The Surgery Service Float Assistant works in a team environment to provide care to in/out patients from multiple services. The Surgery Service Float Assistant uses clinical knowledge and the Veterinary Referral Center of Central Oregon's SOP to maintain cleanliness and sterility of the surgical service areas such as the operating rooms and treatment areas. The Surgery Service Float Assistant is also expected to help with client interactions during consultations, rechecks, and discharge appointments. These tasks are done in a calm, organized, and efficient manner working closely with the primary surgeon and are under the supervision of the department doctors and Surgery Service Supervisor. This position is responsible for ensuring a safe environment and smooth flow of events throughout a patient's perioperative experience. It requires attention to detail, strong communication skills, and the ability to take direction from others.
Operating Room Maintenance
- Clean, sterilize, and maintain medical equipment and instruments within operating rooms
- Assists in the setting up of operating rooms by assembling non-sterile equipment and supplies, such as arthroscopy scope towers, TVs, etc
- Assists in the setting up of operating rooms by opening sterile packs, instruments, and supplies according to sterile technique
- Assists in the clean-up of the operating room following surgery, including proper disposal of used supplies and sharps
- Ensures instruments and supplies necessary to the procedure are available prior to procedure
- Inventories and restocks supplies needed in Operating Rooms
Maintenance of hospital
- Disinfect kennels, treatment tables, and other surfaces
- Disinfect and keep exam rooms orderly
- Clean, sterilize, and maintain medical equipment and instruments
- Launder towels, blankets and surgical gowns
- Sweep and mop as needed
- Stock necessary supplies in accordance with our inventory system
- Remove garbage and recyclable materials
Patient Care
- Restrain patients for exams and medical treatments in a safe manner for both the patient and staff
- Walk, feed, and bathe patients
- Medical Record Keeping
- Obtain vital signs
- Monitor patients for pain and discomfort and relay changing demeanor to CVTs/assistants/doctors
- Assist in setting up recovery kennels for post-operative patients
Client Communications
- Obtain and write histories from owners
- Provide nursing updates as needed
- Provide client call backs to receive or relay information about the patient
- Provide treatment plans and financial updates
- Review discharge summaries and provide client education
- Assist CSR with telephone inquiries, scheduling appointments and taking payments as necessary
Radiology
- Assist technicians in requesting, positioning patients, and taking radiographs and CT scans
- Restrain patients for ultrasounds
Surgery/Anesthesia Prep
- Assist CVT in inducing anesthesia by restraining the patient and holding the patient for intubation.
- Attach cardiac and respiratory monitoring equipment
- Understand and maintain aseptic technique for the patient, instruments and procedure area
- Clip and prepare surgical sites
- Be able to set up and check anesthesia machine for a patient
Other
Education & Experience:
- Entry level knowledge in a clinical setting acquired through apprenticeship, degree pursuit, or professional certification.
- Preferred: hands on experience working in veterinary general practice, specialty service, or emergency department
Knowledge, skills, and abilities and/ or competencies:
- Calm and reassuring in stressful situations
- Knowledge of feline and canine anatomy
- Patient restraint
- Customer service and people skills
Physical demands:
- Lift and carry up to 40 lbs,
- Team lift and carry up to 150 lbs
- Apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions, deal with problems with concrete variables and draw appropriate/accurate conclusions.
- Sit, stand, stoop, bend and walk intermittently during the day on hard floor surfaces.
- Manual dexterity sufficient to accurately work with small, delicate pieces of equipment or large heavy objects/containers/machinery.
- Wear all protective gear including mask, gloves, gown, hairnet, safety goggles etc.
- Work for long periods of time with arms extended.
- Work within an environment that has high levels of animal sounds, bodily fluids that need disposal, and open wound management.
The above duties are not an exclusive list. As the assistant's knowledge base and skill set grow, training will be provided for more advanced duties.
EEO Statement:
VRCCO believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is essential to our One Team success. All employment decisions are based on merit, experience, ability, performance, and business needs.
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