Surgical Assistant

Surgical Assistant

Join our team at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and experience world-class healthcare at its best. Indian River Hospital is in sunny Florida's Treasure Coast where it is committed to providing optimal family-centric and community-focused care. At Indian River Hospital, you will be part of a collaborative, compassionate, and innovative team of caregivers. You will work with state-of-the-art technology and will build a rewarding career with one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world.

The Department of General and Specialized Surgery evaluates and treats common and complex conditions affecting the abdomen, gastrointestinal system and breasts. Our experienced caregivers are skilled in minimally invasive methods, including robotic-assisted surgery and laparoscopic surgery. As a Surgical Assistant, you will work closely with surgical care practitioners, consultants and nursing teams to ensure smooth operations and proper equipment use. On days you are not needed as a Surgical Assistant, you will function as a Scrub Tech. Here, you will gain hands-on experience and learn a variety of valuable skills which provide opportunities for career advancement and professional growth within Cleveland Clinic.

A caregiver in this position works days from 7:00AM – 5:30PM, with weekend and on-call requirements.

A caregiver who excels in this role will:

• Assist with critical procedures and tasks related to specific training, score and orientation.
• Anticipate the needs of the surgeon and other team members with respect to the requirements for the surgical procedure.
• Use knowledge of OR procedures with respect to attire, infection control and compliance practices.
• Prepare for the procedure or surgery by participating in the performance of the safety check/universal protocol determining the specific equipment needed, reviewing permits to confirm procedures and special needs, assisting in moving and positioning the patient, selecting x-rays for reference, inserting and removing Foley urinary bladder catheter and draping the patient.
• Support the Surgeon during the procedure or surgery by retracting tissue and organs, maintaining hemostasis by direct pressure, use of appropriate instrumentation, placing ties or ligatures, or applying chemical hemostatic agents, using electrocautery mono and bi-polar, clamping, and ligating and cutting tissue.
• Maintain integrity of sterile field, closing all wound layers, inserting drainage tubes, applying wound dressing and assisting with resuscitation or any other events in the OR.
• Perform any other duties or procedures incident to the surgical procedure deemed necessary and directed and supervised by the surgeon.

Minimum qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

• Associate's Degree
• Graduate of a formal Surgical Assistant program
• Certified Surgical First Assistant (CSFA) through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting, Certified Surgical Assistant (CSA) through the National Commission for the Certification of Surgical Assistants OR Surgical Assistant Certified (SA-C) through the American Board of Surgical Assistants within one year of hire
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross
• Two years of perioperative practice in an acute care facility

Preferred qualifications for the ideal future caregiver include:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification through the American Heart Association (AHA) or ALS through the American Red Cross

Physical Requirements:

• The post holder is frequently exposed to episodes of exertion, for example whilst moving and handling anaesthetised patients or lifting surgical trays. The post holder will be required to lift, push and pull objects, e.g. patient positioning equipment, theatre equipment and trolleys. The post holder may be required to spend long periods in one position
• Alongside the Lead SCP maintain awareness of teams wellbeing and support appropriate delegation of team workload
• The post holder may be required to work at different desks and computers from time to time, depending on availability. Standard keyboard skills required. The role demands VDU use.

Personal Protective Equipment:

• Follows standard precautions using personal protective equipment as required.

The policy of Cleveland Clinic Health System and its system hospitals (Cleveland Clinic Health System) is to provide equal opportunity to all of our caregivers and applicants for employment in our drug free environment. All offers of employment are followed by testing for controlled substances.

Cleveland Clinic Health System administers an influenza prevention program. You will be required to comply with this program, which will include obtaining an influenza vaccination on an annual basis or obtaining an approved exemption.

Decisions concerning employment, transfers and promotions are made upon the basis of the best qualified candidate without regard to color, race, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, status as a disabled or Vietnam era veteran or any other characteristic protected by law. Information provided on this application may be shared with any Cleveland Clinic Health System facility.

If applying for a Florida position, please see the following website for more information on the background screening requirements required by the Agency of Health Care Administration:

Please review the Equal Employment Opportunity poster.

Cleveland Clinic is pleased to be an equal employment opportunity employer.