Operating Theatre Technician
What the work is
Prepares and maintains an operating theatre and its equipment, assists the surgical team during operations, and provides support to patients in the recovery room.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Prepares operating theatre for surgical procedures, and cleans and sterilises operating theatre equipment and instruments
- Assists surgical team during operations by passing instruments and supplies
- Monitors and maintains sterile field during surgical procedures
- Handles specimens and prepares them for laboratory analysis
- Assists with positioning and transferring patients before and after surgery
- Provides support to patients in the recovery room, monitoring vital signs and assisting with post-operative care
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the operating theatres of a fictional city hospital, working beside surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A long list runs smoothly because you had every piece of equipment ready and checked
- A nervous patient relaxes as you chat to them before the team begins
- A theatre team that works so well that hardly anyone needs to speak
Hard days
- A surgeon in a hurry asks you to skip a check that exists for a reason
- A long emergency case that stretches well past the end of your shift
- Standing for hours in a cold, bright room with your full attention on the job
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 311234, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.