JOB TITLE: Preop Recovery Nurse
GENERAL SUMMARY OF DUTIES:
Assists in provision of nursing care to patients in an Ambulatory Surgical Center setting. Assumes total responsibility for patient care in accordance with physician's orders and centers policies.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Graduate of Accredited School of Nursing; current state RN License.
- CPR required.
- ACLS required.
- PALS required.
- Pediatric experience.
- Minimum two years in pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative surgical patient care.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Assesses, develops and implements total nursing care for pre/post-operative patients
- Records and reports to appropriate persons all symptoms, reactions abnormalities and changes in the physical and/or mental conditions of the post-operative patients
- Administers medications and treatments ordered by the physicians
- Cares and discharges pre/post-operative patients according to facility policies
- Able to accurately assess need for pain and /or nausea medication
- An order always precedes the administration of medication
- Intended actions and side effects are known
- Medications are documented
- Maintains patient and employee privacy and confidential information
- Provides psychological support to patients and/or families
- Maintains rapport with physicians and other departments providing care for the patients, (i.e.: home x-ray, outside radiology)
- Admits patients to sit-up area
- Performs routine charging of medications and supplies
- Accurately checks charge sheets for supplies used on patients
- Functions independently in emergency situations
- Able to make logical quick decisions based on sound judgment
- Maintains competence through continuing education
- Meets requirements for CEU re-licensure
- Assists in orientation of new employees with factual information regarding current departmental policies
- Acts as a resource for new employees
- Maintains supplies and cleanliness in the work environment
- Reviews the pre-operative patient’s chart for accuracy and completeness
- Ascertains surgical consent is completed accurately, comparing it to the physician’s order and O.R. schedule
- Ascertains all pre-operative (lab work, chest x-ray, EKG, H&P) work up, if applicable is in the chart and reports abnormal findings to the anesthesiologist and/or surgeon prior to the scheduled day of surgery
- Reports pertinent pre-operative information to the O.R. nurse
- Obtains and labels personal belongings bag and assists patient in proper O.R. dress attire
- Registration form and pre-operative worksheet
- Administers pre-operative sedation
- An order always precedes the administration of medication
- Allergies questioned prior to administration of medication
- Intended action and side effects to medications are known
- Medication is documented on Pre-Operative worksheet including does time, and method of administration
- Functions independently in emergency situations
- Displays proficiency in nursing skills with emergency situations
- Able to make logical and quick decisions based on sound judgment
- Maintain patient and employee privacy and confidential information provided psychological support to patients and/or families
- Maintains rapport with physicians and medical departments which provide services to complete to pre-operative work up i.e. (reference lab, outside radiology services)
- Attends all facility in-services
- Reports and labels any malfunctioning or broken equipment
- Works within the established facility and departmental safety guidelines
- Performs other duties as assigned.