

Northwest Healthcare Tucson
Tucson, AZ Full Time
POSTED ON 11/27/2025 CLOSED ON 12/25/2025

What are the responsibilities and job description for the Surgical First Assist position at Northwest Healthcare Tucson?

Surgical First Assistant

Position Type: Full Time Days

Benefits

Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision)

401(k) with matching

Student Loan Repayment Assistance

Job Summary

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

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.

Qualifications

  • 1-3 years of experience as a Surgical Technician or First Assist in an acute care setting required

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

  • Proficiency in surgical techniques, aseptic principles, and sterile field maintenance.
  • Strong knowledge of surgical anatomy, instrumentation, and procedural workflows.
  • Ability to anticipate surgeon needs and respond quickly to intraoperative changes.
  • Strong attention to detail in surgical counting procedures, patient positioning, and procedural safety.
  • Effective communication and teamwork skills, ensuring smooth collaboration with surgeons, nurses, and anesthesia providers.
  • Knowledge of infection control standards, regulatory compliance, and patient safety guidelines.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-pressure surgical environment, demonstrating composure and professionalism.

Licenses and Certifications

  • CST - Certified Surgical Technologist required and
  • Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) through NBSTSA required or
  • Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) through NSAA required
  • BCLS - Basic Life Support required
  • ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support preferred

Salary.com Estimation for Surgical First Assist in Tucson, AZ
$54,756 to $68,246
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Surgical First Assist?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Surgical First Assist career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$52,548 - $64,575
Income Estimation: 
$50,114 - $62,193
Income Estimation: 
$42,472 - $54,954
Income Estimation: 
$52,548 - $64,575
Income Estimation: 
$50,114 - $62,193
Income Estimation: 
$42,472 - $54,954
This job has expired.
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Northwest Healthcare Tucson

  • Northwest Healthcare Tucson Tucson, AZ
  • Seeking a full-time Environmental Services Worker I to support our Housekeeping department at Houghton Hospital, located on 2200 S Houghton Rd, Tucson AZ 8... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Northwest Healthcare Tucson Tucson, AZ
  • As a Medical Assistant with Northwest Allied Physicians in Tucson, AZ, you’ll join a team and be a part of a culture that's dedicated to providing top qual... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Northwest Healthcare Tucson Tucson, AZ
  • Job Summary The Manager, Clinical Nutrition serves as the senior and primary representative for all patient care nutritional activities. This role provides... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Northwest Healthcare Tucson Tucson, AZ
  • Full Time Clinical Nurse Leader position , working Night shift in the CVICU at Northwest Medical Center What You'll Do The 15 bed Cardiac and Vascular Inte... more
  • 2 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Surgical First Assist jobs in the Tucson, AZ area that may be a better fit.

  • Talented Medical Solutions Tucson, AZ
  • Job Summary Surgical First Assist Talented Medical Solutions Full-time, Contract In-Office | Tucson, AZ, United States Seeking for immediate hire certified... more
  • 27 Days Ago

  • Northwest Medical Center and Careers Tucson, AZ
  • SFA Position Type: Full Time Days Relocation assistance available! Benefits: Health Insurance (Medical, Dental, Vision) 401(k) with matching Student Loan R... more
  • 1 Month Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!