Lead Certified Surgical Technologist - Ortho/Trauma - FT - Operating Room - Morristown Medical Center

JOB PURPOSE:

• Anticipates the needs of the surgeon/physician by ensuring the availability of sterile instruments, supplies and equipment required during surgical/procedural interventions to maximize patient outcomes. Assumes a leadership role and in development of professional practice.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Applies principles and practices of asepsis; performs surgical scrub, gowning, and gloving procedure.
• Assembles all necessary supplies according to requirements of the patient and the surgical procedure.
• Sets up sterile instrument table and prepares supplies according to type of operation. Assists in draping of patient and operative area according to need.
• Assists and anticipates needs of surgeon for instruments, sutures, sponges, and supplies according to knowledge of procedural requirements and constant monitoring of progress.
• Maintains correct count of sponges, needles, and instruments with circulating nurse and report correctness of discrepancies according to established policy and procedure.
• Maintains and monitors aseptic technique at all times and institute corrective measures in the event of contamination.
• Assists in care, handling and disposition of specimen according to policy.
• Inspects instruments, trays and packages to ensure sterility and completeness and with no evidence of bioburden. Ensures proper functioning of instruments before use.
• Correctly receives and labels solutions and medications on the sterile field. Verifies all solutions and medications with RN team member.
• Participates in Universal Protocol; Sign in, Time out and sign out per policy.
• Participates in Fire Risk Assessment. Ensures fire safety measures are met and communicated.
• Demonstrates and understands use of all equipment in the patient care areas. Communicates malfunctioning equipment or instruments immediately and requests equipment be removed and sequestered appropriately until further investigation.
• Maintains sharps safety measures in handling, transfer and disposal. Direct all team members in safe handling measures within the sterile field.
• Maintains organized sterile back table. Follows point of use instrument cleaning standards. Use pre-cleansing solution on all instruments before delivering to SPD decontamination area.
• Assists with cleanup in OR as necessary.
• Maintains safety measures at all times.
• Maintains a good professional working relationship with all team members.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge through continuing education and organization and unit mandates. Achieves and maintained professional ST certification as required.
• Contributes to team efforts and high quality, safe patient outcomes through collaboration with peers, supervisors, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Promoting all PRIDE values.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Precepts and participates in new team members orientation process and mentoring of new team members.
• Active member of unit based shared governance council or participant in committees promoting departmental guidelines and protocols.
• Active participant and mentor of CST PACT program.
• Assists supervisors/management in budgetary planning, purchasing equipment, instruments and supplies.
• Promotes CST profession by attending professional conferences, seminars and continuing education. Working with department educators to create in services and share knowledge.
• Assist supervisors with preference cards, staff scheduling assignments, surgical case management and vendor communication.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• High School degree or equivalent required
• Graduate of an accredited school of surgical technology required
• Certification through NCCT or NBSTSA required
• 3-5 years of experience as a Scrub Tech in a Hospital Setting preferred.
• BLS required

COMPETENCIES:

• Surgical hand scrub
• Gowning and Gloving
• Setting up a sterile field
• Safe patient transfer
• EPIC and other computer programs e.g. Microsoft