Prepares and maintains an operating theatre and its equipment, assists the surgical team during operations and provides support to patients in the recovery room.
What’s it like to be an Operating Theatre Technician?
Operating theatre technicians prepare and maintain operating theatres and
equipment, and assist surgical and anaesthetic teams during operations.
Operating theatre technicians usually work closely within a team in a
restricted physical environment.
Operating theatre technicians may be required to comply with strict uniform
requirements.
How much can I expect to earn?
Full-time employed Operating Theatre Technician earn an average of $854 per
week. The [average annual salary for this job is $44408 excluding super.]
Personal requirements
good communication and people skills
attention to detail
able to work under pressure
able to work accurately and with minimal supervision
able to work as part of a team
organised and methodical
good general health and fitness.
This job also involves:
Good vision for detail
These jobs require you to be able to see clearly to examine items close-up. It
covers jobs where poor vision e.g. tunnel vision, could make the work place
unsafe or the job difficult to undertake, e.g. draftsperson working with
detailed drawings; checkout operator reading dockets; work requiring good
hand-eye co-ordination for working with precision or semi-precision tools.
Reading or writing
These jobs require moderate or better reading and writing skills. Workers may
be expected to prepare, understand or act on written materials, such as
letters or reports. People may wish to avoid these jobs if their reading or
writing English skills are limited to a small range of words or phrases and
symbols. Jobs remaining may still require very basic reading or writing
skills.
Standing for long periods
The main duties and tasks involved in these jobs are usually performed
standing up for periods of at least two hours at a stretch.
This occupation offers jobs at the following skill levels:
Para Professional Jobs
Jobs in this group usually require completion of secondary education and/or
completion of some further study of a vocational nature, such as a Diploma or
an Advanced Diploma.
Study requirements
At school, you can study these subject(s) to get a good foundation for this
occupation:
Biology
School subjects that include some aspect of BIOLOGY provide a useful
background to these jobs. In some cases a biology-related subject is a pre-
requisite for entry to courses that provide the training for the job.
Duties and tasks of an Operating Theatre Technician
Operating theatre technicians may perform the following tasks:
transport patients to and from the theatre and wards
assist in preparing operating rooms for surgery
set up, check, connect and adjust surgical equipment
provide technical assistance to surgeons, surgical nurses and anaesthetists
clean and restock the operating room, arranging instruments, supplies and equipment according to instruction
position patients for surgical and anaesthetic treatments.