Surgical Technologist Extern, Neurosurgery OR Richland, PRN

About the position

The Surgical Tech Extern works under the supervision of the registered nurse and medical staff to assist in facilitating safe and effective surgical procedures. The student surgical tech works to ensure that the operating room environment is safe, that equipment functions properly and that the operative procedure is conducted under conditions that maximize patient safety. A student surgical technologist possesses expertise in the theory and application of sterile and aseptic technique and combines the knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures, and implementation tools and technologies to facilitate a physician's performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures.

Responsibilities

• Prepares operating room with the assistance of other personnel in accordance with procedures for disinfection of furniture and equipment.
• Selects and secures appropriate instruments, equipment, and supplies according to a particular surgical procedure.
• Exercises proper sterile technique, opens and arranges sterile field in accordance with the accepted protocol for each surgical procedure.
• Utilizes appropriate sterilization methods for special equipment and instruments under the guidance of the surgical team.
• Reports pertinent patient information including changes in patient's condition or observations relevant to patient care to the Registered Nurse.
• Assists surgical team in assuring that all items used are replaced in inventory, charged for, and reported to circulator of case.
• Maintains cleanliness of the work environment and assists in cleaning the OR for the next procedure.
• Disposes of contaminated linens and waste, cleans instruments as needed, and disinfects equipment.
• Recognizes and reports malfunctioning of unsafe equipment to appropriate persons.
• Assists the Surgical Team with the replacement of med/surg supplies and uses proper procedure for securing supplies from other areas.
• Checks, restocks, and inventories supplies; checks, rotates, and reprocesses dated items.
• Demonstrates initiative in learning the composition of all surgical trays and specialty items used in procedures in the Operating Room.
• Maintains confidentiality of patients, personnel, and system information.

Requirements

• Enrollment in an accredited Surgical Technology Program
• BLS required

Nice-to-haves

• A letter of recommendation from a surgical tech instructor is preferred.