Albany Lead Surgical Technologist - Operating Room

Mosaic Life Care•Albany, MO

About The Position

The Lead Surgical Technologist serves as a liaison between physicians and surgical staff in specialty areas, ensuring that supplies, equipment, information, and skills are available to support preoperative care. The position supports both the Inpatient and Outpatient Operating Rooms and keeps the Clinical Director and surgical staff informed about new procedures and practice patterns in the relevant specialties. The role works with others to provide safe care and favorable surgical outcomes. The Lead coordinates specialty supplies and equipment, maintains physician preference cards, supports case planning, and provides leadership and mentorship to specialty team members. The position also works with the OR Supervisor on staff assignments, performance feedback, and operational planning. Travel between system facilities and off-site locations may be required. The role requires the ability to take call for urgent or emergency cases after hours.

Requirements

High school diploma required.
At least 2 years of scrubbing experience, with a high degree of leadership and professionalism.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required upon hire.
Ability to travel between system facilities and off-site locations as needed.
Ability to work and communicate in a team setting with physicians, nurses, patients, and other technologists.
Technical skills including clear communication, equipment calibration, surgical instrumentation, precise hand-eye coordination, passing instruments, assembling instrumentation, manipulating small items, threading needles, and handling micro-instrumentation under an operating microscope.
Physical ability to move patients, carts, instruments, equipment, and supplies; stand for operative procedures for up to six uninterrupted hours; push and pull carts and equipment; lift extremities up to 30 pounds, patients up to 100 pounds, and instrument sets up to 40 pounds; climb or stand on stools; reach for supplies; and restrain patients immediately post-op if needed.
Mental abilities including performing sponge, needle, and instrument counts; interpreting physician preference cards; understanding surgical procedures, instrumentation, anatomy, physiology, and sequence of events; anticipating patient and surgeon needs; maintaining concentration for extended periods; adapting between cases and services; following department policies and procedures with minimal supervision; and organizing instrumentation and supplies.
Sensory abilities including seeing and distinguishing instruments, sutures, needles, and supplies on a sterile field; hearing physicians, circulating nurses, and schedule coordinators while wearing masks; feeling instruments and sutures; and distinguishing colors.
Ability to work around hazards including blood and body fluids, surgical chemicals and drugs, radiation, cleaning solutions, anesthesia waste gases, wet floors, needle sticks, knife cuts, methyl methacrylate, and laser plume.

Nice To Haves

Completion of an approved surgical technologist education program.
Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) certification, preferred upon hire.

Responsibilities

Maintain accurate, up-to-date physician preference cards and collaborate with surgical staff on timely updates.
Work with new physicians to develop case preferences.
Ensure appropriate packs are ordered for specialty cases and develop specialty packs as needed.
Communicate with surgeons about equipment and supplies needed for non-routine procedures and ensure they are available to the surgical team.
Communicate special needs and instructions to the surgical team.
Lead the team in achieving benchmarks for on-time starts and room turnovers.
Review the surgery schedule several weeks in advance to identify procedures requiring special supplies or equipment.
Provide leadership to specialty team members and foster teamwork.
Mentor surgery personnel who need instruction or guidance with unfamiliar procedures.
Coordinate with sales representatives to provide equipment for surgeons as needed.
Work with the OR Supervisor to ensure appropriate personnel are assigned to cases.
Provide staff performance input to the Director and OR Supervisor(s), and maintain anecdotal records as needed to document behaviors.
Participate in developing annual operating and capital budgets as they pertain to specialties.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Travel between system facilities and off-site locations as needed.
Take call for emergency or urgent cases after hours.