LPN-Surgical/Perioperative

Decypher•Fort Belvoir, VA

About The Position

The Surgical/Perioperative LPN provides clinical and technical support for invasive endoscopic and pulmonary procedures. The role assists providers and nursing staff with patient preparation, monitoring, recovery, specimen handling, and procedure room operations. Responsibilities also include operating and maintaining specialized endoscopy equipment, supporting infection control and reprocessing standards, recognizing patient complications, and helping ensure safe and efficient patient care throughout procedures. The position is with Decypher, which partners with the Defense Health Agency to deliver professional services, technology, and management solutions supporting care for veterans, servicemembers, and their families.

Requirements

Graduate from a State Board of Nursing-approved LPN/LVN training program, or complete equivalent military training that permits sitting for the State licensure examination.
Associate degree in Practical Nursing.
Current unrestricted LPN/LVN license in one of the 50 U.S. states and/or territories.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Advanced Life Support (ACLS/ALS) certification.
At least 1 year of LPN experience in an inpatient or outpatient healthcare setting.
Previous work experience in endoscopy suites, operating rooms, or other procedure-based suites.
U.S. citizenship.
Ability to work in a dimly lit or dark procedure room.
Ability to lift heavy items weighing 45 pounds or more.
Ability to stand for up to 8 hours per shift and walk for up to 5 hours.

Responsibilities

Prepare patients for invasive procedures, including collecting preoperative data and providing information and education before and after procedures.
Assist physicians, LPNs, RNs, hospital medics, and Corpsmen in preparing for, performing, and recovering patients from invasive gastroenterological procedures.
Provide diagnostic support, including cardio-respiratory monitoring, obtaining specimens and laboratory results, and documenting in patient records.
Perform EKGs, including 12-lead EKGs; start intravenous lines as directed by a physician or RN; and perform Point of Care Glucose and HCG testing.
Recognize abnormal findings, report them to GI providers and RNs, and document them in automated medical records.
Recognize changes in patients’ conditions and report them to the RN.
Recognize life-threatening conditions and perform BLS and ALS resuscitative procedures.
Assist with post-anesthesia recovery following gastroenterological and pulmonary procedures under RN supervision.
Recognize and respond immediately to post-operative concerns and complications, report them to the RN and GI provider, and document them in the medical record.
Provide endoscopy procedure discharge instructions to patients and family members under RN supervision.
Assist with patient transportation to and from the endoscopy suite and between rooms.
Assist physicians with invasive endoscopic procedures.
Set up, clean, disinfect, and store endoscopic equipment.
Set up computer-based equipment to receive procedure data and generate procedure reports.
Operate electronic video endoscopy equipment and handle endoscopic accessories, including light sources, image-generating and retrieval systems, and tissue retrieval devices such as biopsy forceps and polypectomy snares.
Apply therapeutic endoscopy techniques, including electrocoagulation and injection hemostasis.
Perform preventive maintenance and operator-level care of equipment, identify when higher-level support is needed, and initiate action to obtain it.
Handle biopsy tissue and other materials obtained during procedures, including recording and transporting them to the laboratory.
Recover procedure rooms after procedures, return unused supplies to stock, clean medical equipment according to MTF and Joint Commission guidelines, and restock supplies to par levels.
Coordinate directly with the Department of Pathology to ensure timely and complete retrieval.
Participate in patient-related administrative activities as directed by the division head.
Ensure the unit follows applicable endoscopic procedure infection-control guidelines and policies, including equipment preparation, point-of-care cleaning, manual cleaning, high-level disinfection, and storage.
Maintain files and records relating to endoscope reprocessing activities and functions.
Prepare and replace endoscope reprocessing materials.