Surgical First Assistant- Bryan Orthopedic Trauma

GENERAL SUMMARY:

Functions as a member of the multidisciplinary team providing a safe environment for all age groups of surgical and clinical patients. Assists the physician as directed with surgical and clinical care as personally supervised while physician is physically present in the room. Assists the perioperative nurse and staff with patient care. Assists and informs surgical staff with needed supplies in the operating room. Maintains a professional and efficient manner, ensures that procedure preparations are based on individual patient and anticipates the needs of the surgeon.

PRINCIPAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. *Commits to the mission, vision, beliefs and consistently demonstrates our core values.

2. *Functions as the surgeon's first assistant with tasks such as selecting equipment, tissue handling, hemostasis, closing the incision, injection of local anesthetics, placement of wound drains and many other technical tasks.

3. *Defines and practices aseptic technique and infection control principles as they apply to the Operating Room (OR).

4. *Assists the nurse in perioperative care of the patient including transporting and positioning; counts/preps surgical instruments and supplies.

5. Participates in continuous quality improvement measures to achieve positive patient outcomes; provides patient care in accordance with patient's rights; participates and practices safety through active prevention and precautions; assures personal/visitor safety through measures of prevention and universal precautions.

6. *Participates in unit-based activities, staff meetings, and committees.

7. Performs other tasks during a surgical procedure delegated by and under the personal supervision of a physician appropriate to the level of competence of the surgical first assistant. Examples of such tasks include but are not limited to the following: assists with hemostasis by use of electrocautery, mono-and-bi-polar; clamp, ligate and cut tissue per surgeon direction; assists with closure of body planes, including the following, inserting running or interrupted subcutaneous sutures with absorbable or nonabsorbable material, utilize subcuticular closure technique with or without adhesive skin closure strips, closes skin with method indicated by physician, including but not limited to, suture and staples. Applies appropriate wound dressings. Provides assistance in securing drainage systems to tissue. Prepares specimens, such as grafts.

8. May insert/remove bladder catheters as directed by Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) or Registered Nurse (RN).

9. Exchanges instruments via established trocars.

10. Injects postoperative subcutaneous local anesthetic agent per physician order.

11. Presents medications onto the sterile field as directed by the LIP and/or RN.

12. Assists with ordering and scheduling diagnostic studies, as well as relaying test results to patients per physician orders.

13. *Implements physician directives on patient surgical care issues and advises patients with pre and post surgery care.

14. *Provides patient clinical documentation for referring physicians and FMLA documentation.

15. Maintains professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations to keep abreast of latest trends in field of expertise.

16. Participates in meetings, committees and department projects as assigned.

17. Performs other related projects and duties as assigned.

(Essential Job functions are marked with an asterisk "*". Refer to the Job Description Guide for the definition of essential and non-essential job functions.) Attach Addendum for positions with slightly different roles or work-specific differences as needed.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Graduation/completion of an approved surgical first assistant education program approved by the board of medicine or other experiential or training program as approved by the board of medicine required. Current Surgical First Assistant licensure from the State of Nebraska required. Graduation from a Surgical Technology program required. Surgical Technology Certification desired. High School diploma or the equivalent required.