Surgical Technologist

Surgical Technologist

The Surgical Technologist 1 functions in the inter-operative phase of patient care to expedite surgical procedures, under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse. This position assists the surgical team through the use of equipment and instrumentation to ensure that the operating room environment is safe, and that required equipment is available and functioning properly.

Essential Functions of the Role:

• Discusses any special needs with the surgeon before surgery and scrubs in to surgery in an adequate time for proper preparation of instruments before the surgeon scrubs in.
• Prepares the operative site by aseptically cleaning and patient clipping, as needed.
• Prepares and maintains the instrument table(s) in an organized and comprehensive manner to avoid damage to instrumentation as well as incorrect needs or instrument counts.
• Identifies damaged or incomplete trays, rectifies discrepancies immediately, or contacts those that can help in order to avoid delays or injury.
• Sets up the operating room according to surgical procedure schedules; arranges sterile set up of instrument table supplies and equipment required for specific procedure, carefully selecting and opening only needed supplies.
• Ensures the proper functioning of surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies during surgical procedures.
• Performs surgical counts of sponges, sharps, instruments, and misc. items, according to established policies and procedures.
• Anticipates the needs of the surgeon and surgical team staff.
• Passes sterile supplies and equipment to surgeons and assistants during procedures, holds retractor devices, and acts to anticipate and respond to the surgical teams needs during course of surgery.
• Assists the surgical team with draping and positioning the patient.
• Receives surgical specimens following specimen protocol, and passes the specimen(s) off the sterile field to circulating nurse, verifying source of specimen.
• Assists with placement of surgical dressings to operative site following surgical case completion.
• Disassembles surgical instrumentation as indicated at end of the procedure, recycles as indicated, and appropriately disposes of sharps, fluids, and waste at end of the surgical procedure.
• Prepares soiled instrumentation for proper transportation to decontamination area.
• Ensures the cleaning, decontamination, sterilization, maintenance, and preparation of surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies for distribution.
• Cleans the operating room following each case, and returns equipment to appropriate storage areas.
• Follows infection control policies, Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Guidelines for Perioperative Practice, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, and other regulatory requirements in order to assure a safe work environment for self, coworkers, and patients.
• Ensures proper orientation and knowledge of all equipment and instrumentation prior to patient use.

Key Success Factors:

• Successful completion of a Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) accredited OR other nationally accredited surgical technologist program until the 180th day after graduation.
• Successful completion of formal training program for surgical technology in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard of the United States or in the United States Public Health Service or one-year operating room technician program preferred.
• Knowledge of infection prevention and regulatory sterilization standards.
• Knowledge of the theory and application of sterile and aseptic technique.
• Knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures and implementation tools and technologies to assist surgical team with invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.
• Good verbal and written communication skills and interpersonal skills to interact with surgical and central sterile processing team members.
• Occasional exposure to chemical or radiation hazards.