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29-2055.00 · Task explorer

Surgical Technologists: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Assist in operations, under the supervision of surgeons, registered nurses, or other surgical personnel. May help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, adjust lights and equipment, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

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Read the task inventory

This source lists 18 tasks, including 13 marked Core and 5 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2026.

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18 tasks shown

Core · Task 15242 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Maintain a proper sterile field during surgical procedures.

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Core · Task 1959 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Count sponges, needles, and instruments before and after operation.

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Core · Task 1960 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Hand instruments and supplies to surgeons and surgeons' assistants, hold retractors and cut sutures, and perform other tasks as directed by surgeon during operation.

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Core · Task 1961 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Scrub arms and hands and assist the surgical team to scrub and put on gloves, masks, and surgical clothing.

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Core · Task 1964 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Wash and sterilize equipment, using germicides and sterilizers.

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Core · Task 15243 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Prepare patients for surgery, including positioning patients on the operating table and covering them with sterile surgical drapes to prevent exposure.

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Core · Task 1965 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Prepare, care for, and dispose of tissue specimens taken for laboratory analysis.

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Core · Task 1969 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Monitor and continually assess operating room conditions, including patient and surgical team needs.

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Core · Task 1967 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Prepare dressings or bandages and apply or assist with their application following surgery.

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Core · Task 15244 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Clean and restock operating room, gathering and placing equipment and supplies and arranging instruments according to instructions, such as a preference card.

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Core · Task 1963 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses, or anesthesiologists.

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Core · Task 1968 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Operate, assemble, adjust, or monitor sterilizers, lights, suction machines, or diagnostic equipment to ensure proper operation.

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Core · Task 1971 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Maintain supply of fluids, such as plasma, saline, blood, or glucose, for use during operations.

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Supplemental · Task 24037 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Schedule surgical procedures for patients.

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Supplemental · Task 15245 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Order surgical supplies.

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Supplemental · Task 1972 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Maintain files and records of surgical procedures.

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Supplemental · Task 1970 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Observe patients' vital signs to assess physical condition.

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Supplemental · Task 24038 · 08/2026 · Incumbent

Transport patients to and from the operating room.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.