Certified Surgical First Assist

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of diverse individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your diversity of culture, thinking, learning, and leading is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

Main OR

Job Summary:

The Certified Surgical First Assist performs in the expanded role as a CST First Assistant to the Surgeon, by performing positioning, prepping, and draping of patient, providing hemostasis, providing wound exposure and handling of sutures and tissue under the direction and supervision of the operating surgeon. May perform as a Surgical Technologist when not First Assisting.

Position Shift:
Full Time - Days

Sign On Bonus
-This full-time position offers a $20,000 (taxable) bonus to be paid in equal payments over 2 years.
-The sign-on bonus is not applicable to current VUMC staff or former staff who have worked for VUMC in the past twelve months.

Relocation Bonus
-Up to $10,000 (taxable) to be paid within 45 days of hire, based on relocation mileage.
-Must relocate from greater than 100 miles to be eligible.
-This bonus is not applicable to current VUMC staff or former staff who have worked for VUMC in the past twelve months.

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Acts as a member of the operating room team by assisting with the room preparation, setup and clean up.
• Assists with patient positioning to provide access to the operative site while maximizing patient safety and comfort.
• Establishes and maintain a surgically clean environment to reduce the potential for patient infection through the application of the principals of asepsis.
• Initiate appropriate intra operative behaviors unique to first assisting.
• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

Qualifications:

• Required: Graduate of an approved specific discipline OR successful completion of a surgical assistant training program during the applicant’s service as a member of any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
• Required: Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience.
• Required: Certification from one of the listed issuers below:
  • CSFA - Certified Surgical First Assistant - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA)
  • CSA - Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA)
  • CSA- Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA)

• If graduate of surgical assistant armed forces training program, no certification is required.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
• Surgical Equipment Knowledge (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of the equipment and related devices. Has solid knowledge of performance criteria. Able to use the equipment to accomplish advanced tasks associated with the specific devices. Easily resolves equipment problems.
• Procedures Knowledge (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of procedures knowledge in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering procedures knowledge services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
• Operating Room Care (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of operating room care in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering operating room care services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
• Environmental Sterility & Safety (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of environmental sterility and safety in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering environmental sterility and safety services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
• Inventory Management (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate Inventory Management skills in practical applications of moderate difficulty. Demonstrates basic expertise with Inventory Management tools, procedures and processes. Monitors material moved into and out of stockroom locations and reconciles inventory balances. Works with electronic catalogs.
• Surgical Technology (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of surgical technology in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
• Equipment Maintenance (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of preventive maintenance in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully maintaining equipment, products, or systems without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to conduct predictive maintenance on core products and equipment.

Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings.

These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South.

Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.

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Core Accountabilities:

* Organizational Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.* Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precendent.* Breadth of Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas. * Team Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. - Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. - Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one’s own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services : - Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. - Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees’ effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality : - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. - Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively : - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. - Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. - Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA), Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA), Certified Surgical Technologist - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA)

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level :

3 years

Education:

Graduate of an approved discipline specific program

Vanderbilt Health recognizes that diversity is essential for excellence and innovation. We are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and to the principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. EOE/AA/Women/Minority/Vets/Disabled