Registered Nurse (RN) - OR - PT

Job Title: Registered Nurse (RN)

Department: Surgery

Reports To: (OR) Surgery Supervisor

SUMMARY: The Registered Nurse (RN) working in the Surgery Department will be expected to perform in inpatient and outpatient surgery, endoscopy, PACU, and surgery admission. The RN is responsible for identifying patient needs and priorities for care through assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation. The RN will coordinate care between other professional disciplines as needed. Essential information is shared with health care team members and other unit customers through documentation and oral communication.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list includes the needs to be met every shift.

• All duties and responsibilities included in the Surgical Scrub Technician job description.
• Initiate assessment/admission based on the patient’s problems or needs, the physician’s medical diagnosis, and Physician orders.
• Assumes responsibilities to perform circulator and scrub duties per the Surgery policy / procedure manual.
  • Collect key information from patient, family, laboratory and other medical records.
  • Determine priorities for care with special consideration given to patient teaching, discharge planning and needs of the patient and family.
  • Determine which standards of care and practice apply to the patient.
  • Document assessment and care provided.

• Complete ongoing assessments according to policy and as determined by patient conditions or change of condition involving family or other significant individuals, as needed.
• Perform therapeutic nursing interventions:
  • As ordered by the physician and/or other care providers.
  • Consistent with scope of practice as defined by the Kansas State Board of Nursing.
  • Consistent with primary and population specific standards of care and practice.
  • Consistent with physician approved protocols, policies and procedures.
  • With consideration given to knowledge gained from the initial / ongoing assessment of the patient.

• Determine impact of nursing interventions on the patient’s condition and recognizes patient’s progress towards meeting desired outcomes.
• Document care based on standards of practice, patient acuity, and/or surgical priorities for documentation:
  • Assessment and ongoing assessment findings.
  • Updated surgical priorities for documentation.
  • Will maintain operating room clinical competence.
  • Identify, label and report any problems or malfunctions of equipment and supplies to supervisor.
  • Therapeutic nursing interventions with special attention to patient educational and discharge planning interventions.
  • Patient’s response to interventions and progress towards outcomes.

• Maintains safe environment by recognizing, eliminating and/or reporting hazards.
• Meet or exceed customer needs in a caring, effective and cost-effective manner.
• Maintain levels of quality that meet or exceed customer expectations through process improvement and a team-oriented approach.
• Has pre and postoperative verbal and written communication with the floor charge nurse regarding care and transfer of the surgical patient.
• Will accept scheduled call time and be available for emergency procedures with a response time of 30 minutes or less.
• Maintain confidentiality in matters relating to patient/family and coworkers.
• Provide information to patients and families to reduce anxiety and convey an attitude of acceptance, sensitivity and caring.
• Initiate communication with peers about clinical priorities for care.
• Accept assignments based on patient census, acuity, needs and the qualifications and competencies of self and other staff members.
• Delegate work to other staff members as needed.
• Initiate problem solving and conflict resolution skills to foster effective work relationship with peers.
• Attend and participate in at least 50% of staff meetings. Completes all mandatory in-services/competencies during the specified times.

• Comply with the personnel policies, department policies and CHS Code of Conduct.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions related to qualifications, physical demands and the work environment.

Education and/or Experience:

Required: Current license to practice in the state of Kansas.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Requirements:

• Active KS RN
• ACLS and BLS (within 6 months acute medical surgical care nursing.)

Preferred: Prior operating room, PACU experience. Experience with pediatrics, newborns and postpartum care.

Desired Abilities, Skill and Knowledge:

• Excellent oral / written comprehension and expression
• Ability to manage a complex work environment related to changing patient needs, including work with patients with acute, chronic and complex disease processes and those who are dying.
• Good organizational skills and computer skills
• Pleasant, service-oriented personality.

Language Skills:

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and address questions from residents, family members, medical staff, other employees, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills:

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent.

Reasoning Ability:

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand; walk; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; stoop, kneel, crouch and talk or hear. The employee may occasionally regularly lift and /or move and / or assist patients. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.