First Assistant Interview Questions

1 Walk me through how you would monitor patient intra-operative status, including patient position, vital signs, or volume or color of blood.
2 Why is it important to verify the identity of patient or operative site? Share an example.
3 Share an example when you effectively passed instruments or supplies to surgeon during procedure.
4 What kind of experience do you have operating sterilizing devices?
5 What have you found to be the best way to determine availability of necessary equipment or supplies for operative procedures?
6 Name a time when you assisted with patient resuscitation during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening events.
7 What kind of experience do you have assisting in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques?
8 Share an example when you prepared and applied sterile wound dressings.
9 Describe methods you have found helpful to monitor and maintain aseptic technique throughout procedures.
10 What is the most challenging part of maintaining an unobstructed operative field, using surgical retractors, sponges, or suctioning and irrigating equipment?
11 Share an example when you successfully incised tissue layers in lower extremities to harvest veins.
12 Share an example when you discussed with surgeon the nature of the surgical procedure, including operative consent, methods of operative exposure, diagnostic or laboratory data, or patient-advanced directives or other needs.
13 Describe your approach to best coordinate with anesthesia personnel to maintain patient temperature.
14 Describe an experience when you coordinated or participated in the positioning of patients, using body stabilizing equipment or protective padding to provide appropriate exposure for the procedure or to protect against nerve damage or circulation
15 Walk me through how you would clamp, ligate, or cauterize blood vessels to control bleeding during surgical entry, using hemostatic clamps, suture ligatures, or electrocautery equipment.