A surgical assistant is a health care professional that assists the surgeon during a surgical procedure. In addition, they advise the patient about the procedure before the surgery and set up the tools to be used during the surgery. They perform the clean up and record tools used during the surgery. A variety of specialties are available for a surgical assistant to work such as general, trauma, heart and vascular surgery.
Job opportunities are looking bright as it is predicted that there will be a twenty five percent growth by 2018. The surgical assistant salary is influenced by a few key factors. The type of facility you work in, the state or city that you work in and your experience. The strongest factor influencing your salary is your experience. A surgical assistant with many years of clinical experience can expect to make between $50,000 to $70,000 per year, whereas a graduate surgical assistant may only earn between $35,000 to $55,000 per year. The current average salary in the United States is around $48,000 per year. Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City are larger metropolitan areas so those working in such areas can expect a higher salary.
The highest number of jobs for surgical assistants are in Houston, New York State and Arlington, which offer a higher salary due to the competition. Work is very hard to come by in Nevada, Hawaii and Alaska as these states have the least amount of jobs available. Some of the top surgical assistant earn around $100,000 per year. Also, another factor affecting your pay is the type of specialty you work in. The top specialties to work in are heart and vascular surgery. Those specialized in heart and vascular surgery can earn up to $100,000 per year. Of all the specialties, the lowest paying is general surgery. As such, the salary is about $50,000 per year.
Another thing that can affect your surgical assistant salary is where you work. Working in a surgical center is often more lucrative than working in a hospital. Your level of certification is another factor that can affect what type of places you can work and therefore your salary potential.
In conclusion, the salary of a surgical assistant is affected by many factors. Having a few years of experience, being certified and working in a metropolitan area will give you the best chance to achieve the best salary. Also, you should focus on getting a job at larger companies as they tend to pay more. The growth rate and earning potential are constantly expanding in the medical field and the surgical assistant career is a great way to make a difference in a patient’s life.
If you like to help people and enjoy making a lot of money while doing it, then becoming a surgical assistant is the perfect job for you. PhysicianAssistantSalary.co offers all the information people need to know about this career.


