68D Career Guide
68D: Operating Room Specialist
Career transition guide for Army Operating Room Specialist (68D)
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Top civilian roles for 68D veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Surgical Technologist
Sterile Processing Technician
Medical Equipment Repairer
Skills to develop:
Operating Room Nurse
Skills to develop:
Healthcare Administrator
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 68D training built — and where they transfer.
Procedural Compliance
Strictly adhering to sterile procedures, equipment operation protocols, and reporting standards to prevent infections and ensure patient safety in the operating room.
Meticulously following established procedures and regulations in industries such as manufacturing, quality assurance, and compliance, where consistency and accuracy are critical.
Team Synchronization
Coordinating seamlessly with surgeons, nurses, and other medical staff during surgical procedures, anticipating needs, and ensuring the smooth flow of operations in a high-pressure environment.
Collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams in fast-paced settings, such as project management, event planning, or emergency response, to achieve common goals.
Situational Awareness
Maintaining constant vigilance in the operating room, monitoring patient vitals, anticipating potential complications, and responding swiftly to emergencies to ensure patient well-being.
Possessing a keen understanding of the surrounding environment and potential risks in fields such as security, logistics, and risk management, enabling proactive decision-making and crisis prevention.
Resource Optimization
Efficiently managing surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies, minimizing waste, and ensuring availability for surgical procedures while adhering to budget constraints.
Effectively allocating and managing resources in industries such as supply chain management, inventory control, and logistics, to maximize efficiency and minimize costs.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Sterile Processing Manager
SOC 11-9111.00You've been managing sterile environments and processes already. Now you can take that experience and manage a whole team of sterile processing technicians, ensuring a hospital or clinic meets the highest standards of safety and cleanliness.
Quality Assurance Specialist
SOC 19-4041.00Your meticulous attention to detail and strict adherence to protocols make you a natural fit for quality assurance. You've been ensuring patient safety in the OR; now you can apply those skills to ensure product quality in industries like pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, or food processing.
Medical Equipment Sales Representative
SOC 41-9031.00You're already familiar with a wide range of surgical equipment and procedures. Leverage that knowledge to become a trusted advisor to medical professionals, selling and supporting the tools they need to provide the best possible care.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Operating Room Specialist Course, Fort Sam Houston
Topics Covered
- •Surgical Asepsis and Sterile Technique
- •Surgical Instrumentation
- •Operating Room Procedures
- •Decontamination and Sterilization
- •Operating Room Equipment Operation
- •Patient Preparation and Positioning
- •Circulator Duties
Certification Pathways
Ready to Certify
Partial Coverage
Requires study of advanced sterilization techniques, inventory management, and regulatory compliance specific to sterile processing departments.
Requires study of billing and coding guidelines, data security measures, and health information exchange protocols.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Steris System 1E Sterilizer | Steris Amsco V-Pro maX Low Temperature Sterilization System |
| Sterrad Sterilization System | Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP) STERRAD Systems |
| Steam Sterilizers (Autoclaves) | Tuttnauer Autoclaves, Market Forge Sterilmatic |
| Ethylene Oxide (ETO) Sterilizers | Andersen Products EOGas 4 |
| GCSS-Army (Global Combat Support System - Army) | SAP ERP, Oracle EBS (Enterprise Resource Planning) |
| Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems (e.g., MHS GENESIS) | Epic, Cerner, Meditech |
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