OR Surgical Technician - $3,000 Sign On

Surgical Technologist

In accordance with Navajo Nation and federal law, TCRHCC has implemented an Affirmative Action Plan pursuant to the Navajo Preference in Employment Act. Pursuant to this Plan and corresponding TCRHCC Policy, applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for this position and (1) are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will be given preference in hiring and employment for this position, (2) are legally married to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and meet residency requirements will be given secondary preference, and (3) are enrolled members of other federally-recognized American Indian Tribes will be given tertiary preference.

This position is an established experienced position to obtain Surgical Technologist Certification. This position requires rotational scheduling and on-call (night, weekend, and holiday) coverage. Position requirement includes performing duties of a surgical technologist. Surgical technologists work under the supervision of a surgeon to facilitate the safe and effective conduct of invasive surgical procedures, ensuring that the operating room environment is safe, that equipment functions properly, and that the operative procedure is conducted under conditions that maximize patient safety. Surgical technologists possess expertise in the theory and application of sterile and aseptic technique and combine the knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures, and implementation tools and technologies to facilitate a physician's performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. The Technician assists with positioning, surgical prepping, and draping of the surgical patient. Other responsibilities include setting up an operating room before surgery and ensuring all needed equipment and instrumentation is available and in working condition for the scheduled surgical procedure. Surgical specialties include Dental, Endoscopy, General Surgery, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopedic, Otolaryngology/ENT, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, Podiatry, Hand, Trauma, Urology, etc. for adult and pediatric patients.

Necessary Qualifications

Education:

High School Diploma or GED

Must have completed and provide documentation of at least one of the following:

• Completion of an approved Surgical Technician training program accredited by the Association of Surgical Technologist (AST)
• On the Job training in a clinical healthcare setting or military specialty

Certification/Licensure:

• Must be certified within 6 months after 3-year qualification from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA 3yr) or Surgical Technologist Certification (CST), or current certification from National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT-3yr 6240 hours) Certified Tech in Surgery (TS-C)
• Must maintain a current valid certification of the following throughout employment:
• Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association

Experience:

At least nine (9) months of current experience in the specialties of Dental, Endoscopy, General Surgery, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopedic, Otolaryngology/ENT, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, Podiatry, Hand, Trauma, Urology, etc. for adult and pediatric patients.

Other Skills and Abilities:

A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must address and indicate success in each of the following areas:

• Positive working relationships with others
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences or tardies
• Excellent customer service abilities with effective listening and communication skills
• Knowledge, ability, and experience to ensure quality patient care during the operative procedure and is constantly on vigil for maintenance of the sterile field and equipment
• An understanding of the procedure being performed and anticipates the needs of the surgeon
• Completion of and above-satisfactory scores on all job interviews, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the interviewees and TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

Mental and Physical Effort

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical:

Physically demanding, high-stress environment; exposure to blood, sharp instruments and other devices, body fluids and tissue, communicable diseases, chemicals, radiation, and repetitive motions. Requires long periods of standing, walking, frequent lifting, bending, and positioning of patients. Requires standing for long periods of time with lead apron for procedures that require radiology support (12 to20 pounds). Agility and the ability to lift, pull and bend are required to move patients to and from beds, wheelchairs, stretchers, etc., and in moving equipment and medical supplies.

Must be able to work in small areas without contaminating him/herself and the surgical team. Must have the manual dexterity to handle and pass surgical instruments without causing injury to self and the surgical team. Must be able to lift a minimum of 50 pounds. Must be able to push/pull mobile equipment weighing up to 300 pounds.

Mental:

Communication often requires tact and sensitivity, especially when it is related to a stressful situation such as emergencies, death, dying, and catastrophic illnesses. Must be able to prioritize and use good judgment. Must be able to multi-task while being frequently interrupted. Concentrate for prolonged periods of time. Communicate in a concise, clear and respectful manner. Must accept a flexible schedule to meet unit needs.

Environmental:

May continually be exposed to infectious diseases, chemical agents, frequently to extremes in temperature or humidity, hazardous or moving equipment, loud noises and occasional exposure to dust, fumes, gases, and unprotected heights.

Responsibilities

1. Must successfully complete a surgical technologist didactic and clinical training. Completion of all clinical requirements and required exams, must be able to scrub all services, including Dental, Endoscopy, General Surgery, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthopedic, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology, Podiatry, Trauma, Urology
2. Utilize Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) Standards of Practice to plan and implement care of the intra-operative patient.
3. Maintain highest standards of sterile technique during procedures.
4. Set up sterile table with instruments, equipment, supplies, and medications/solutions per procedure.
5. Drape the sterile field (back table, mayo stand, OR table, etc.).
6. Perform appropriate counts of sponges, needles, and instruments with circulator prior to the operation and before incision is closed.
7. Scrub daily under registered nurse supervision for different advanced and complex types of surgeries.
8. Scrub, gown, and glove for surgical procedures and gown and glove the surgeons and assistants.
9. Ensure all necessary equipment is in good working order.
10. Pass instruments, etc. to the surgeon during procedure.
11. Prepare sterile dressings
12. Clinical duties include the provision of patient care and support of individuals of all ages and their families.
13. Accept and appropriately label all medications/solutions needed for surgical procedures per policy.
14. Assist in terminal cleaning and preparing room for the next patient.
15. Take initiative in reporting equipment in need of repairs and low levels of supplies.
16. Take apart and reassemble any instrument or piece of equipment that needs attention and prepare instruments for terminal sterilization.
17. Correct breaks in aseptic techniques by any person to provide optimum patient care.
18. Monitor, inventory assigned service supplies and order as needed.
19. Responsible for electronic health records data entry pertinent to patient service role.
20. Ensure proper PPE is always worn while on duty including but not limited to, face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, if available), and eye or face shield.
21. Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly. (see CDC website for most current updates)