Surgical Technician

Emory•Atlanta, GA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

Join the groundbreaking cancer research and outstanding cancer patient care at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Georgia's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our Perioperative Surgical Department is a 22-bay unit with currently 6 operating rooms, and 4 more to open in the future. We also care for patients from other procedural areas such as Interventional Radiology and Endoscopy to provide complete specialized care. Our care communities focus on patients with specific types of cancer, providing specialized infusion, clinical examination rooms, clinical research, and space for support and rehabilitation services, allowing us to further focus on our holistic, patient-centered approach. This role implements and evaluates the care of pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients undergoing diagnostic and invasive surgical procedures. The Surgical Technician provides care to patients with complex health issues and serves as a clinical resource to staff. They analyze and anticipate less predictable outcomes of surgical interventions and lead service area-based committees. The individual is considered an expert in at least one specialty area and can competently handle multiple specialties. Specialty areas include General Surgery, ENT, Robotics, Ophthalmology (Corneal; Retina Cell transplants), Complex GYN, Complex Ortho/Spine, Thoracic, and Vascular. The technician participates in identifying cost containment activities, monitors and maintains supplies, and initiates purchases to ensure par levels. They identify more complex patient needs by reviewing procedure protocol, physician's request, and assessing the patient's physical needs, and prioritize procedure process and supplies for a specialty group of patients. The technician identifies unusual incidents during patient care procedures and complex procedure problems related to patient reaction, symptoms, or changes in needs. They plan for surgical procedures based on the identified needs of the surgeon and patient, and implement interventions for identified patient problems related to the surgical procedure and patient needs. The technician utilizes appropriate standards of care and/or collaborative clinical pathways to guide the plan of care, and determines the equipment, materials, and resources needed to meet the patient procedure plan. They communicate patients' and staff needs and responses through written and verbal communication to management as appropriate, and keep the peri-operative team abreast of procedure needs and progress. The technician maintains courteous and professional behavior in all interactions, participates in the development and revision of procedure protocols, unit-based forms, and specialty clinical pathways, and documents all aspects of care by following the established unit procedure. They establish and meet goals in one or more of the following areas: clinical practice, management, education, and/or research. Active membership in a professional organization is expected. The technician functions as a resource to resolve issues related to patient advocacy and acts as a resource for complex interdisciplinary needs. They identify available supply resources to meet procedure needs, and assist in identifying staff and patient education needs based on clinical situations and recommends appropriate inservice. The technician assists with planning and conducting department orientation of new staff and students, and assists with unit-based competency requirements. They serve as a role model or mentor for new staff and students, and comply with established policies and procedures. The technician provides input in developing and revising policies and procedures pertaining to specialized patient populations to improve the quality of patient care and successfully completes hospital and department-based orientation programs. They attend educational programs to develop optimal knowledge in their area of specialty. The technician assists in identifying ways in which patient and procedure outcomes can be modified through research and/or quality monitoring to improve the quality of patient care. They serve as a clinical resource for Surgical Technologists in a designated service line for orienting new employees, and review and identify revisions to the surgical preference cards for the designated service. The technician participates in unit-based and hospital-wide performance improvement programs and assists in research and related activities in the surgery department. They identify and communicate researchable problems as appropriate, and analyze and report data to the appropriate source. The technician performs related responsibilities as required. They assist surgeons and nurses with patients, equipment preparation, aseptic technique, and surgical procedures in the operating room. The technician prepares the operating room for surgery by assembling routine supplies, materials, instruments, and equipment; obtains special supplies indicated by the physician. They set up and operate a variety of specialized instrumentation, manual and powered equipment, and follow procedures for pre and post-operative accounting of sharps, sponges, and instruments used in the surgical set up.

Requirements

A high school diploma or equivalent.
Graduation from a surgical technology program or equivalent job training, which may include military perioperative programs and/or hospital-based training programs.
Two years multispecialty experience with one year in a complex specialty area.
Must be able to function as a clinical expert in two or more complex specialty service lines and have the ability to float to other complex service lines as needed.
Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification in accordance with the American Heart Association required.

Nice To Haves

Certification in Surgical Technology preferred.

Responsibilities

Implements and evaluates care of pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients undergoing diagnostic and invasive surgical procedures.
Provides care to patients with complex health issues and serves as a clinical resource to staff.
Analyzes and anticipates less predictable outcomes of surgical interventions.
Leads service area based committees.
Participates in identifying cost containment activities.
Monitors and maintains supplies and initiates purchases to ensure par levels.
Identifies more complex patient needs by reviewing procedure protocol, physician's request, and assessing the patient's physical needs.
Prioritizes procedure process and supplies for specialty group of patients.
Identifies verbally or in writing unusual incidents during patient care procedures and identifies complex procedure problems related to patient reaction, symptoms, or changes in needs based on patient reactions.
Plans for surgical procedure based on identified needs of surgeon and patient.
Implements intervention for identified patient problems as related to surgical procedure and patient needs.
Utilizes appropriate standards of care, and/or collaborative clinical pathways to guide the plan of care.
Determine the equipment, materials, and resources needed to meet the patient procedure plan.
Communicates patients' and staff needs and responses through written and verbal communication to management as appropriate.
Keeps the peri-operative team abreast of the procedure needs and progress.
Maintains courteous and professional behavior in all interactions.
Participates in the development and revision of procedure protocols, unit based forms and specialty clinical pathways.
Documents all aspects of care by following the established unit procedure.
Establishes and meets goals in one or more of the following areas: clinical practice, management, education, and/or research.
Active membership in professional organization.
Functions as a resource to resolve issues related to patient advocacy.
Acts as a resource for complex interdisciplinary needs.
Identifies available supply resources to meet procedure needs.
Assists in identifying staff and patient education needs based on clinical situations and recommends appropriate inservice.
Assists with planning and conducting department orientation of new staff and students.
Assists with unit based competency requirements.
Serves as role model or mentor for new staff and students.
Complies with established policies and procedures.
Provides input in developing and revising policies and procedures pertaining to specialized patient population to improve the quality of patient care.
Successfully completes hospital and department based orientation programs.
Attends educational programs to develop optimal knowledge in area of specialty.
Assists in identifying ways in which patient and procedure outcomes can be modified through research and/or quality monitoring to improve the quality of patient care.
Serves as clinical resource for Surgical Technologists in designated service line for orienting new employees.
Reviews and identifies revisions to the surgical preference cards for designated service.
Participates in unit based and hospital wide performance improvement programs.
Assists in research and related activities in the surgery department.
Identifies and communicates researchable problems as appropriate.
Analyzes and reports data to appropriate source.
Performs related responsibilities as required.
Assists surgeons and nurses with patients, equipment preparation, aseptic technique, and surgical procedures in the operating room.
Prepares the operating room for surgery by assembling routine supplies, materials, instruments, and equipment; obtains special supplies indicated by physician.
Set up and operate a variety of specialized instrumentation, manual and powered equipment.
Follows procedures for pre and post-operative accounting of sharps, sponges and instruments used in the surgical set up.