JOB SUMMARY:
Performs in the expanded role as a CST First Assistant to the Surgeon, by performing positioning, prepping and draping of patient, providing hemostasis, providing wound exposure and handling of sutures and tissue under the direction and supervision of the operating surgeon. May perform as a Surgical Technologists when not First Assisting.

Department/Unit Summary:

Vanderbilt Operating Room consists of 55 Operative Suites, Ortho, Cardiac, Neuro, General, General/Urology, Robotics, (GGUR), and Hepatic, General, Thoracic/Trauma, Vascular-Heart/Neck, Otolaryngology, Plastics, ENT, (HGTV-HOPE).

VUMC Recent Accomplishments

Because we are committed to providing the best in patient care, education and research, we are proud of our recent accomplishments:

• US News & World Report: #1 Adult Hospital in Tennessee and metropolitan Nashville, named to the Best Hospitals Honor Roll of the top 20 adult hospitals, 10 nationally ranked adult specialty programs, with 3 specialties rated in the top 10 nationally, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt named as one of the Best Children's Hospital in the nation, with 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties nationally ranked.
• Healthcare's Most Wired: Among the nation's 100 "most-wired" hospitals and health systems for its efforts in innovative medical technology.
• Becker's Hospital Review: named as one of the "100 Great Hospitals in America", in the roster of 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs and to its list of the 100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs.
• The Leapfrog Group: One of only 10 children's hospitals in the to be named at Leapfrog Top Hospital.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science: The School of Medicine has 112 elected fellows
• Magnet Recognition Program: Received our third consecutive Magnet designations.
• National Academy of Medicine: 22 members, elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding achievement
• Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index: 6^th year in a row that Vanderbilt University Medical Center was a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Acts as a member of the operating room team by assisting with the room preparation, setup and clean up.
• Assist with the opening of sterile items needed for the procedure.
• Identifies and obtains special items needed for the procedures.
• Assists with proper room cleanup/turnover.
• Assist with patient positioning to provide access to the operative site while maximizing patient safety and comfort.
• Points of pressure shall be padded: elbows, heels, knees, etc.
• Circulation shall not be impaired.
• Postoperatively, the patient shall be evaluated for any possible damage related to positioning, which shall be included in the SICU assessment. Any abnormalities reported to the surgeon and treatment and documentation shall be carried out.
• Establish and maintain a surgically clean environment to reduce the potential for patient infection through the application of the principals of asepsis.
• Maintain a sterile field to reduce the potential for infection
• Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of decontamination, disinfection, sanitation and sterilization and applies these principles to reduce infection potential.
• Continually monitors environmental factors that may challenge the integrity of the sterile field.
• Teaches the importance of aseptic technique and continual monitoring of the sterile field to less experiences staff members.
• Initiate appropriate intra operative behaviors unique to first assisting.
• Applies knowledge of surgical anatomy, physiology, and operative technique relative to operative procedures.
• Performs positioning, prepping and draping of patient.
• Provides hemostasis by clamping blood vessels, coagulating bleeding points, ligating vessels, and by other means as directed by the surgeon.
• Provides exposure through appropriate use of instruments, retractors, suctioning and sponging techniques.
• Handles tissue and sutures all varieties of tissue with the appropriate suture materials and suturing techniques as directed by the surgeon.
• Performs First Assist interventions under the direction and supervision of the operating surgeon.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES:

SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of surgical technology in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

SURGICAL EQUIPMENT KNOWLEDGE (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of the equipment and related devices. Has solid knowledge of performance criteria. Able to use the equipment to accomplish advanced tasks associated with the specific devices. Easily resolves equipment problems.

OPERATING ROOM CARE (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of operating room care in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering operating room care services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

ENVIRONMENTAL STERILITY & SAFETY (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of environmental sterility and safety in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering environmental sterility and safety services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

PROCEDURES KNOWLEDGE (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of procedures knowledge in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering procedures knowledge services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.

EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE - (INTERMEDIATE):- Demonstrates mastery of preventive maintenance in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully maintaining equipment, products, or systems without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to conduct predictive maintenance on core products and equipment.

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT - (NOVICE):- Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate Inventory Management skills in practical applications of moderate difficulty. Demonstrates basic expertise with Inventory Management tools, procedures and processes. Monitors material moved into and out of stockroom locations and reconciles inventory balances. Works with electronic catalogs.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.
• Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precedent.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas.
• Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.

CORE CAPABILITIES:

SUPPORTING COLLEAGUES (S4):

• - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance and gain knowledge in new areas.
• - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.
• - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

DELIVERING EXCELLENT SERVICES (S4):

• - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.
• - Solves Complex Problems Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

ENSURING HIGH QUALITY (S4):

• - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
• - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them.
• - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

MANAGING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY (S4):

• - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.
• - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.
• - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.

FOSTERING INNOVATION (S4):

• - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.
• - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges
• - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.