Main Function

Provide safe, quality patient care in the Pre-Op & PACU. Accountable for the assessing, planning, implementing, and coordinating patient care from admission to discharge.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Philosophy

1. Supports the facility’s ideology, mission, goals, and objectives
2. Performs in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures
3. Follows the facility’s standards for ethical business conduct
4. Conducts self as a positive role model and team member
5. Recognizes patients’ rights and responsibilities and supports them in performance of job duties

2. General

1. Participates in facility committees, meetings, in-services, and activities
2. Punctual and comply with attendance guidelines
3. Gets along well with all employees and respects the rights of other employees
4. Demonstrates resourcefulness, independent thinking and seeks additional challenges and opportunities. Seeks to create new methods, techniques, and processes.

3. Communication

1. Communicates effectively and professionally with vendors, physicians, coworkers, patients, and visitors
2. Interacts with others in a positive, professional, respectful, and considerate manner

4. Financial practices

1. Uses facility resources appropriately and avoids wasteful practices
2. Reports wasteful practices
3. Analyzes work area and makes recommendations for potential cost-effective improvements

5. Compliance program

1. Assists in the implementation and maintenance of the organization’s adopted compliance program
2. Performs according to established compliance policies and procedures

6. Performance-improvement program

1. Contributes to the progress and development of the organization's adopted performance-improvement program, policies, and procedures
2. Performs according to established performance-improvement policies and procedures

7. Safety/risk-management program

1. Adheres to safety policies and procedures in performing job duties and responsibilities
2. Reports observed or suspected safety violations, hazards, and policy/procedure noncompliance to the safety officer or other designated person
3. Complete annual education requirements

8. Professional competence

1. Participates in continuing education and other learning experiences
2. Shares knowledge gained in continuing education with staff
3. Maintains membership in relevant professional organizations
4. Seeks new learning experiences by accepting challenging opportunities and responsibilities
5. Welcomes suggestions and recommendations

9. Regulatory

1. Remains current on all applicable state and federal laws, rules, regulations, professional standards and accreditation standards
2. Submits required reports on a timely basis
3. Develops, interprets and recommends implementation of policies, procedures, regulations, programs and recommended practices to ensure requirements are met

10. Duties

1. Assesses patient status on admission to the preop area, the operating room and/or the post-op area, and on a continuing basis
2. Provides safe, therapeutic quality care to patients by utilizing the nursing process and nursing diagnosis in a timely manner and by setting appropriate priorities. Coordinates nursing interventions to enhance achievement of expected outcomes and to ensure readiness for discharge. Documents interventions and patients’ responses.
3. Ensures provision of patient care in an organized and timely manner.
4. Utilizes nursing care standards when planning and implementing patient care.
5. Communicates appropriate information regarding patient conditions to those who require the information including surgeons, anesthesia, management, and other staff.
6. Safely carries out physician’s orders correctly and promptly, documenting all activities
7. Initiates and participates in patient and family education. Assesses learning needs according to patient’s level of understanding and readiness to learn.
8. Displays an understanding of each patient’s cognitive, physical, emotional, and chronological maturity in assessment, treatment, and care.
9. Takes part in pre and post-op phone calls and communicates any problems to the appropriate person.
10. Maintains competencies to function in RN role within specific area.
11. Maintain competencies in conscious sedation administration and monitoring of sedated patient. Including airway protection, assessment and support of sedated patients.
12. Protect sedated and anesthetized patients by identifying safety hazards such as electrical, equipment, pressure points and by minimizing exposure to maintain privacy and body temperature.
13. Expertise in safety principles, asepsis, sterile technique and universal precautions.
14. Assess, anticipates and implements appropriate care throughout the surgical process.
15. Correlates clinical data with nursing care. Provides the patient with care measures congruent with his/her age, sex, and health status.
16. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, prioritizes work to meet the changing needs of the department.
17. Document and preform nursing care in assigned area based on standards of care and practice, AIASC policies and procedures.
18. Adhere to all policies and procedures, including but not limited to standards for confidentiality, Infection Control, safety (OSHA), attendance, punctuality and personal appearance.
19. Serve as a role model and mentor, providing direction and leadership to other staff.
20. Demonstrates understanding of established emergency procedures for AIASC.
21. Demonstrates the ability to make decisions concerning AIASC based problems.
22. Participates in the orientation of nursing and ancillary staff as requested.
23. Works to achieve and maintain regulatory certifications and accreditation of the AIASC
24. Must be willing to flex work hours as needed and/or requested by Manager or Charge Nurse.
25. Check and respond to emails in a timely and efficient manner
26. Additional duties as assigned such as Education (HealthStreams) and Safety Officer duties

Qualifications

1. Cooperative work attitude toward co-employees, management, patients, visitors, and physicians
2. Ability to promote favorable facility image with physicians, patients, insurance companies, and general public
3. Ability to make decisions and solve problems
4. Ability to apply and modify the principles, methods and techniques of professional nursing to provide on-going patient care.

Requirements

Education/Certificates/Licensure

1. Maintains current State of Florida RN licensure
2. Maintains CPR certification for Health Care Providers
3. ACLS & PALS certifications

Experience

1. Two years of Pre/Post-Operative experience, preferably in an ambulatory surgery center setting.