Registered Nurse - Surgical Services/OR, University Hospital

USA Health•Mobile, AL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

USA Health is hiring a Registered Nurse for Surgical Services/OR at University Hospital. The role provides family-centered peri-operative nursing care in accordance with organizational policies and the Nurse Practice Act. The RN uses the nursing process to assess patients, plan individualized care, identify expected outcomes, and implement and evaluate interventions for patients and families. The position performs both scrub and circulating duties, maintains a sterile field, uses technically advanced equipment, and provides safe care across the patient populations listed in the posting. The RN may serve as Charge Nurse when assigned, supervise and coordinate care delivered by licensed and non-licensed staff, and act as a preceptor for new employees and nursing students. The position also involves communicating with patients, families, physicians, and the healthcare team; maintaining accurate medical records; supporting quality and safety activities; and completing unit, educational, and hospital requirements. The employee must be available at the hospital within 30–45 minutes of call and work the defined schedule, including overtime and call as required. Benefits eligibility is limited to employees in a regular position working at least 20 hours per week (.50 FTE or greater).

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited school of nursing.
Current Alabama RN license or current Multi-State RN License in accordance with the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) for Alabama.
Ability to work the defined schedule, overtime, and call as required.
Ability to be available in the hospital within 30–45 minutes of call.

Responsibilities

Provide family-centered nursing care in accordance with policies and the Nurse Practice Act.
Serve as Charge Nurse when assigned and supervise, plan, evaluate, and coordinate patient care provided by licensed and non-licensed staff.
Demonstrate CPR according to American Heart Association standards and provide basic life support and management of arrest situations.
Follow compliance requirements, organizational values, hospital policies, confidentiality requirements, infection control standards, and safety standards.
Precept new employees and nursing students.
Be available in the hospital within 30–45 minutes of call.
Use the nursing process to assess patients, plan individualized care, identify expected outcomes, and implement and evaluate nursing interventions.
Provide direct patient care in accordance with unit-specific competencies, including therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, medication administration, IV starts, and activities of daily living.
Respond appropriately to emergency patient situations and perform skilled procedures safely.
Use proper body mechanics when moving, positioning, or transferring patients and equipment.
Participate in patient and family teaching and document the teaching.
Use a personal computer or terminal to access the Hospital Information System.
Communicate effectively and use appropriate customer-relations skills with physicians, patients, families, and the healthcare team in person and by telephone; respond to overhead pages.
Maintain accurate and complete medical records, complete peri-operative assessments within unit time frames, and document patient charges accurately.
Complete assigned duties positively, cooperate with others, support unit performance, complete mandatory requirements, and use cost-effective practices.
Accept reassignment to other areas of Surgical Services and perform related duties as required.
Provide competent care to neonates, infants and toddlers/preschoolers, school-age children and adolescents, people of reproductive age, and post/peri-menopausal patients.
Manage peri-operative patients using aseptic principles and initiate corrective action when aseptic practice is interrupted.
Use technically advanced equipment, participate in evaluation of new products, and maintain supplies needed for procedures.
Care for specimens and cultures according to policies and procedures.
Perform scrub and circulating duties, establish and maintain the sterile field, and maintain unit-specific quality-control logs.
Inspect sterile items for contamination and expiration before opening.
Accompany patients to PACU and provide appropriate handoff communication.
Monitor and maintain the peri-operative environment, including temperature, traffic, and aseptic technique.
Perform sponge and sharp counts, take corrective action when counts are incorrect, and communicate and document count results according to facility policy.
Monitor medication labeling on the sterile field and ensure accurate mixing and dosing.
Use two patient identifiers when transporting or transferring patients, labeling specimens, and administering medications.
Participate in unit activities related to National Patient Safety Goals, including thromboembolism prevention, pre-operative antibiotic administration, beta blocker administration, Universal Protocol, and sterile-field medication labeling.
Apply patient-safety practices involving fall prevention, positioning, transfers, surgical-site identification, electrosurgical safety, laser safety, operating-room fire prevention, and recognition of malignant hyperpyrexia signs and symptoms.
Pull cases using the surgeon preference card, ensure required supplies are available and in date, and ensure cases are appropriately set up before the patient enters the room.
Participate in unit educational activities, including role-playing and return demonstrations.
Use downtime between cases to support unit cleanliness, appropriate stock levels, and extra-duty assignments.
Complete vendor notification forms for implant tracking and participate in unit recycling and reprocessing activities.
Ensure required medical-record items are present and reviewed before patient transfer to the OR, including pre-operative orders, updated H&P signature, consults, labs, consent, and applicable Medicaid tubal/hysterectomy consents.
Identify, organize, and direct activities to use resources, personnel, and materials to meet patient and nursing-staff needs.
Communicate ongoing unit-status, patient, staffing, quality-management, and other issues to the Nurse Manager and Nurse Administrator.
Act as the first line of problem resolution with other departments and for patient complaints.
Assist with shift-duty assignments or serve as staff nurse as needed.
Verify that emergency equipment is functional.
Participate in committees and Performance Improvement activities as assigned.
Access and accurately maintain electronic and paper medical records.
Maintain regular and prompt attendance and work the defined schedule, including overtime and call as required.