OR Nurse

Functional Accountabilities

• Consults and coordinates with healthcare team members to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate intraoperative patient care plans.
• Serves as the communication liaison to patients, families, and members of the operating team.
• Prepares the operation room for the patient and the surgical procedure.
• Assembles equipment, supplies and implants, and ensures equipment is functional, and supplies and implants are available.
• Delivers perioperative patient and family centered care incorporating the nursing process while providing developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive, evidence based care.
• Utilizes outcome data at the patient level to make care decisions.
• Participates in the quality improvement activities and uses quality measures to understand individual and unit performance.
• Provides direct guidance and oversight of the orientee in all patient care and clinical activities and ensures that those behaviors adhere to documentation standards, standards of care, and policies and procedures.
• Participates in unit shared governance initiatives to improve patient care, throughput as determined by leadership.
• Navigates and documents in the EMR to support patient care.
• Works within scope of practice and delegates according to Nurse Practice Act.
• Demonstrates the knowledge of risk and safety issues and uses measures to ensure optimal outcomes.
• Actively participates in Universal Protocol and timeout, including the fire risk assessment with the surgical team prior to the start of the surgical procedure according to hospital policy guidelines.
• Completes post procedure pause at conclusion of surgical case.
• Understands purpose of positioning devices and uses them correctly, following policy, to protect the patient from injury and to promote optimal exposure.
• Follow established policy and procedures for instrument counts; initiate corrective actions when instrument counts are incorrect.
• Verifies medications, concentrations, expiration dates of all medication received on the sterile field in concert with ST, surgeon, and Anesthesia provider.
• Communicates observations or concerns related to unsafe situations that pose a risk to patients, families or the healthcare team.
• Stop in the face of uncertainty and take time to resolve the situation.
• Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making.
• Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication.
• Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers.
• Pay attention to detail, practice STAR - Stop, Think, Act, Review.
• Assist the surgical team with emergency situations.

New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements

• Initiate ways to improve operations through quality improvement and implement related solutions.
• Serve as a resource for current, new information or changes in specialty area.
• Care incorporates best practices based on benchmarks and evidence within the literature.
• Mentor and precept new nurses in clinical specialties.

Transformational Leadership

• Contribute to Magnet re-designation as evidenced by independent involvement or leadership in: committees, task forces and/or community outreach.
• Role model critical thinking skills by problem-solving patient care and unit/system issues.
• Communication reflects development of plan of care and ability to advocate to meet patients’ needs; makes suggestions for resolution of system issues.
• Role model procedures for escalation of issues; utilize chain of command.
• Demonstrate a collegial and respectful relationship with peers, physicians and other departments.
• Demonstrate proper use of identified hand off processes; follow up on inconsistent practice related to handoff.
• Take the lead in implementing change and support management decisions.
• Role model behavior that reflects empathy, concern and a desire to help others.

Structural Empowerment

• Independently maintain regulatory requirements e.g. license, BLS.
• Initiate professional activities to enhance nursing practice.
• Engage in active review of peers giving constructive feedback through timely participation in evaluations.
• Role model adherence to national safety standards and service excellence standards; champion advancement of education and certification.
• Orchestrate involvement of the healthcare team and role model professional behavior and teamwork with co-workers.
• Serve as a resource as needed and know when to escalate to next level.

Exemplary Professional Practice

• Analyze assessment data gathered from patient and family to ensure completion of database and plan of care within identified timeframes.
• Role model excellent clinical skills with complex patients; care reflects analysis of patient status and appropriate interventions.
• Direct prioritization and organization for complex patient with rapidly changing needs.
• Documentation exemplifies adherence to the highest standards of practice.
• Anticipate and proactively plan for educational needs; verify with patient and family throughout the hospital/outpatient stay and prior to discharge.
• Excel in organizational skills, adjust for changes and be able to complete assignment on time.
• Role model caring in all encounters with patient and family as evidenced by feedback from parents and an increase in patient satisfaction scores.