Surgery RN

Brief Description of Job:

• Assumes responsibility and accountability for assigned patients in the surgery department and Surgery Clinic.
• Provides clerical and nursing support to other hospital departments and clinics as needed
• Schedules patients for minor and major procedures within the surgical department
• Schedules outpatient infusions and injections
• Provides professional nursing care to these patients incorporating the nursing process, other health care members and necessary technical equipment into their plan of care
• Supervises care as delivered by department LPN

Essential Functions:

• Handles telephone traffic both into and out of the office and properly forwards phone calls when needed.
• Operates various office and clinical equipment.
• Schedules patients for preoperative teaching, procedures, surgical cases, plus outpatient infusions and injections as ordered.
• Prepares charts ensuring all pertinent clinical information, test results, etc. plus outpatient infusions and injections as ordered.
• Provides individualistic patient and support person(s) teaching preoperatively based on the procedure scheduled and each patient’s comprehensive medical history and needs.
• Obtains vital signs manually and via monitor.
• Performs preoperative, intra-operative, circulating, post operative/anesthesia and outpatient infusions, injections, patient care as assigned and provide appropriate interventions that promote safe patient care outcomes.
• Performs emergency patient resuscitation per BLS and ACLS algorithms and/or physician, CRNA instructions.
• Administers chemotherapy safely following established protocols and physician orders.
• Supervises patient care as delivered by LPN or Nursing Assistant.
• Works independently with limited direct supervision using the Nurse Practice Act, Ringgold County Hospital policies, nursing standard of care and professional judgment.
• Performs documentation in the medical record accurately, concisely and in a timely manner.
• Practices effective problem identification and resolution skills within the department and cross departmentally while promoting a cooperative atmosphere.
• Assumes responsibility for knowledge of end adherence to hospital policy and nursing standards. Demonstrates an awareness of responsibility and accountability for own nursing practice.
• Participates actively in staff and team development plus orientation activities.
• Cover coworker’s assignments and tasks to allow others a proper break and lunch as able.
• May be asked to assist in other areas of RCH and MAMC as needed.
• Works assigned shift/shifts, holidays, on-call as scheduled. (On-call may involve coming in on nights, weekends, and holidays).
• Coordinates nursing care and patient flow assuring proper patient hand off reports when transferring care to another staff member/department.
• Trains and functions as scrub nurse in the operating room as needed.
• Train and assists physician as first assistant during surgical procedure as needed.
• Maintains patient care supplies and equipment within the unit.
• Assist with clerical and nursing care in other departments when needed including but not limited to:
• Answering phones and transferring calls when needed
• Patient and Visitor navigation
• Rooming clinic patients
• Performing patient care including but not limited to:  vital signs, personal hygiene and bathing, patient sitter for safety, passing food trays and feeding patient when needed,