Surgical Care Assistant

Job Summary: Assists with the delivery of patient care in accordance with established methods and procedures, under the supervision and guidance of the RN and Clinical Operations Director. Patient care includes care to patients in the following age groups: neonatal (birth to stabilization), pediatric (infant to 12 years), adolescent (13 to 17 years), adult (18 to 64 years), and geriatric (over 64 years).

Responsibilities:

• Qualified individuals must have the ability (with or without reasonable accommodation) to perform the following duties:
• Check Operating Rooms to ensure proper furniture/equipment for case, prepare the correct surgical bed with linens, retrieve missing equipment prior to and during procedures if needed, assist with placement and hook – up of OR equipment. Connect electrical equipment to outlets with guidance from surgical team and assist with moving equipment to sterile field as needed.
• Replaces empty nitrogen tanks (for drills), CO2 tanks on video towers, argon tanks on ABC and making sure that there are back-up tanks available.
• Check OR electrical beds prior to patient arrival in to the room and troubleshoot any issues.
• Help to transport patients to the OR from the nursing units and PAR area as needed.
• Assist surgical team with transferring patient to OR bed prior to the procedure, assisting surgical team with patient positioning and ensuring safety strap is available and applied. Post procedure, ensures stretcher or bed is available and assists with transfer of patient from OR bed.
• Understands and follows universal protocol and parameters of the sterile field and traffic flow of the OR.
• Assists circulating nurse as needed.
• Transports specimens and blood to lab/pathology as needed.
• Keeps scrub sinks cleaned and stocked, stocks/re-stocks Operating Rooms as needed. Returns equipment and supplies to appropriate area after procedure. Keeps corridors surrounding the Operating Room clean and free of clutter. Ensures exits and fire extinguishers are not blocked.
• Reports and tags any equipment that is out of order and notifies supervisor, with the knowledge of procedure to place the equipment out of order. Reports any unusual situations, reactions or conditions to supervisor.
• Routinely performs necessary housekeeping independently within assigned area of department.
• Assists with room turnover. Cleans all flat surfaces in the OR, mop floors, delivers trash to appropriate area.
• Assists with transport of patient to recovery area or nursing unit as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Gives thorough report to next shift regarding status of ongoing cases and rooms.

Qualifications/Requirements:

Experience: 0-1 year experience in patient care or procedural setting, required.

Education: High School diploma or equivalent (GED), required.

Licenses / Certifications:  BLS/CPR certification obtained within 3 months of hire, required.  

Other:  Weekend Rotation. Microsoft Office Products clinical information system, e-mail, scheduling system. NEW LEARNING AND MEMORY – The following level of ability is essential for the jobholder to learn and retain material:

Demands on memory and for processing new information are minimal. The individual must have the ability to understand or carry out simple instructions.

PROBLEM SOLVING, REASONING AND CREATIVE THINKING – The Following Level Of Ability That Is Essential For The Jobholder To Think (in Order To Solve a Problem) By Combining Two Or More Elements From Past Experience Or Imaginative Thought

The position requires the ability to evaluate existing options to resolve a presenting problem. The resolutions or options are clearly defined, limited in number and are altered infrequently. Selection of the most appropriate solution is based on well-established and defined guidelines.

Communication: Ability to exchange information with others clearly and concisely; to present ideas, facts and technical information.

Interpersonal relations: Ability to maintain relationships that facilitate task accomplishment; to cooperate and resolve conflicts; to recognize needs and be sensitive of others.

Equipment Usage Requirements:

Equipment/Tools: Computer, Phone, Copier, Printer, Fax, Office Supplies, oxygen tank, bed scale/floor scale, hoyer lift, suction bottles, anti-thrombic pumps, hypothermia blanket, scissors.

Special Requirements:   The position requires the ability to attend to a specific stimulus without being distracted by extraneous environmental stimuli. The individual must be able to attend to environmental detail with the ability to separate essential from non-essential or irrelevant stimuli. The attention skills required are generally considered to be automatic - - passive, but focused with an intact capacity for select perception.