Surgical Technologist

Independence Health System Careers•Butler, PA

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Surgical Technologist I assists with surgical procedures in the Operating Room as a scrub member of the surgical team, under the direction of a registered nurse and surgeon. The role provides direct and indirect patient care in accordance with hospital and departmental policies, procedures, protocols, and professional standards. The technologist works with the RN to develop and implement individualized, age-specific care plans and evaluate their effectiveness, supports patient reassessment, and involves patients, families, and other care providers as appropriate. The position maintains accurate and timely operating-room documentation, collaborates with physicians and other providers to support patient outcomes and continuity of care, and contributes to quality improvement, regulatory compliance, infection prevention, patient safety, and cost control. The technologist functions as a resource, patient advocate, and mentor or preceptor to new hires and students. The position has no direct supervisory responsibilities. As a member of the surgical team, the technologist obtains instruments and supplies, prepares and maintains sterile setups according to the procedure and surgeon preferences, assists with patient positioning and the surgical procedure, handles specimens, performs accurate OR counts, and supports cleaning and setup between cases. The role follows aseptic technique and reports and corrects breaks in that technique. Other duties may be assigned. Scheduling is based on operational need and may include rotating shifts, standby, and on-call work. Local travel between Excela Health locations may be expected. The role promotes Lean principles and ongoing process improvement, and employees are expected to take ownership of their motivation, performance, morale, and professional development. A sign-on bonus is noted as available to eligible hires.

Requirements

Successful completion of a surgical technology program.
Strong leadership ability and good organizational skills.
Independent and critical-thinking skills and sound judgment.
Strong ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) through an American Heart Association-approved CPR and AED program, or ability to acquire it within six months of hire or transfer into the unit.
Act 33 clearance with renewal.
Act 34 clearance with renewal.
Act 73 FBI clearance.
Act 81 compliance.
Ability to perform the essential functions described for the position, including its physical and working-condition requirements.

Nice To Haves

One to three years of surgical scrub experience preferred.
CST certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Assist with surgical procedures in the Operating Room as the scrub member of the surgical team under the direction of an RN and surgeon.
Deliver direct and indirect patient care in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, protocols, and professional standards.
Work with the RN to develop and implement individualized, age-specific plans of care and evaluate their effectiveness.
Assist the RN with reassessing patient condition and take appropriate action; involve patients, families, and other care providers when appropriate.
Complete patient-care activities within scheduled time periods and maintain complete, accurate, and timely OR Count Sheet and Surgical Site Identification/Verification Checklist documentation.
Collaborate with physicians and other health care providers to support patient outcomes and continuity of care; communicate relevant information for conferences and shift reports.
Report OR schedule changes and reassessment needs, and confer with the OR CNC when physician notification is needed.
Participate in performance-improvement activities, assist with data collection, and recommend process modifications.
Demonstrate leadership, independent problem-solving, accountability, resourcefulness, patient advocacy, and mentoring or preceptor skills.
Assist with controlling organizational and departmental costs and maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies and continuous survey readiness.
Follow infection-control and universal-precaution practices and hospital patient-safety policies, including using two patient identifiers before care.
Assume the appropriate code-team role during internal and external code situations.
Obtain necessary instruments and supplies from Central Service and perform central service technician duties when necessary or assigned.
Arrange sterile setups for procedures in coordination with surgeon preferences and update physician preference cards.
Assist with moving, lifting, and positioning patients; identify the correct procedure and site according to surgical-site identification policy.
Assist the surgeon, handle specimens appropriately, perform accurate OR counts, and take appropriate action when counts are incorrect.
Adapt to changing surgical-team needs and assist with cleaning and setting up surgical cases.
Follow aseptic principles, report breaks in aseptic technique, and rectify the situation.
Promote Lean work culture and continually seek work-process improvements.
Perform other duties as assigned.