Demo

RN, First Assist Lead

Kaiser Permanente Northwest
Clackamas, OR Full Time
POSTED ON 10/8/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/6/2026
Job Summary

Position functions as the leader of a Specialty Service within a Hospital or Ambulatory Surgery Center. Provides assistance to the surgical team during the intra-operative phase of surgical care for the Northwest Regional Hospitals or Ambulatory Surgery Centers. Works in collaboration with the surgeon, anesthesia, health care team, materials, purchasing and outside vendors in the planning and performance of surgical procedures. This would include; assessment, planning, directing, providing advanced nursing care as well as working with above departments to ensure all equipment, instrumentation and adequate staffing are available to facilitate a high quality surgical experience for our members.

Essential Responsibilities

  • Representative Functions or Duties: Pre-operative: Performs pre-operative assessment and evaluation if required. Collaborates with the surgical team on plan of care. Coordinate and communicate with circulator regarding equipment and implant needs for case, assist in obtaining. Plan for upcoming surgical cases in OR specialty. View upcoming schedules for instrument, equipment, staffing, implant, tissue and/or vendor needs. Responsible for organizing and communicating case needs to appropriate person or department. Reviews and updates surgical preference cards for specialty. This may be delegated to other team members.
  • Representative Functions or Duties: Intra-operative: Provides knowledge based technical assistance to the surgeon and operating room team during the operative procedure according to AORN standards, licensure, state regulation and facility/practice protocols, including: Use of instruments and medical devices. Providing surgical exposure. Handling and/or cutting tissue. Providing hemostatis, clamp, cut, and ligate tissue as directed by the surgeon. Suturing as directed by the surgeon. Acts as a clinical resource for the specialty. Helps facilitate issues during surgical cases. Responds to urgent/emergent needs of the department.
  • Representative Functions or Duties: Post-Operative: Apply post-op splints and/or braces. During Anesthesia emergence, bring stretcher into room. Help transfer patient to stretcher. Remain in room for turnover unless specific instructions for Post-op care required in PACU.
  • Practice standards of performance: Communicates information so that continuity of care is maintained. Communicates with patient, family and other staff in a professional and courteous manner. Obtains and demonstrates the skills and knowledge needed to provide appropriate population based and culturally sensitive care to patients and families through education, training and experience. Provides continuous reassessment through the intra operative period. Utilizes knowledge of type of procedure to plan for appropriate set up. Function as an assistant in all surgical specialties at the direction of the attending surgeon. Performs RNFA responsibilities in accordance with the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Oregon, institutional policies and procedures of Kaiser Permanente and the AORN Position Statement on RN First Assistants. Practice within limitations of preparation and experience. Demonstrate RNFA specific clinical skills. Review and update skills checklist on an ongoing basis as specified by policies of Kaiser Permanente. Assists with room preparation and opening of supplies in collaboration with the circulating nurse and scrub person. Have available patient X-rays/MRIs. Check image capture machine and films NOTE: Notify Team Lead or designee if films/MRIs etc. are not available. Assists in patient transport to the operating room and transfer to the operating room table. Assists in patient positioning. Assists in patient preparation, i.e., prepping, catheterization, clipping, as necessary. Participates in briefing/time out and debriefing. Assists in patient draping. Sets up ESU, lights, suction for the sterile field. Monitors free counted items on the sterile field. Observes for breaks in sterile technique and takes appropriate action as necessary. Assists with instrumentation and equipment as requested. Applies dressings and secures drainage tubes. Assists with patient transfer and positioning post operatively. Assists with room tear down and turn over in collaboration with the circulating nurse and scrub person. Assist in maintaining a safe environment and promoting efficiency in surgical procedures. Available for breaks and lunch relief, local monitor, scrub and circulate as needed. Provides input to Manager on team members performance and learning needs. Involved in team member selection, work with education and OR staff in the orientation of new staff. Collaborates on staffing assignments with the OR desk Charge Nurse, plans for breaks, lunch, hand off in care. Participates in quality improvement activities for the specialty.

