Job Summary: Assesses, plans, implements and evaluates care for all age patients in operating room. Provides care within nursing standards of practice and the policies of the Center. Makes decisions regarding direct patient care needs and communicates appropriate information to physicians, patients, family members, and personnel in other departments as well as team members. May have additional responsibilities as designated by the Nurse Manager of the Operating Room and/or Director of Nursing, which include, but are not limited to, serving on committees, participating in quality improvement audits and projects.

Position Summary: Functions as a first assistant during surgical incision, excision, and repair of pathology and throughout the perioperative period on procedures for which privileges have been granted. Supports the mission, vision, and values of the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Provide competent and ethical care within legal standards of practice as applicable to the CSFA.

Preoperative Role:

a. Participate in preoperative assessment and planning for selected surgical patients in collaboration with the health team members in the preoperative location. 

Intraoperative Role: a. Recognize safety hazards and initiate appropriate preventative and corrective actions. b. Provide exposure through appropriate use of instruments, retractors, suctioning, and sponging techniques. c. Handle and dissect tissues in collaboration with the surgeon. d. Clamp blood vessels, coagulate bleeding points, ligate vessels, and perform other procedures in collaboration with the surgeon. e. Suture muscle, fascia, subcutaneous, and skin tissue in collaboration with the surgeon. f. Place drains as surgically indicated. g. Assist with cannulation and decanulation procedures, if indicated.

Postoperative Role: a. Follow selected surgical patients postoperatively in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. 2. Serve as an educator, mentor, consultant, and resource to colleagues and other health care professionals in relation to CSFA activities. 3. Work as a professional colleague with the perioperative team and influence multidisciplinary relationships by enhancing collaborative processes. 4. Maintain regulatory, credentialing, and privileging requirements. 5. Complete CSFA-specific competencies. 6. Pursue professional growth related to both perioperative nursing and CSFA practice and participate in a professional organization.

Qualifications: Graduate of an approved school of nursing. Currently licensed in the state. CPR required, advanced life support certification required. One year experience required intra-operative setting. Demonstrates clinical competency, leadership, and teaching capabilities. Physically and emotionally capable of performing responsibilities of position. Additional requirements include:

• Excellent knowledge of surgical anatomy, physiology, and operative technique • Completion of an CSFA Program • Completion of credentialing process or employment process Preferred: • Two years perioperative services experience

Required Skills

Job Behavior: Reflective of Mission Statement:

USPI’s mission is to provide first–class surgical services for the local community in a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment; one in which we would be happy to treat our own families.

Demonstrates ability to work as a team member and to communicate directly and professionally. Is flexible, reliable, productive, patient-oriented, and self-motivated. Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served. Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span. He/she is able to identify and categorize each patient’s age-specific grouping of needs, such as those for an infant, adolescent, adult, or geriatric patient. Maintains professional conduct and appearance.

Education and/or Experience: Graduate of an approved school of nursing. Currently licensed in the state. CPR required, advanced life support certification required. One year experience required intra-operative setting. Demonstrates clinical competency, leadership, and teaching capabilities. Physically and emotionally capable of performing responsibilities of position.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Other skills and abilities: General familiarity with medical terminology as it pertains to anatomy and surgical procedures for an operating room.

Physical Demands: Shall be physically able to stand, walk, and maintain varied body motions and positions for long periods of time. Demonstrates manual and finger dexterity as well as hand eye coordination. Full range of body motion including handling and lifting patients. The employee shall be able to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects or tools. The employee is required to stand, walk, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Shall be able to hear and speak, may have corrected vision and hearing to within normal range. Physically demanding, high stress environment with exposure to exposure to blood and body fluids, communicable diseases, chemicals, radiation and repetitive motions Lifting and carrying items weighing up to 50 pounds. Position require irregular work hours including call.

Required Experience