Anesthesia Technician, Operating Room

Mercyhealth Wisconsin and Illinois•Janesville, WI

17h•Onsite

About The Position

The Anesthesia Technician in the Operating Room assists anesthesia providers with the acquisition, preparation, application, evaluation, and maintenance of equipment and supplies necessary for anesthesia administration. This role involves supporting clinicians in invasive pressure monitoring, setting up various monitoring equipment in the operating room, and assisting during surgical procedures with tasks like flushing, calibrating, and inserting arterial pressure lines, central venous, and Swan-Ganz catheters. The technician is responsible for checking and troubleshooting ventilators and anesthesia machines, operating monitoring and recording systems, and identifying specialized equipment for difficult intubations. Key duties also include calibrating patient monitoring systems, assisting with patient transfers, providing patient care activities, cleaning and maintaining non-disposable anesthesia equipment, stocking supplies, and troubleshooting equipment malfunctions. The role requires demonstrating knowledge of age-appropriate patient care, assisting with room turnovers, preparing patients for surgery, supporting OR nurses and technicians, running errands for supplies, answering phones, and aiding with patient comfort during induction and emergence. The technician must also demonstrate knowledge of surgical scrub techniques and maintaining a sterile field.

Requirements

High School Graduate
Typically requires 1 year of experience in a surgical, medical or related healthcare setting
Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification issued by the American Heart Association (AHA).

Responsibilities

Assists anesthesia provider in the acquisition, preparation, application, evaluation and maintenance of equipment and supplies required for the administration of anesthesia.
Supports the clinician in the establishment and management of Invasive pressure monitoring.
Sets up monitoring equipment in the operating room. This includes the operating table, electrocardiograph (EGG) and temperature cables, hyper/hypothermia blanket, medication and pressure manifolds, rapid infusion warmer, recorders, defibrillators, the patient monitoring system, and transesophageal echocardiography imaging unit (TEE) machines.
During surgical procedures is able to flush, calibrate and assist in the insertion of arterial pressure lines, central venous and Swan-Ganz catheter insertion.
Checks ventilators for proper operating efficiency and able to troubleshoot anesthesia machines, operates monitor and recording systems.
Identify the various types of intubation blades, and fiberoptic bronchoscopes as well as any other special equipment or supplies required for difficult intubation.
Competencies to include use of I-STAT, ACT and ultrasound machines as needed.
Calibrates all pressures and recording systems within the patient monitoring system to ensure and maintain precise readings.
Assists In transfers of patients to and from the operating room.
Provides patient care activities as assigned and per routine, according to standards of care, shift routines, and policies and procedures.
Cleans all non-disposable anesthesia equipment after each procedure and assists with turnover of room, performs daily maintenance checks and stocks equipment.
Moves anesthesia equipment to proper surgical suite; checks equipment to verify proper connections, gases turned off, etc.
Maintains adequate supply of proper equipment such as: needles, syringes, airways, endotracheal tube (ET) tubes, scopes and blades, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff and other necessary items in anesthesia carts.
Troubleshoots equipment malfunctions or failures and takes all necessary steps to promptly return the equipment to a safe and reliable operating condition, using backup equipment when necessary.
Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.
Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures.
Assist in turning over rooms (helping tear down, assist with sending the dirty cart to SPD, wipe down rooms, mop, assist with sorting cases and opening supplies).
Expedite patient readiness by clipping hair near the surgical site, applying ted stockings, applying scds.
Support and assist OR nurses and technicians in the operative setting with transport, turnover, and sorting of cases.
Runner for additional supplies/blood, transport specimens, etc.
Answer phones utilizing CMOS scripting.
Aids with preparing the beds, assisting with warm blankets for induction and emergence.
Demonstrates knowledge of a surgical scrub, maintaining a sterile field when assisting with holding retractors and sterile limb preparation.
Assists with room turnovers specific to anesthesia needs.
Function within Anesthesia Tech scope of practice.