Surgical Patient Services Assistant PRN

Job Description

Join one of the nation’s most comprehensive academic medical centers, UChicago Medicine, as a Surgical Patient Service Assistant PRN at our Hyde Park medical campus. This position is a 100% onsite opportunity. You will need to be based in the greater Chicagoland area.

Under the direction of the SPSA Manager or his/her designee, the Surgical Patient Service Assistant PRN provides fundamental services to support the patient/family and the Peri-Operative Care Team to render quality care to all surgical patients.

Essential Job Functions:

• Environment/Facilities/Supplies:Completes cleaning of all areas under the jurisdiction of the GOR/DCAM Care Center according to the standards set by the Care Center Leadership or designee and Environmental Liaison.Provides a safe environment for patients and health care team members.Coordinates cleaning in an efficient manner to meet the needs of patient care and keeps charge nurse apprised of clean/dirty status of OR rooms. Assists in meeting room turn-over expectations.Inventories and maintains stock and equipment throughout the perioperative areas, including OR sub sterile areas, pre-op and recovery rooms.Transportation of equipment, specimens, and supplies as required.Assists in maintaining a sterile field during the preparation of the OR for a surgical procedure and the duration of the procedure.Change medical gas tanks at the direction of the charge nurse.Complete steam sterilizer drain cleaning.
• Patient Care/ Patient Safety:Performs duties involving direct patient care in the changing, pre-op holding and recovery areas as assigned by the Registered Nurse within the guidelines provided by the Illinois Nurse Practice Act and UCH policies and procedures.This includes but is not limited to:Stocking blanket warmer and bedside items as neededAssisting patients in changing clothes, to and from home, as requiredTransporting patients (via cart/wheelchair) within the OR areas and other departments, as requestedAssisting in the assembly of chart sheets according to posted guidelinesAssisting in positioning patients on the OR table and transferring patients between operating room table and cart.Assisting in post-mortem careUnder the direction of the Registered Nurse or OR Technician, acts to expedite delivery of supplies and equipment needed for patient care.Provides and promotes patient safety.Promotes, has knowledge of and utilizes appropriate patient care protocol relating to the physical, psychosocial and developmental needs of neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult and geriatric patients.
• Intraoperative Care:Assists the Intraoperative Care Team while adhering to principles of sterile technique. This includes but is not limited to:Setting up and changing suction canisters.Verifying all equipment is present where needed and ready for use, including sterile supplies.As requested, delivers additional supplies and equipment to the OR during the operative procedure.Practices within Infection Control policies and procedures.Properly and safely handles contaminated instruments in regards to storage and transferring to designated areas.Transportation of red and yellow containers to a central location on the floor. May be asked to move these longer distances in emergency situations.Properly transports blood products within the GOR/DCAM Care Centers.Properly transports patient specimens with the GOR/DCAM Care Centers.
• Education/EQI:Assists with orientation of new employees, agency personnel and employees reassigned to the area.Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement projects as directed by the Specialty Manager.
• Performs other duties as requested by senior management

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or the equivalent is required.
• Surgical operating room experience preferred.
• Previous work that required organizational skills and ability to work in stressful environment.
• Reading comprehension and math ability at 6th grade level.
• Ability to successfully complete departmental certification program including sterile technique, case supply selection according to pick sheet and use of Optime Operating Room data management software system.