Description

Job Description

 Overview

As a member of the GRMC Surgical Services team, the perioperative nurse provides nursing care to the surgical patient in all phases of perioperative nursing care. This includes the preoperative, intraoperative, post anesthesia, and postoperative phases of care.  The operating room at GRMC serves pediatric through geriatric patient populations. Surgical specialties include orthopedics, general surgery, podiatry, obstetrics, gynecology, urology, and ENT in up to four operating suites.
As a member of the interdisciplinary team, contributes professional nursing knowledge and skills in the provision and management of care to patients and their families.  Maintains a practice environment that reflects the ANA Code for Nurses, Philosophy of Nursing at UnityPoint Health within the structure of the Professional Nurse Practice Model and in collaboration with other care givers. 

Responsibilities

Clinical Excellence/Patient Care
• Provides specialized perioperative care based on Standards of Care/Practice to patients of all ages who are undergoing procedures ranging from complex surgery to routine procedures and emergency surgery. Maintains direct responsibility for nursing care of assigned patients within the registered nurse scope of practice.
• Assess the perioperative patient's physiological and psychosocial status to formulate a nursing care plan to include developing goals based upon nursing diagnosis and desired patient outcomes.
• Receives telephone, verbal, and written physician orders, utilizes read back process, and processes orders accurately and timely.
• Demonstrates knowledge of medications and their correct administration, follows medication administration rights and processes, and appropriately documents all administered medications.
• Set-up, operate and monitor specialized and complex patient care equipment to include but not limited to cardiac monitors, infusion medication pumps, electrocautery, robotics, laparoscopic, arthroscopic, and colonoscopes/EGD scopes for the management of the pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative patients.
• Assesses the needs of patients and families, providing appropriate teaching and making the necessary referrals to provide continuity of care.
• Develops an individual plan of care using a collaborative approach with the patient/family and health care team.
• Promptly completes documentation in the electronic health record to assure an accurate legal record of patient’s care.
• Delivers high quality care utilizing the nursing process while demonstrating knowledge and clinical skills of the perioperative specialty in accordance with established policies, procedures and standards of care.
• Utilizes holistic approach (considering biopsychosocial, spiritual, educational, safety, and related criteria) appropriate to the age of the patients and families served in the assigned service area.
• Delegates and provides direction for other healthcare team members within their scope of practice and holds them accountable for their involvement in the plan of care.
• Utilizes critical thinking in developing nursing interventions while maintaining responsibility and accountability for the knowledge of conditions of assigned patients.
Clinical Excellence/Patient Education
• Assess and chooses teaching strategies appropriate to the patient’s and their families’ age specific needs, culture, gender, readiness to learn and level of comprehension.
• Consults appropriate resources within the hospital to provide specialized perioperative education.
• Demonstrates knowledge that patient and workplace safety is a priority by preventing errors, accidents and infections and reporting potential or actual concerns immediately.
• Actively participates in department performance improvement activities.