Surgical Technologist

Summary of the Job: A surgical technician, under the guidance of the RN, will prepare supplies, equipment and instrumentation for each surgery performed at the Hospital. The Operating Room Technician (ORT) will assist the surgeon and his assistants within the sterile field. The ORT will also maintain facility inventory and be responsible for the decontamination and reprocessing of the operating room and surgical instrumentation. This is a full time day shift position.

Essential Functions
Assignment of nursing care based on patient assessment by the RN to meet individual patient needs:
Assisting the RN with patients on admission in a timely manner.

• Showing awareness of patients needs: physiological psychosocial, safety and emotional.
• Provides input as to patients condition on admission.
• Notifies RN and or attending physician of any critical findings or changes.
• Accepts reasonable work assignments.

Diagnostic and therapeutic medical staff orders

• Able to assist the RN in prioritizing implementation of physician orders according to patient needs and physician requests.
• Demonstrates ability to carry out all assignments and procedures as ordered, according to department policies and procedures.
• Assists RN with documentation of all pertinent information. In some instances, the ORT will write on the patient record.

Prepares the environment and scrubs for the surgical procedure

• Gathers needed supplies and equipment in advance of the surgical schedule.
• Updates surgeon preference books as needed.
• Reports missing supplies or malfunctioning equipment.
• Opens surgical supplies, instrumentation, suture and setting up the sterile field.
• Scrubs, gowns, organizes surgical instrumentation and draping, before surgeon scrubs.
• Handles equipment, instrumentation, suture and drapes in a safe manner pertaining to sterility.
• Maintains scrutiny of the sterile field. Reports break in technique and requests resolution.
• Make efforts to contain spillage of solutions and body fluids.
• Is aware of electrosurgical unit activating device at all times.
• Anticipates the surgeons needs and requests supplies ahead of time.
• Performs sharps and sponge counts with circulating nurse according to policy.
• Assists in dressing wound.
• Tears down the sterile field, contains contaminated articles.
• Disposes of sharps and hazardous materials in appropriate receptacles.
• Assists in the transfer of the patient to cart or wheelchair.
• Assists in cleaning the OR with appropriate disinfecting agents.
• Washes and reprocesses instrumentation.
• Assists in bagging and disposing of surgical waste according to policy.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Medication Administration

• Identifies and prepares medications delivered to the sterile field.
• Accounts for and verbalizes amounts of medications used.
• Disposes of unused medications according to policy.
• Maintains knowledge of commonly used local anesthetics, antibiotics and topical hemostats.
• Obtains appropriate syringe and needles for surgical use
• Instrument Care
• Documents instruments in need of repair.
• Catalogs broken instruments and forwards for repair.
• Logs repaired instruments back into service.
• Acts as resource for inquiries from surgeons or PAs regarding instrumentation.
• Reports and recommends surgeons request for instrumentation to the Clinical Nurse Manager.
• Maintains instruments, cleans, and disinfects, sterile processes for each use.

Education

• Maintains certification requirements
• Participates in annual in-services
• Participates in regularly scheduled staff meetings.
• Participates in new product evaluation and in-service.
• Remains current in CPR certification.
• Confidentiality: Maintains confidential all observed or acquired information regarding all patients, their surgical procedure and their perioperative experience.

Benefits

• Seven paid holidays.
• Sick and vacation after waiting period
• Health, vision, and dental coverage
• Employer paid life insurance and long-term disability
• 401k with employer contribution

Specialists Hospital Shreveport is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.