Responsibilities:

• Reviews daily assignment(s) and ascertains surgeon-specific preferences and type of anesthesia.
• Identifies and prioritizes individual patient care needs taking into consideration age, physiological, cultural and physical status.
• Plans care based on contemplated procedure, standards of practice, admission assessment and physician preferences.
• Assembles, checks and opens sterile packs, sutures, etc.
• Practices and assists others in maintaining aseptic technique and electrical and environmental safety in department.
• Complies with required standards for patient positioning, skin preparation, counting, side-site verification and other departmental policies and procedures.
• Remains with the sterile set-up to assure maintenance of the sterile field.
• Assists with draping.
• Reports/corrects any break in sterile technique as they occur.
• Prepares/edits Surgeon's preference lists to assure quality care of the surgical patient. Communicates pertinent information during procedure and during personnel changes, including status of surgical procedure.
• Ensures that equipment and supplies are utilized at appropriate levels and returned to their proper location after use.
• Collects specimens as directed by Surgeon, identifies origin of each specimen to RN Circulator.
• Follows standard policy and procedure for specimen collection.
• Completes Repair Worksheet on all malfunctioning equipment with proper follow-through.
• Demonstrates prudence in par level supplies and utilization.
• Serves as a resource individual for a surgical sub-specialty.
• Assists Surgeon and assistants with retraction and suction as directed.
• Assures that all biohazard material is handled and disposed of properly utilizing universal precautions.
• Coordinates with RN Circulator to ensure that required equipment and supplies are available prior to patient entry.
• Maintains an orderly sterile field keeping accurate counts of all sutures, sharps, soft goods and instrumentation according to policy and procedure.
• Displays dexterity in the use of surgical instrumentation and knowledge of surgical procedure.
• Assists RN Circulator to ensure proper room utilization through decreased turnover time per CPT and scheduled procedural time review.
• Ensure that all instrumentation is returned to Decontamination with proper documentation count sheets.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education:

• Graduate from an approved course in Surgical Technology or related curriculum
• Current BLS certification
• Current certification with the National Association of Surgical Technologists.

Certifications:

• Basic Life Support (BLS) through American Heart Association (AHA).
• Certified Surgical Technologist (CST).

Complexity of Work:

• All employees are expected to meet the standards of performance outlined in the Organizational-Wide Competencies listed below as applied to the position:
• World Class Service Orientation: Includes attitude, behavior, interpersonal skill, and problem solving that enable an employee to respond to internal and external customer needs and expectations in a positive manner.
• Adaptability: Includes teamwork and flexibility needed to fulfill job responsibilities including adapting to changes in work environment and accepting supervisory feedback.
• Efficiency and Effectiveness: Includes quantity and quality of desired work, as well as organization skills necessary to perform successfully.
• Essential Job Requirements: Includes adherence to all relevant policies, procedures, and guidelines affecting the work environment, including maintenance of required competencies and communication skills.
• Supervisory Responsibilities (if applicable): Includes overall accountability for assigned work group relative to operational goals, personnel requirements, and budgetary constraints.
• Note: The above stated duties are intended to outline those functions typically performed by individuals assigned to this classification.
• This description of duties is not intended to be all-inclusive or to limit the discretionary authority of supervisors to assign other tasks of similar nature or level of responsibility.

Work Experience:

• At least two years experience in a multi-disciplined OR in an acute care hospital setting preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Workload is heavy and requires constant lifting, moving of patients, equipment, instrument trays, and supplies.
• Able to lift items up to 50 pounds without assistance and greater than 50 pounds with assistance.
• Stooping, pushing and pulling required when moving patients or equipment into position for surgery.
• Ability to work at a fast pace and to prioritize multiple assignments/projects and respond to numerous requests; ability to resolve conflicts among staff and to work collaboratively with department director, physicians and other members of the healthcare team; ability to ensure operational efficiency; ability to problem solve and make decisions; ability to exercise self-control and tolerate stress when dealing with multiple requests and/or conflicting demands from multiple customers.
• Needs minimal sustained direction in assessing work load, directing staff and carrying out departmental and professional responsibilities; self-starting and self-motivating; working hours may exceed eight (8) hours per day and is based on what is needed to accomplish completion of the daily surgical schedule.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follows Standard Precautions using personal protective equipment as required for procedures.