Certified Surgical Technologist

Overview

Position Summary:

Provides assistive patient care in the Operating Room under the direct supervision of the Registered Nurse. This position serves the following patient age categories: pediatrics, adolescent, adult, and geriatric. Level II is a Certified Surgical Technologist who has met all of Level II criteria, demonstrates leadership abilities, and is involved in staff education and committee's: acting as a liaison between all members of the multi-disciplinary team. Considered a campus resource (constantly seeks out opportunity for improvement-service specific).


Responsibilities

Position Specific Competencies:

1. Assists with Surgical Process.
2. Demonstrates table set-ups and scrub techniques for complex procedures in and out of specialty.
3. Anticipates specific instruments, checks equipment, and obtains supplies for upcoming schedule.
4. Maintains asepsis throughout procedure; identifies and corrects breaks in technique.
5. Demonstrates and educates principles of anatomy and physiology as related to basic and complex procedures.
6. Demonstrates and educates safety practices as related to counts, sharps, positioning, specimens, and Electrical Surgical Units & Plan education for peer group
7. Contributes to unit operations. Identifies and makes changes to preference lists.
8. Recognizes and actively participates in quality assurance and improvement activities.
9. Willingness to go to other specialties to broaden knowledge base.
10. Records peer group competencies.
11. Demonstrates professional accountability. Plans and teaches campus specific specialty competencies.
12. Coaches' surgical team on the importance of universal precautions. Monitors, coaches, and holds others accountable to the dress code.
13. Holds peers accountable to departmental objectives.
14. Completes mandatory requirements to include obtaining 20 CEUs a year.
15. Planning and Implementation of patient care.
16. Observes patient, alerts surgical team to symptoms, reactions, and changes in patient condition, and coaches others to recognize status changes.
17. Assists the RN with selected patient care interventions in a manner that is consistent with policies and procedures and offering coaching to new members of the surgical team.
18. Consults physicians and acts upon needs/requirements preoperatively and postoperatively. ***within scope of practice***
19. Completes assigned task and without prompting, seeks other departmental needs.
20. Educates peer group.

Qualifications

Qualifications:

The following qualifications, or equivalents, are the minimum requirements necessary to perform the essential functions of this position.


Education/formal training/licensure/certification experience:

1. Graduate of a nationally accredited educational program for surgical technology

OR

1. Graduate of a training program for surgical technology in the United States Army, Navy, or Air Force.

And

1. Certified Surgical Technologist current and maintains Certification throughout employment.
2. Minimum 2 years OR experience preferred.
3. BCLS

Additional skills:

Communicates effectively with a wide range of age groups, ethic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Displays effective organizational skills, with ability to prioritize accurately and quickly. Illustrates computer skills within service provided. Maintains clinical and professional competency levels required of age-specific populations, to include all aspects of surgical technology in the perioperative care process. The Surgical Technologist are not permitted to perform activities of a first assistant, which include independent tissue manipulation and/ or handling, cutting, ligating, and/or dissecting tissue, providing hemostasis, and/or suturing.