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Surgical Tech - First Assistant
Posted Oct 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
You have at least 120 logged cases. Which specialties make up most of them, and which would be new to you here?
What they are checking: Whether they describe their experience honestly so the team knows where they need support.
Where are you on the CSFA certification, and what's your plan to meet it within a year of hire?
What they are checking: Whether they have a concrete path to the required credential and NBSTSA case log, not a vague intention.
Tell me about a case that went poorly or became an emergency. What was your role and what did you learn?
What they are checking: Whether they stay steady under pressure and reflect on what they would do differently.
How do you handle a surgeon who is short with you in the middle of a tense case?
What they are checking: Whether they keep their focus on the patient and address conflict later, in the right way.
What would you do
You notice a break in sterile technique that the rest of the team missed. What do you do?
What they are checking: Whether they speak up immediately regardless of rank, since infection risk outweighs awkwardness.
The count is off at the end of a case and the surgeon wants to close. How do you handle that?
What they are checking: Whether they hold firm on count policy, which exists to prevent retained objects.
How do you set up the room for a specialty case when you don't know the surgeon's preferences well?
What they are checking: Whether they use preference cards and ask ahead instead of guessing and slowing the case.
About the work
Walk me through how you provide exposure during a case. How do you decide on retractor placement and tension?
What they are checking: Whether they can anticipate what the surgeon needs to see while protecting surrounding tissue.
How do you keep the operative field dry with suction and sponges without getting in the surgeon's way?
What they are checking: Whether they work smoothly alongside the surgeon instead of competing for space in the field.
Walk me through your skin prep and draping for a common procedure.
What they are checking: Whether they follow a disciplined prep sequence that keeps the field sterile from the start.
What's the difference in your mind between scrubbing a case and first assisting it?
What they are checking: Whether they understand the expanded responsibility and scope of practice of the first assistant role.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Southern Illinois Healthcare.