Perioperative Registered Nurse (Per Diem)

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Position Title: Perioperative Registered Nurse 

Reports to: Director of Nursing or Designee

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Position Summary

Collaborates with the Operating Room (OR) and preoperative (Pre-op) and post anesthesia care unit (PACU) teams in the organization and daily functioning of perioperative, operative, and PACU areas under established Federal, State, and accreditation standards and Center policies and procedures. The perioperative registered nurse (RN) oversees the safe, effective, and efficient care of patients in all perioperative areas by evaluating, assessing, and preparing patients before and after surgery, and while in the operating room, and facilitates the functionality of the preoperative, operative, and recovery environments. Perioperative nurses ensure appropriate and timely patient flow and patient care activities and maintain a high standard of safety. 

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Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide patients with care in procedure, operating, preoperative and recovery rooms
• Develop and implement care plans for surgical patients.
• Provides patients with safe, therapeutic and quality medical care by utilizing the nursing process and diagnosis in a timely manner, setting appropriate priorities.
• Evaluate surgical patients prior to surgery and in postoperative phases.
• Recognize and respond appropriately to patient condition decline and crisis situations during the perioperative phase, seeking assistance as needed to ensure patient safety and quality of care.
• Observes all safety precautions and complies with all health and safety rules, policies, and procedures of the facility.
• Apply aseptic and sterile techniques to all surgical interventions, medical instruments and equipment before, during, and after surgery
• Adheres to infection prevention practices, guidelines, and policies
• Maintains and updates patient health record with all care provided.
• Prepare patients for surgery by conducting preop assessment and verification of history and physical, orders, consent, and reviewing all relevant paperwork such as labs, medications and ekgs prior to surgery, communicating abnormal findings to surgeon or anesthesia as appropriate.
• Positions patient on operating table, assists with intubation and extubation at end of procedure, disinfects operative site, passes sterile items to surgical field and ensures sterility is maintained throughout the procedure. 
• May supervise 23-hour service.
• Communicate with patients and other healthcare professionals to ensure continuity of pre and postoperative care.
• Maintains efficient functioning of equipment in assigned area.
• Maintains a collegial relationship with physicians and staff throughout the perioperative arena to ensure continuity and quality of patient care.
• Prepare patients for surgery by shaving and disinfecting skin as appropriate prior to the operation as needed.
• Recover patients when required, and/or assist in recovery of patients when needed.
• Other duties as assigned or delegated.

Value-Based Behaviors

• Respect and Kindness: Polite, upbeat, and seek to understand.
• Collaborative: Fully engaged team player
• Excellence: Do your best work and pursue positive solutions
• Honesty and Integrity: Straight forward, open to feedback, and do the right thing.
• Caring and Compassion: Patient-centered care

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Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This position is regularly required to stand, walk briskly, talk, and hear. Position requires occasional sitting, stooping, kneeling, or crouching. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Auditory abilities required by this job include ability to correctly distinguish various body sounds, i.e. respirations, heart sounds, bowel sounds and to discern sounds made by various types of machinery or equipment which would indicate dangerous or improper operation.

Position Requirements

• In-depth knowledge of surgical procedures and care of the perioperative patient.
• Highly skilled at monitoring and assessing patients prior to surgery and in the recovery areas.
• Ability to recognize and respond to patient decline and changes in patient condition
• Ability to collaborate with surgeons and other healthcare professionals.
• Solid understanding of patient health and safety standards.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Independent decision-making skills.
• Ability to prioritize and handle multiple projects in a dynamic and changing environment.
• Excellent communication skills - Fosters an environment of collaboration and respect with physician colleagues and staff.
• Experience in Orthopedic surgery preferred.
• Active and valid Idaho RN License.
• BLS and ACLS required within 3 months of hire.
• Strong competency as a RN.
• Aptitude for maintaining pace of facility patient flow.
• Ability to interact well with a high volume of patients, surgeons, and staff in a stressful environment. 
• Must be able to read, speak, and write English fluently.

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Working Conditions

This position spends a considerable amount of time walking, bending, stretching, standing, and assisting in patient transfers, so they must follow proper body mechanics to guard against injury. Perioperative nurses may face hazards from exposure to chemicals and biological agents to include, but not limited to body fluids and wastes such as urine, blood, sputum, disinfecting and sterilizing agents and may be exposed to anesthetic gases, drugs, and radiation.

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Physical Demands

• Ability to lift minimum of twenty-five (25) pounds. Moving, lifting, or transferring patients, instruments, and equipment may involve lifting fifty (50) pounds.
• Ability to stand for extended periods.
• Fine motor skills
• Visual and auditory acuity