Operating Room Scrub & Circulating RN

Job Description

Job Description : \n\n Summary The OR Circulator is a clinically competent nurse who is responsible for incorporating current knowledge with established nursing practice in delivering compassionate care to each patient, has excellent customer service skills with good organization skills and keen attention to detail. The OR Circulator is able to follow direction quickly and efficiently with varying workloads and interruptions, and must be able to work well under pressure and deal with co-workers in a courteous and cooperative manner. Education & Experience Currently licensed to practice professional Nursing in the State of Florida and must be familiar with the basic nursing performance standards as outlined in the Nurse Practice ActGraduate of an accredited school of nursingBLS certificationACLS certification (or within 3 months of employment)PALS certification (or within 3 months of employment)Thorough knowledge of the Nursing ProcessKnowledge and experience in Perioperative care of the surgical patientKnowledge of Patient RightsUnderstanding the legal implications of nursing actionsKnowledge of facility and nursing policies and procedures and the application and the function of other areas within the facility (See Policy and Procedure Manual)Knowledge of facility and departmental fire safety regulations, electrical hazards, disaster plans, and infection control policies and their applicationRecognizes symptoms of cardiac arrest, respiratory distress and / or other impending crisis and initiates the necessary emergency actionKnowledge of anesthetic agents and related medications and their usage and effect on the surgical patientKnowledge of specialized equipment.Cost effective in the use of supplies and equipmentAct as a team player : collaborate, communicate clearly and cooperate with other employees with focus on mission and goals of organization. All activities and duties support our mission and goals.Responsible for keeping current on continued education and facility in-services Principal Responsibilities This individual is accountable to the OR Nurse Manager. Report to duty on time.Don proper OR attire.Wash hands with antimicrobial of choice.Communicates problems with the patients and visitors, work flow, failure to understand directions or procedures, conflicts and other concerns encountered in the work day to the OR Nurse Manager / Director of Nursing.Request for vacation or time away from work for personal illnesses, doctor’s appointments, or family emergencies are handled through the OR Nurse Manager / Director of Nursing. Identifies patient care requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients and other persons in a position to understand care requirements.Establishes a compassionate environment by providing emotional, psychological and spiritual support to patients, friends, and families.Promotes patient’s independence by establishing patient care goals; teaching patient, friends and family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills, answering questions.Assures quality of care by adhering to the therapeutic standards; measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and standards; making or recommending necessary adjustments; following organization philosophies and other governing agency regulations.Wipe room furniture and equipment with antimicrobial before opening for first case and after each case.Assemble the necessary instruments, supplies and equipment for the surgical procedure according to the surgeon’s preference card and the surgeon’s preference cardOpen sterile supplies with the scrub tech / nurse.Assist with checking and maintaining the room equipment is in working order.Assist in moving the patient to the OR table and securing safety belt(s) as requiredKeep noise level and distractions to a minimum.Assist the anesthesiologist / anesthetist as needed.Complete count with circulating nurse, if applicableAssist in gowning and gloving the surgical team.Check medication name, dosage and expiration date with circulating nurse.Label all medications and solutions on the sterile field.Follows the principles of aseptic technique throughout the intraoperative period.Informs the circulating nurse of any additional equipment needs throughout the caseAssists the surgeon throughout the case completing task appropriate for scope of practice. Assesses and anticipates supply needs. Inventories and orders supplies as needed.Cleans, dusts, mops and restocks rooms.Complete intraoperative counts per facility policies and procedures.Assist in draping of the sterile field using strict aseptic technique. Apply dressings, connect drains and cleans patient.Transfers patient to stretcher.Wash hands between cases and more often as needed.Set up for subsequent surgeries and perform OR terminal cleaning and restock supplies at the end of each day.During down time complete other duties as assigned. Check the working order of the room equipment.Evaluate the patient’s status. Greet the patient in the pre-op area. Verify the patient’s identity, operative procedure, site, surgeon and consents are signed.Check for the presence of bridgework, contact lenses, hearing devices, prosthesis and implants.Evaluate the patient’s psycho-social status including level of understanding, perception of surgery, anxiety level, religious and cultural beliefs. Assess the physical and psycho-social needs of the patient and provide physical and emotional support as able.Verify patient’s allergies, NPO status and whether or not the patient has voided.Check the current history and physical and laboratory results, the execution of the preoperative orders and results of diagnostic tests, and BMI.Verify that the surgeon has spoken with the patient and marked the site (if applicable) before transfer of the patient to the OR.Follow ID, procedure and antibiotic therapy verification prior to leaving pre-op.Assist the patient in moving to the OR table and check positioningSecure safety belt(s), as required for procedures. Apply warm blankets to keep patient normothermic.Keep noise level to a minimum.Complete proficiencies in Procedural SedationEnsure Anesthesia time out has been completed prior to induction of anesthesia. Remain next to the patient during anesthesia induction and extubation. Assist anesthesiologist / anesthetist as needed.Complete count with scrub tech / nurse, if applicablePlace grounding pad if required for casePerform skin prep, as appropriate for procedure. Connect suction, and / or other equipment as needed for case.Perform the Surgical Time Out