Certified OR Tech / Surgical Tech (CST)

Surgical First Assistant

Work Shift: (Monday through Friday) 10:30 am to 7 pm. Call is required.

Summary of the Job: The Surgical First Assistant can have a formal background as a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Surgical Technologist (ST). The Surgical First Assistant collaborates with the surgeon and the healthcare team in performing a safe operation with optimal outcomes for the patient. The First Assistant practices perioperative practice and must have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and judgment specific to clinical practice. The First Assistant practices in collaboration with and at the direction of the surgeon during the intraoperative phase of the perioperative experience. The Surgical First Assistant provides aid in exposure, hemostasis, and other technical functions that will help the surgeon carry out a safe operation with optimal results for the patient. This role will vary considerably with the surgical operation and specialty. Clinical skills performed under direct supervision of the surgeon may include the following: positioning the patient, preparing the skin, providing visualization of the operative site, utilizing appropriate techniques to assist with hemostasis, utilizing appropriate techniques to assist with closure of body planes, assisting with selecting and applying appropriate wound dressings and providing assistance in securing drainage system to tissue. If this employee has a formal background as a RN, this employee will function as a First Assistant or Circulator according to the needs of the department/ staffing assignment. If this employee has a formal background as a Surgical Technologist, this employee will function as a First Assistant or a Surgical Technologist according to the needs of the department/ staffing assignment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Certification as a Surgical First Assistant from an accredited certifying agency
• Graduate from an accredited School of Nursing and/or School of Surgical Technology
• Current registered nurse licensure in LA, if formal RN background
• Current BLS certification through any International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) provided courses such as but not limited to: Ochsner Health System, American Heart Association, and American Red Cross. The ILCOR course must include a manikin check off.

The Surgical First Assistant must be available in-house within 30 minutes when on call.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CNOR
• Two years perioperative services experience

Physical Demands: Must possess good physical health. Some requirements include but are not limited to standing, sitting or walking for long periods of time. Lifting at least 50 pounds is required. Must be able to work with a moderate level of noise.

Physical Effort required:

• Constant (67%-100%) - reaching, handling/feeling, talking, hearing, seeing
• Frequently (34%-66%)- lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling, balancing
• Occasionally (1%-33%)– stooping, crouching, crawling