Certified First Assistant

Job Description

The Surgical First Assistant Coordinator, under the guidance of the primary Surgeon, is responsible for the care and treatment of patients in the Operating Room. In terms of the surgical technologist's responsibility, the individual prepares operating rooms and assists surgeons.

Frye Regional Medical Center, located in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina is a 355-bed acute care hospital, 81-bed Behavioral Health facility and more than 70 primary and specialty care providers.

• Prepares surgical operating suite with drapes, solutions, instruments, equipment and supplies.
• Ensures good working order of equipment and instruments.
• Performs the role of the scrub technician.
• Uses principles of aseptic technique to establish and maintain a sterile field; facilitates efficient completion of the surgery schedule.
• Maintains organized work area and participates in daily unit duties. Maintains a clean, safe, comfortable and organized work area free of clutter.
• Positions patient to give best exposure for surgical procedure, using stabilizing equipment when necessary, while maximizing patient comfort and safety.
• Provides visualization of the operative site using appropriate method, including manipulation of tissue and materials, retraction, sponging, suctioning, and irrigation.
• Utilizes appropriate technique to achieve temporary and permanent hemostasis.
• Assists with body plane closure, application of wound dressings, and securing of drainage systems.
• Participate with interviews of prospective new hires for their service line.
• Ensure that cart checks are completed monthly and outdated supplies are removed.
• Assist with promoting staff development, assessing educational needs.
• Encourage ideas from the team and work collaboratively with them on implementation when feasible.
• The Lead will promote positive team dynamics and work to improve the patient experience.
• Demonstrates skills in sterile technique and maintaining the sterile field.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of surgical instruments and their applications.
• Provides orientation for new staff members as needed or assigned.
• Supports and maintains a culture of safety and quality.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team, in a fast-paced environment.
• Supports and maintains a culture of safety, quality and positive patient experience.
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements, CMS, National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs), HIPPA and continued readiness related to healthcare or hospital standards.
• Assess and evaluate the organization of supplies, equipment, unit needs and initiate changes, as deemed necessary, working with departmental staff and leadership. The lead will also follow up on changes until fully implemented.
• Contribute to policy development and updates.
• Environmental Rounding- ensures that equipment and department is clean and items in good repair.
• Notifies nursing leads of needed items and repairs.
• Uses Standard Precautions at all times.
• Uses principles of aseptic technique in various situations.
• Initiates corrective action when breaks in technique occur.
• Inspects sterile items for integrity before opening or delivering to sterile field. Verifies presence and appropriate color change of chemical indicators in all loads.
• Maintains sterility while opening sterile packages.
• Communicates maintenance of sterile field.
• Follows surgical attire policy.
• Sterile setup is ready prior to patient arrival in OR.
• Instruments, sutures and other sterile items are passed to the surgeon in an efficient manner.
• Sterile field is maintained in an organized manner.
• Physician's needs are anticipated and delivered in a timely manner.
• Sponge, needle and instrument counts are carried out per policy and in an efficient manner to prevent need for recounts.
• Instruments are prepared for terminal cleaning at the end of the procedure.
• Medications are received on the sterile field per policy.
• Receives and handles surgical specimens according to policy.
• Surgeon's preference cards are used to accurately pull required supplies for cases. Special equipment and supply needs are anticipated and requested as soon as possible prior to the scheduled time of…