Preoperative / Postoperative Registered Nurse

Graystone Eye is looking for an individual who is willing to serve our patients with one vision in mind:

Achieving Exemplary
Clinical Outcomes
&
Providing an
Unparalleled Experience for Patients,
Employees and Families

Main Function:

Responsible for conducting preoperative testing, patient counseling, and patient admission and preparation for surgery.

Performs nursing care for the patient in the immediate postoperative/post-anesthesia period, assessing and documenting the patient's status upon arrival in the recovery room. Provides nursing care to meet patient needs to be related to surgical condition and type of anesthesia administered, monitoring the patient and informing surgeon or anesthetist of observed complications

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Philosophy

• Supports the facility's ideology, mission, goals, and objectives
• Performs by the facility's policies and procedures
• Follows the facility's standards for ethical business conduct
• Conducts self as a positive role model and team member
• Recognizes patients' rights and responsibilities and supports them in the performance of job duties
• Participates in facility committees, meetings, in-services, and activities

2. Communication

• Communicates effectively and professionally with patients, visitors, physicians, and coworkers
• Interacts with others in a positive, respectful, and considerate manner

3. Financial practices

• Uses facility resources appropriately and avoids wasteful practices
• Reports wasteful practices
• Analyzes work area and makes recommendations for potential cost-effective improvements

4. Compliance program

• Contribute to the progress and development of the organization's adopted compliance program
• Performs according to established compliance policies and procedures

5. Performance-improvement program

• Contributes to the progress and development of the organization's adopted performance-improvement program
• Performs according to established performance-improvement policies and procedures

6. Safety/risk-management program

• Adheres to safety policies and procedures in performing job duties and responsibilities
• Reports observed or suspected safety violations, hazards, and policy/procedure non-compliance to the safety officer or other designated person

7. Professional competence

• Participates in continuing education and other learning experiences
• Shares knowledge gained in continuing education with staff
• Maintains membership in relevant professional organizations
• Seeks new learning experiences by accepting challenging opportunities and responsibilities
• Develops teaching programs as requested for use in surgical or medical management, safety, health awareness, and enhancement of patient care
• Develops and maintains current materials for teaching and consent procedures
• Implements approved teaching programs as requested
• Monitors the patient education and counseling programs to assess quality and areas for improvement
• Evaluate the outcome of teaching and counseling programs as they pertain to patient's overall satisfaction with the surgical experience
• Welcomes suggestions and recommendations

8. Duties

• Effectively organizes time, equipment, supplies, and personnel
• Uses equipment effectively by anticipating patient needs and providing appropriate care
• Confirms that proper techniques and procedures are used according to accepted standards of practice
• Assists in inventory of supplies, drugs, and equipment to maintain availability and stock levels in the preoperative area
• Maintains order and cleanliness of the preoperative area
• Performs thorough preoperative patient assessment required in the outpatient setting
• Assists in assessing the physical and emotional status of the patient prior to admission
• Provides preoperative instruction and explanation of patient rights and responsibilities
• Describes the perioperative experience to the patient/significant other, including what to expect before, during, and after the procedure, and how the significant other will participate
• Obtains pertinent patient records prior to the patient's arrival for preoperative testing
• Performs all preoperative testing (i.e., laboratory work, electrocardiogram, x-rays, etc.)
• Reports all abnormal values to the anesthesiologist/attending surgeon
• Explains informed consent for surgery, patients' rights/responsibilities, and preoperative/postoperative instructions
• Obtains necessary signatures
• Informs patient about routine care and procedures related to the perioperative experience
• Discusses all findings with the anesthesiologist prior to the anesthesiologist's preoperative evaluation of the patient
• Provides comfort and reassurance to the patient and supports the patient's right to privacy, dignity, and confidentiality
• Documents preoperative care according to policy/procedure
• Ensures that the patient's chart is complete on the day before surgery is scheduled
• Effectively organizes time, equipment, supplies, and personnel for management of the recovery room
• Organizes nursing activities efficiently, considering staff abilities when delegating activities
• Uses equipment effectively by anticipating patient needs and providing appropriate care
• Confirms that proper techniques and procedures are used according to accepted standards of practice
• Assists in managing inventory of supplies, drugs, and equipment to maintain availability and stock levels in the postoperative area
• Maintains order and cleanliness of the postoperative area
• Performs safe and individualized nursing care for the patient in the immediate postoperative/post anesthesia period
• Assesses and documents the patient's physical and emotional status upon arrival in the recovery room
• Documents post-anesthesia care and identity of the second person in the recovery room during the patient's recovery from anesthesia/sedation according to approved policies and procedures
• Provides nursing care to meet patient needs related to surgical conditions and type of anesthesia administered
• Monitors patients and informs surgeon or anesthetist of observed complications
• Performs thorough postoperative patient assessment prior to discharge of the patient
• Assists in assessing the physical and emotional status of the patient in preparation for discharge
• Develops a plan of care for the patient based on the assessment data
• Review postoperative instructions and prescriptions from the surgeon with the patient and significant other and documents in the patient's medical record
• Informs patient and family about appropriate care and procedure to follow upon returning home
• Determines that patient and significant other understand conditions that require immediate care/method to obtain immediate care
• Provides comfort and reassurance to the patient and promotes privacy and dignity

Qualifications

1. Cooperative work attitude toward co-employees, management, patients, visitors, and physicians

2. Ability to promote a favorable facility image with physicians, patients, insurance companies, and the general public

3. Ability to make decisions and solve problems

Requirements

Required

• High school graduate or GED certificate recipient
• Graduate of accredited school of nursing
• RN with an active license in North Carolina
• BLS certification
• Evidence of leadership qualities
• Strong ethical and moral character references
• Language skills adequate for high-level written, interpersonal, and telephone communication in American English
• ACLS certification within one year of permanent employment

Preferred

• ASC experience
• Computer literacy

Job Quality Requirements

1. Accuracy

2. Attention to detail

3. Timeliness

4. Organization

5. Little supervision needed to accomplish the task

Dependability Requirements

1. Attendance

2. Punctuality

3. Ability to follow instructions

4. Ability to meet deadlines

Physical/Mental Requirements

1. Ability to sit/stand for long periods; ability to walk

2. Capability for occasional overhead and low reaching

3. Physical strength for equipment needs and patient-care activities

4. Visual and auditory acuity for timely responsiveness and patient-care assessment activities

5. Ability to move quickly in response to patient needs

6. Ability to make constant and frequent judgments and response to routine problems

7. Ability to make occasional judgments and responses to disasters or emergencies, actual events, or drills

Working conditions (environmental)

1. Well-lit and ventilated, with non-hazardous and hazardous equipment

2. Category I: involves occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious body fluids and materials

Contacts

• Patients
• Patients' family/significant others
• Physicians and physician office personnel
• Facility personnel
• Vendors
• Administration
• Medical director
• Governing body

Reports to: Chief Surgical Administrator