Surgical Assistant I - Operating Room - Rotating

Position Highlights:

• Position: Surgical Assistant I

• Hourly Pay Range: $30.46 - $45.69. The hourly pay rate offered is determined by a candidate's expertise and years of experience, among other factors.

• Location: Chicago, IL

• Full Time

• Hours: Monday-Friday, rotating shift

• Required Travel: none

A Brief Overview:

• The Surgical Assistant possesses and demonstrates competencies related to the preoperative and intraoperative aspects of care. The Assistant is a team member who participates with an interdisciplinary team of clerical, ancillary technical staff, nurses, technicians, anesthesiologists, physicians/surgeons to provide safe and effective care on any type of surgical procedure, as directed. Works a scheduled shift, but also takes call after regularly scheduled hours with a 30-minute response time. Demonstrates a commitment to the mission of Swedish Hospital and demonstrates a service orientation and adheres to all responsibilities and standards of the Hospital.

What you will do:

• Serves as first or second assistant in designated surgical procedures under the direct supervision of the operating surgeon / physician; handles all variety of tissue appropriately to reduce potential for injury or compromised blood supply; uses surgical instruments appropriately, employs principles of safe tissue handling; provides exposure to operative site; provides and maintains hemostasis and performs wound closure; demonstrates advanced knowledge of normal and pathological anatomy and physiology.

• Safely positions the patients for the surgical procedure and assists with transport to and from the operative suite

• Assists surgeon in identifying patient and staff safety hazards (such as identifying structures that should not be ligated, break in surgical technique, exposed sharps, etc.)

• Surgical prepping and draping of patients for the surgical procedure

• Urinary catheter placement

• Placement of pneumatic tourniquet

• Prepare ACL graft as directed by the surgeon

• Provides exposure of the operative site by the appropriate use of retractors, by placing and moving the retractors when necessary, with awareness to anatomical structures

• Manipulates equipment and instruments to enhance the visual field (e.g. steering and focusing of laparoscopic cameras to aim at the surgical field)

• Suctions and sponges to maintain a dry surgical field resulting in an optimal visualization of the surgical field

• Provides counter-traction of tissue utilizing various instruments (e.g. retractors and forceps)

• Assists with maintaining hemostasis to reduce potential for fluid volume deficits by clamping / ligating vessels, using electrocautery to tissue, applying manual direct pressure, assisting with use of pharmaceutical agents (e.g. topical thrombin) and other means as directed by the surgeon / physician

• Assist in placement and suturing of surgical drains.

• Ties and cuts sutures

• Skillfully sutures all varieties of tissues / tissue planes with appropriate suture materials and suturing techniques. Assists in closure of wound or independently closes wound under the direction of the surgeon.

• Assists and independently applies dressing and tape at the end of the surgical procedure using proper aseptic / sterile techniques

• Assists with CPR of patient during cardiac arrest

• Must be able to gown and glove self, using open or closed gloving technique

• Assists room staff by ensuring equipment for the case has been gathered and is in place using the case card

• Duties as directed by nurse manager or circulating nurse during the perioperative period.

• Assumes on-call responsibilities as assigned

What you will need:

• Must have a least 1 year of Operating Room experience as a Surgical Assistant or RNFA

• Must be licensed to practice as a Surgical Assistant in Illinois

• CPR Certification required

• Must be certified as one of the following through their respective certifying bodies: CSA, SA-C, CST/CFA, or RNFA

• First Assistant Certification preferred in one's own discipline (i.e. RNFA, CST/CFA, SA)

• Must have one of the following:

• Graduate of Accredited Medical School

• Foreign Medical Graduate eligible to take the ECFMG examination

• Graduate of an Accredited Surgical Assistant Program

• Bachelor's Degree from Accredited Nursing Program

• Graduate from Surgical Tech Program

Benefits:

• Career Pathways to Promote Professional Growth and Development

• Various Medical, Dental, and Vision options

• Tuition Reimbursement

• Wellness Program Savings Plan

• Health Savings Account Options

• Retirement Options with Company Match

• Paid Time Off

• Community Involvement Opportunities