Veterinary Assistant - Operating Room Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

Operating Room Assistant

The role of the OR technician is to ensure the highest standard of peri-operative and intraoperative surgical care for all surgical patients.

Strict adherence to current standards of asepsis operating room etiquette and protocol are to be upheld at all times. In-depth knowledge of soft tissue and orthopedic procedures, in addition to a thorough working knowledge of applicable surgical instrumentation.

It is expected that the OR Technician will be responsible for operating room and surgical equipment cleanliness and maintenance, and to maintain adequate inventory of disposables needed for procedures.

The OR technician will work closely with surgeons to perform non-sterile circulatory duties and to provide sterile surgical assistance during procedures.

OR technicians will work closely with members of the anesthesia team to provide efficient, coordinated care for all surgical patients

General Duties

• Coordinate daily schedule with surgeons and anesthesia team
• Verify patient positioning, surgical margins, and surgical equipment with surgeons
• Set up for patient prep
• Set up operating rooms for scheduled procedures
• Test and maintain electric surgical equipment (c-arm, scope towers, cautery, etc)
• Ensure that OR’s are stocked and appropriately disinfected each day
• Organize and maintain surgical implant inventory
• Organize and maintain surgical disposables inventory
• Maintain inventory of supplies within the surgical core and in OR’s
• Must have a general knowledge of surgical instrument identification, in addition to knowing where instruments and supplies are located.
• Work closely with Central Sterilization team to ensure availability of instruments and packs for daily procedures
• Knowledge of correct instrument care and sterilization techniques
• Maintain surgery case logs
• Facilitate operative reports
• Attend departmental rounds
• Submit histopathology / culture samples- correctly package and submit samples to various lab locations
• Assist with wound management and bandage changes
• Able to properly run bloodwork
• Ability to follow all Central Hospital’s Standard Operating Procedures such as, but not limited to :
• Patient preparation
• Scrubbing, gowning and gloving
• OR etiquette
• Daily, weekly and monthly OR cleaning schedules
• Anesthetic Machine and procedure set up
• Develop the ability to take quality orthopedic and soft tissue radiographs.

Pre-Surgical Duties

• Verify surgical cases for the next day
• Verify availability of surgical supplies for cases
• 1st of the month check all procedures scheduled
• Weekly check for procedures upcoming the next week
• 1 day in advance of procedure
• Clarify any issues with patient prep / positioning, OR set-up, instrumentation prior to induction
• Set up OR’s accordingly
• Rooms have been properly cleaned prior to procedures
• All equipment needed for procedure should be in the OR
• Pre-check all electronic equipment
• Lights adjusted
• Patient table should be set up with towels and warming devices. Adjust table height
• Diagnostic imaging displayed
• Patient information input into scope tower
• Set up patient prep area
• Ensure that clippers are cleaned, disinfected and in good working order.
• New clipper blades
• Sterile saline
• 4% chlorhexidine scrub, undiluted
• Chlorhexidine solution / alcohol spray
• Sterile, non-woven gauze
• Sterile bowl
• Exam gloves
• Sterile gloves
• Tape and vetwrap
• Sterile drape
• Assist anesthesia tech with induction
• Assist as needed with / or perform central line or urinary catheter placement
• Assist as needed with nerve blocks or epidural administration
• Surgically clip surgical area with appropriate margins
• Confirm surgical site / incision with surgeon
• Perform dirty prep and final aseptic target prep, ensuring appropriate contact time
• Assist with / ensure appropriate patient positioning in the operating room
• Perform final sterile prep on patient
• Perform circulatory duties and / or provide sterile assistance

Circulatory Nurse Duties

• Ensure that the aseptic standards are maintained at all times
• Properly open sterile packs and instruments
• Perform verbal surgical checklist
• Verify pass / fail status of sterile indicators in packs and on peel pouches
• Ensure that sterile personnel perform sponge and sharps counts during the procedure and prior to closing
• Remain available during the procedure to provide sterile personnel with additional items
• Accurately apply post-operative bandages

Scrub Nurse Duties

• Provide sterile surgical assistance to surgeons in the operating room
• Knowledge of the surgical procedure being performed
• Must be able to accurately perform aseptic handwashing, closed gloving and sterile gowning
• Maintain a clean and organized instrument table
• Anticipate the needs of the surgeon
• Accurately identify and hand off surgical instruments
• Knowledge of instrument function
• Provide assistance with tissue handling
• Knowledge of appropriate tissue handling
• Perform sponge, instrument and sharps counts
• Correctly assemble and operate drills, saws and various other equipment
• Accurately apply post-operative bandages

Post-operative Duties

• Update surgical case log
• Maintain surgical travel sheet and enter surgical charges
• Submit samples for histopathology / culture
• Strip, clean and disinfect OR after each procedure
• Re-stock operating rooms and surgical core
• Perform Central Sterile Processing Duties
30+ days ago