Hospital - PreOp RN III (M-F, 5:30 - 1400)

Responsibilities

• Provides expert nursing care to patients in the preoperative phase, ensuring surgical readiness and patient safety.
• Leads assessments, documentation, and medication reconciliation for complex patients requiring additional preparation.
• Mentors and coaches nursing staff in IV insertion, pre-op education, consent validation, and EMR utilization.
• Affords assistance in onboarding, training, and preceptorship of new staff, students, and float nurses in PreOp workflows.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to ensure individualized preoperative care plans are developed and communicated.
• Conducts or leads chart reviews and documentation audits to ensure compliance with safety and quality standards.
• Participates in shared governance councils and PreOp-focused workgroups; drives evidence-based changes.
• Leads or supports departmental quality improvement initiatives tied to readiness metrics and patient flow.
• Guides patient and family education regarding surgical expectations, NPO compliance, and post-op instructions.
• Serves as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff.
• Coordinates with anesthesia, OR teams, and case scheduling to resolve readiness issues and minimize delays.
• Supports checklist compliance and proactively addresses any incomplete or missing elements before surgery.
• Provides input into department supply needs and assists with readiness of specialty equipment or surgical tools.
• Participates in huddles and shift briefings, sharing insights and recommendations for improving team efficiency.
• Assists in maintaining staff morale and engagement by role-modeling professionalism and collaborative communication.
• Promotes cultural competence and inclusive practices within PreOp patient education and care delivery.
• Supports nurse-sensitive indicators, such as timely case starts, handoff communication, and throughput goals.
• Acts as relief charge nurse when needed and contributes to workload balancing across preoperative bays.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of PreOp protocols, including patient education, consent verification, and IV initiation.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills in high-volume settings.
• Uses EMR to support documentation, teaching, and care coordination.
• Uses therapeutic communication to collaborate with patients, families, and surgical teams.
• Mentors and coaches staff on clinical and professional practice.
• Strong time management and ability to lead shift-based initiatives.
• Uses critical thinking and clinical judgment to intervene and prevent patient risk.
• Acts as a change agent, supporting evidence-based practice and workflow innovation.
• Familiar with shared governance principles and unit-based performance improvement.
• Functions independently and exercises judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team, patients, and their families.
• Critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to serve as a preceptor and a mentor by fostering a teaching environment.