Surgical Technologist, Labor and Delivery

Northside Hospital Inc.•Cumming, GA

About The Position

The Surgical Technologist handles the instruments, supplies, and equipment needed during surgical procedures and provides technical assistance and support to medical and surgical staff before, during, and after procedures. The role promotes patient safety and quality of care, supports surgical procedure turnover, and may serve multiple surgical service lines and care for neonates, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients. In Labor and Delivery, the role performs patient care activities for patients in labor and newborns, assists physicians and nurses during vaginal deliveries, and performs surgical technologist functions for procedures including cesarean deliveries, tubal ligations, and hysterectomies. The technologist also helps maintain a clean, neat, and safe environment and transports patients and newborns as needed.

Requirements

High school diploma, equivalent education (GED), or post-secondary education.
American Heart Association Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS).
Visual color acuity screening, depending on the role in specific units.
Graduate of an accredited surgical technology program and one year of experience working as a Surgical Technologist; alternatively, three years of full-time employment within the last seven years in an Operating Room setting working as a Surgical Technologist.

Nice To Haves

Certification as a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), or Technologist in Surgery-Certified (TS-C) through the National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT).

Responsibilities

Provide care and service to patients undergoing surgical intervention without regard to age, race, or gender.
Assist the surgical team before, during, and after procedures.
Review supplies and equipment; set up surgical equipment and prepare patients for surgery.
Position patients, complete surgical skin preps, and drape the sterile field.
Maintain sterile techniques, recognize breaks in technique, and take steps to regain sterility.
Organize and pass instruments, supplies, equipment, medication, and solutions.
Ensure appropriate management of surgical specimens and perform surgical counts with the circulating nurse.
May serve in the first or second scrub role.
Clean operating rooms in preparation for subsequent procedures.
Transport patients, newborns, specimens, clean equipment, and dirty equipment and supplies as needed.
Follow safety techniques and hospital and departmental policies; promptly report equipment malfunctions, unsafe conditions, or injuries and accidents to a supervisor.
When assigned to the expeditor role, complete case carts with required supplies and instruments at least 30 minutes before the next scheduled case; obtain instruments from the prior case for cleaning and sterilizing; deliver dirty carts and instruments to the soiled holding location; and place unused clean supplies in the appropriate area.
When assigned to the expeditor role, retrieve extra supplies and equipment, facilitate preference-card updates, ensure supplies and equipment are available, assist with room setup, support rapid procedure turnover, and return unnecessary equipment to designated storage.
Perform patient care activities for patients in labor, including obtaining vital signs and urine specimens, catheterization, perineal care, surgical skin prep, and assistance with position changes and ambulation.
Provide immediate newborn care, including drying, warming, observation, identification, measurement, eye care, and bathing.
Assemble equipment and supplies for procedures using aseptic techniques.
Assist physicians and nurses during vaginal deliveries, including preparing and monitoring patients and operating suction and other equipment.
Perform surgical technologist functions during cesarean deliveries, tubal ligations, and hysterectomies, including setting up the sterile field, passing instruments and surgical items, and performing surgical counts.
Maintain a clean, neat, and safe environment by tidying rooms, cleaning equipment, restocking linens and supplies, preparing rooms, and keeping utility rooms, equipment rooms, and hallways neat and clean.
Obtain information as needed to initiate routine admission procedures.