Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA) - Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR) - St. Francis Downtown

Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA) - Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR) - St. Francis Downtown

I. Summary of Primary Function

Demonstrates knowledge of human growth and development, assessment, range of treatment, and care appropriate to the ages of patients served.

• Functions as first and second assistant.
• Able to function as the primary scrub person during operative procedures.
• Maintains aseptic and safe environment in the Operating Room.
• Assists in the intra-operative care of the patient by performing nursing and technical duties as assigned.
• This position services the following populations: neonate, infant, child, adolescent, adult and geriatric.

II. Essential Job Functions

Culture of Caring

• Demonstrates a caring attitude and displays compassionate behaviors in all interactions with patients and their families.
• Works with diverse populations, including neonates, infants, children, adolescents, adults and geriatrics and integrates individual patient/family preferences into the plan of care.
• Provides appropriate emotional, physical, and spiritual support and comfort to patients, families, and coworkers.
• Delivers nursing care with respect to individual spiritual and cultural needs.

Culture of Safety

• Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his/her assigned unit.
• Utilizes the principles of growth and development across the life span.
• Possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status.
• Interprets assessment data reflective of the patient's status.
• Provides care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.
• Verifies surgeon, identifies the patient and operative site.
• Ensures informed consent and History and Physical are complete and present according to policy guidelines.
• Initiates and/or actively participates in the Universal Protocol procedures that assure correct site surgery.
• Assists the scrub person in maintaining an accurate account of sponges, sharps, and instruments according to departmental policies and procedures.
• Assists with positioning of patients, provides protection of pressure points, keeps body parts in proper alignment and modifies positioning to reduce potential injury.
• Shares responsibility for patient safety at all times.
• Maintains an environment that is free of obstacles and hazards that could result in injuries to personnel and patients.
• Delivers medication according to policy, identifies and views medication label concurrently with the scrub person and insures all solutions in all containers are labeled.
• Identifies unsafe patient care practices and employs measures for intervention.
• Protects patient information based on hospital policy and government regulations to assure information is kept confidential.
• Participates in unit and hospital efforts to reduce adverse employee or patient care events.
• Demonstrates understanding and integration of The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals into nursing practice.

Communication

• Communicates clearly all pertinent patient information to other members of the health care team, including but not limited to effective patient hand-offs.
• Anticipates the needs of the patient and/or case during the hand-off.
• Communicates effectively, courteously, and collaboratively with supervisors, co-workers, physicians and other healthcare providers.
• Demonstrates effective communication, feedback and conflict resolution skills in all interpersonal interactions.
• Works effectively and constructively with co-workers and physicians.

Excellence

• Routinely First or Second assists on assigned cases.
• Under the direct supervision of the operating surgeon, handles tissue, provides exposure, uses instruments, sutures, and provides hemostasis, performs wound closure and knot tying, irrigates wound site, uses power equipment and stapling devices.
• May inject local infiltration anesthetics as ordered by the Surgeon (but not including medication such as Exparel).
• Under direct supervision of the surgeon, inserts secondary trocars.
• Performs preop assessment and documentation as assigned.
• Functions in the scrub and/or circulator role as assigned.
• Assists team members in the selection and preparation of routine supplies, instruments, and equipment for surgical procedures.
• Opens instrument trays following basic aseptic technique policy and procedure.
• Inspects sterilization indicators.
• Notifies circulator of missing or malfunctioning instruments and any of suspect sterility.
• Sets up instrument stand with drapes, sutures, power tools, and other instruments in accordance with the operating surgeon's preference list.
• Assists in draping the patient to establish the sterile field, in accordance with AORN Standards and Recommended Practices and established departmental policies.
• Provides and anticipates the needs and requests of the surgeon.
• Ensures that appropriate instrumentation and supplies are readily available in the room or on the sterile field.
• Maintains the sterile field upon completion of the surgical procedure until the patient has been transferred from the OR room.
• Inserts indwelling foley catheters when ordered by physician.
• Performs surgical scrub according to procedure.
• Gowns and gloves self and others following gowning and gloving policy and procedure.
• Assists in procuring instrumentation in accordance with the surgeon's preference list.
• Demonstrates acknowledge of the procedure and consideration of the anatomy involved.
• Anticipates the needs of patients and assists in the provision of equipment and instrumentation according to those needs.
• Supports surgical service's efforts to exceed patient satisfaction rates for the individual facility, consistently using scripted language that promotes excellent patient satisfaction responses.
• Supports efforts to exceed targets for employee engagement, recruitment, and retention for the individual facility.
• Speaks positively about the department, the organization, and the initiatives underway.
• Maintains medical records and documentation consistent with hospital policy, JCAHO, state and federal regulations including but not limited to entry legibility, completeness and timely completion.
• Strives to provide quality patient care that is cost effective by cooperating with efforts to appropriately manage the use of valuable hospital and human resources.
• Responds within specified time frames when on call.

Innovation

• Participates in relevant quality improvement activities.
• Achieves nursing outcomes that consistently meet or exceed generally accepted clinical standards for the nursing discipline.
• Participates in the on-going correction and updating of physician preference cards.
• Communicates changes to appropriate service coordinator.
• Reviews individual, unit and specialty data for all dimensions of performance and applies this data to continually improve patient care activities.
• Demonstrates an understanding of current research literature in area of practice and participates in unit or hospital based research activities as appropriate.

Professionalism

• Actively supports the professional practice model and participates in efforts related to key foundational elements.
• Practices appropriate behavior as outlined in the "employee code of conduct" policy toward members of the hospital and medical staff, patients, or their families.
• Accepts and completes assignments as given.
• Delegates tasks based on patient need and skill level of staff.
• Assumes full accountability for any tasks delegated to other team members.
• Regularly assists in the orientation and training of other personnel.
• Objectively critiques own nursing practice, identifies self learning needs and employs resources to meet those needs.
• Sets clear, measurable practice goals and identifies opportunities for professional growth.

Teamwork

• Acts in a professional and respectful manner with patients, physicians, and other hospital personnel to enhance a spirit of cooperation and mutual respect and trust among members of the patient care team.
• Advocates on behalf of patient/family to connect them with appropriate resources to meet identified needs and address concerns.
• Participates and encourages teammates in room turnover procedures to include set-up and clean-up protocols,