The Circulating RN Works collaboratively with Surgical Team to ensure patient safety and positive patient outcomes. Monitor Surgical cases for continued sterility, and support surgical team from outside the sterile field. Thorough and complete intra-operative documentation, as well as case set up and preparation. This specialty works while adhering to AORN standards and practices. Call schedule (after training is complete) for overbook and emergent cases only and at a small critical access hospital with two OR’s and one endoscopy suite. Variable days into evening M-F with no holiday or weekend regular hours.

General Clinical Practice

• Utilizes the nursing process in caring for all patients, to include: assessing symptoms, planning interventions, implementing treatment plans, evaluating responses to interventions, and revising plan based on overall effectiveness.
• Demonstrates the skills necessary to provide individualized care to the population served.
• Adheres to the established practice standards and procedures at New London Hospital, regarding the administration of all medications and patient care activities.
• Makes knowledgeable decisions in consideration of the facts and the disease/surgical condition utilizing critical thinking.
• Evaluates the patient’s response to the nursing and/or medical regimen and reassesses and revises plan of care, as necessary.
• Documents care provided using hospital standards.
• Provides education to patients and families based on assessment of learning needs.
• Participates in interdisciplinary planning.
• Creates and monitors patient environment to ensure it is safe and free from hazards.
• Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.
• Assists in minor procedures, as requested.

Specialty Clinical Practice

• Demonstrates competence in the principle and practice of surgical asepsis, surgical hand scrub, appropriate gowning and gloving, nursing responsibilities for conscious sedation according to training, and sterilization, disinfection, preparation, packaging and storing of surgical instruments and supplies.
• Demonstrates competence the use of special equipment, positioning tables or chairs, electrocautery, insufflation, tourniquet, cameras, warming units, thromboembolic prevention, and microscope.
• Carries out care according to AORN/ASPAN Recommended Standards of Practice.
• Advocates for patient throughout the continuum of surgical care and brings up any concerns re: patient safety, positioning needs, surgical attire or sterility of the field.
• Follows the Standards of Practice established for the Surgical Services Department.
• Documents surgical events according to facility standards including but not limited to event times, staff members in or out of room, positioning, asepsis and site prep, instrument and supply counts, specimens gathered, implants and explants
• Cleans environment as training before, during, after cases and at beginning and end of shifts as per AORN guidelines
• Adheres to surgical attire according to AORN and ensure visitors are following these guidelines.

• Graduate from Accredited nursing program with Associate Degree, BSN preferred.
• Minimum 1 yr. med/surg. or critical care nursing experience preferred.
• Previous OR experience a plus. Will train according to AORN guidelines in conjunction with AORN Peri-Op 101 Program modules and a precepting RN.
• Certificate of completion from AORN
• Peri-Op 101 program within one year of hire.
• Ability to utilize electronic medical documentation
• Critical thinking

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