Surgical Services - RN - FT

Knoxville Hospital and Clinics strive to be your healthcare destination, building on compassion and innovation. We are committed to faithfully providing exceptional healthcare. The values we hold true are Teamwork, Innovation, Compassion, Integrity, Service, and People-Centered.

This is a Full-time Days positions, NO CALL OR WEEKENDS.

The Surgical Services Registered Nurse is responsible for the planning, executing, directing and evaluating direct and indirect nursing care given to the surgical patient. This care includes the pre-operative phase, intra-operative phase and indirect nursing care given to the surgical patient.

Essential Functions

• Supervises and directs patient care in pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative settings.
• Ensures that proper techniques and practices are used according to accepted standards of practice and AORN recommendations.
• Immediately reports any unusual occurrences to charge personnel, document appropriately in the patient record and completes variance reports as indicated.
• Perform pre-operative nursing, circulating nursing, scrub nursing and recovery nursing as assigned and based on experience and competency orientation.
• Maintains count on sponges, needles and instruments to ensure no loss of items according to KHC policy and AORN guidelines.
• Performs all circulating duties with efficiency and speed.
• Assist scrub nurse as necessary.
• Escorts patient to operating room and positions patient.
• Excellent aseptic ad sterile technique.
• Documentation of all necessary times, events, medications used, patient changes, etc.
• Promptly report all errors.
• Handles specimens and cultures as directed.
• Provides orderly progression of surgical schedule.
• Provides for psychological and physical needs of patient.
• Assist in control of and maintenance of supplies and equipment.
• Assists in administrative duties as necessary.
• Checks rooms, materials and equipment for proper handling.
• Ensures a clean, safe environment through continued alertness to safety, fire, explosive hazards and aseptic / sterile technique.
• Assists in control of traffic and personnel to ensure proper control of infection and asepsis.
• Assists in the orientation of new personnel.
• Assumes accountability and responsibility for his or her own work and those under their supervision.
• Perform daily safety checks and runs biological tests daily.
• Performs monthly cleaning duties and crash cart checks.
• Ensures that all equipment and instruments are processed and sterile based on checking for intact packaging and checking the indicator strips prior to placing on the back table and prior to patient entering room.
• Perform central sterile duties such as washing instruments, packing trays, using all equipment to clean, process and sterilize instruments and equipment.
• Ensure all supplies and instruments needed are readily available for full surgery schedule.
• Responsible for identifying expiration dates, checking inventory, ordering supplies and storing clean items.
• Maintains accurate records on sterilization, charges, and distribution of supplies.
• Decontaminates instruments, containers and all reusable equipment and supplies used within the department and as requested from other departments within the hospital.
• Prepares instruments, containers, packs, and equipment for sterilization.
• Monitor surgery schedule daily, identifying general, specific and potential needs for all

Job Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited nursing school with a current RN license in the State of Iowa.
• One year of experience in a surgical department or an acute care facility preferred.
• Current Mandatory Reporter, BCLS certification with ACLS preferred or within 1 year of hire.
• Must have excellent communication skills and display a high degree of professionalism and empathetic understanding/kindness towards others.
• Must possess those technical skills associated with the tasks and functions delineated under specific duties.
• Must be able to read, write and follow written or verbal instructions.
• Required to complete all annual competency training and maintain license and/or certification.

This is a Full-time position and is eligible for benefits for medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, retirement plan with company match of up to 6%, accrued hours for vacation and sick time, paid holidays, and company benefits for employee life, employee AD&D, short term and long-term disability.