Experience

Basic Qualifications:

  • Two (2) years of intra-operative scrubbing and circulating experience within Specialty.
  • One (1) year of recent experience, within the last two (2) years, as an RNFA or successful completion of a CCI recognized RNFA course and agreement from ASC.

Education

  • N/A

License, Certification, Registration

  • Registered Nurse License (Oregon)
  • Registered Nurse First Assistant Certificate
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support
  • Nurse Operating Room Certificate
  • Basic Life Support

Additional Requirements

  • Meets all qualifications of an RNFA as outlined in AORN Position Statement.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Two (2) to five (5) years of practice as an RNFA.
  • CRNFA Certification preferred.
  • Ability to assist on all cases performed within Surgical Services.

Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.

Primary Location: Oregon,Clackamas,Sunnybrook Medical Offices

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40

Shift: Day

Workdays: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri

Working Hours Start: 07:00 AM

Working Hours End: 05:30 PM

Job Schedule: Full-time

Job Type: Standard

Worker Location: Onsite

Employee Status: Regular

Employee Group/Union Affiliation: W01|AFT|Local 5017

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Department: Sunnybrook Medical Ofcs - Day Surgery - 1001

Pay Range: $65.4 - $95.57 / hour

Kaiser Permanente strives to offer a market competitive total rewards package and is committed to pay equity and transparency. The posted pay range is based on possible base salaries for the role and does not reflect the full value of our total rewards package. Actual base pay determined at offer will be based on labor market data, internal alignment, and a candidate's years of relevant work experience, education, certifications, skills, and geographic location.

Travel: No

Work Setting: Onsite

Worker location must align with Kaiser Permanente's Authorized States policy.

Kaiser Permanente is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair, respectful, and inclusive workplaces. Applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic or status.

Salary : $65 - $96

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a RN, First Assist Lead?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the RN, First Assist Lead career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$100,218 - $122,841
Income Estimation: 
$103,451 - $147,195
Income Estimation: 
$140,279 - $184,407
Income Estimation: 
$95,686 - $120,121
Income Estimation: 
$116,256 - $149,125
Income Estimation: 
$100,218 - $122,841
Income Estimation: 
$103,451 - $147,195
Income Estimation: 
$140,279 - $184,407
Income Estimation: 
$95,686 - $120,121
Income Estimation: 
$116,256 - $149,125
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Kaiser Permanente Northwest

  • Kaiser Permanente Northwest Clackamas, OR
  • Job Summary Under the general supervision of the Clinical Technology Manager and Chief Medical Imaging Engineer, performs duties pertaining to acquisition,... more
  • 16 Days Ago

  • Kaiser Permanente Northwest Clackamas, OR
  • Job Summary Under the general supervision of the Clinical Technology Manager and Chief Medical Imaging Engineer, performs duties pertaining to acquisition,... more
  • 16 Days Ago

  • Kaiser Permanente Northwest Clackamas, OR
  • Job Summary Under general supervision and in collaboration with other members of the health care team, uses clinical judgment skills to diagnose and treat ... more
  • 16 Days Ago

  • Kaiser Permanente Northwest Hillsboro, OR
  • Job Summary In addition to the responsibilities below, this position is also responsible for leading the implementation of best practice models; leading th... more
  • 16 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other RN, First Assist Lead jobs in the Clackamas, OR area that may be a better fit.

  • Kaiser Permanente Clackamas, OR
  • Job Summary: Provides assistance to the surgical team during the intra-operative phase of surgical care for the Northwest Surgical Services region. Works i... more
  • 1 Month Ago

  • Kaiser Permanente Clackamas, OR
  • Job Summary: Provides assistance to the surgical team during the intra-operative phase of surgical care for the Northwest Surgical Services region. Works i... more
  • 1 Day Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!