according to policy.Check medication name, dosage and expiration date with scrub tech / nurse prior to placing in labeled container.Monitor the principles of aseptic technique throughout the intraoperative period.Keep an ongoing assessment of supplies needed versus supplies in the room. Clean and restock room.Complete OR record accurately documenting the care given, the patient response to the care and other observations made.Toward the end of the procedure, prepare supplies for the dressing.Complete count, document, and notify surgeon if count is incorrect.Collect and accurately label specimen(s) Apply dressings, connect drains and clean patient.Transfer patient to stretcher.Accompany the patient and anesthesiologist or anesthetist to PACU.Take specimen(s) with requisitions to designated area for specimen.Wash hands between cases and more often as needed.Bring clean stretcher back to OR hallway.Check with Nurse Manager during down time. Restock ORs.Appropriately cleans, and / or supervises cleaning of room and equipment. End of the day room checks.Resolves patient problems and needs by utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies.Maintains safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rule, and regulations; calling for assistance from health care support personnel.Protects patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substances regulations.Documents patient care services by charting in the patient’s medical record and other records.Answers the telephone or returns phone calls to patients taking care of the patient’s needs or answering patient and family questions.Reports off to the Nurse Manager or designee at the end of each day.Maintains continuity among nursing team members by documenting and communicating actions, irregularities, and continuing needs.Maintains patient confidentiality and protects operations by keeping information confidential and only accessing information on a need-to-know basis to maintain patient continuity care.Ensures operation of equipment by following manufacturer’s instructions; troubleshooting malfunctions; notifying supervisor of needed repairs; maintaining equipment inventories; and evaluating new equipment and techniques.Maintains nursing supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies.Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies and maintain adequate CEU’s for re-licensure.Maintains and cooperative relationship among health care team members by communicating information; responding to requests; building rapport; participating in team problem solving methods.Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related tasks as needed.Understands and performs accurately responsibilities and duties assigned during Fire, Disaster, and Bomb drills and / or actual events.Abides by all regulatory agency guidelines including but not limited to OSHA, AHCA HIPAA, state and federal guidelines and laws delineating health care in the ASC environment, and reports issues of non-compliance matters to the Director of Nursing. Physical and Mental Requirements : Exert up to 50 lbs. of force occasionally, and / or up to 20 lbs. of force frequently, and / or up to 10 lbs. of force constantly to move objects.Ascending or descending using feet and legs and / or hands and arms. Body agility emphasized.Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces; or maintaining body equilibrium when performing feats of agility.Bending body downward and forward. The factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.Bending legs at knees to come to rest on knee or knees.Bending body downward and for-ward by bending les and spine.Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand or hands. Finger are involved only to the extent that they are an extension of the hand.Picking, pinching, or otherwise working primarily with fingers rather than the whole hand or arm as in handing.Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture, by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Talking is important since workers must impart oral information to patients and / or other medical staff, including physicians. Must be able to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to others accurately, loudly, or quickly.Perceiving the nature of sounds. Must have ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make fine discriminations in sounds, such as those made by medical equipment.Distinguishing, with a degree of accuracy, difference or similarities in intensity or quality of flavors and / or odors, or recognizing particular flavors and / or odors, using tongue and / or nose.Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less. Special and minute accuracy is demanded.Clarity of vision at 20 feet or more. Visual efficiency in terms of far acuity is required in various light conditions.Three-dimensional vision. Ability to judge distances and spatial relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are.Adjustment of lens of eye to bring an object into sharp focus. Ability to identify and distinguish colors.Observing an area that can be seen up and down or right to left while eyes are fixed on a given point. Job performance requires seeing a large area while keeping the eyes fixed. Environmental Factors The individual in this position will encounter a work environment as described below. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.General medical and surgical environment.The employee may be exposed to communicable diseases.Safety precautions for employees such as blood drawing for screening of various diseases such as hepatitis, required immunizations, etc. are necessary.The employee is occasionally subject to verbal abuse, threats, and physical violence from angry, hostile, or disgruntled patients and / or family members.Lighting is adequate.Temperature is regulated and moderate.Noise level is generally moderate, but can escalate occasionally.Minimal dust.Standard medical equipment, including x-ray accessible The above statements reflect the general duties considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified, and shall not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the position. There may be other duties related to this position which are not outlined herein but with maybe a part of the general daily duties expected of this position. Some duties not outlined herein will be assigned as necessary. I have received and understand the above job description. Name _______________________________________________ Signature ____________________________________________ Date ________________________________