Registered Nurse - Operating Room

About the role

The Registered Nurse - Operating Room assumes responsibility for the coordination of care, focused on patient education, self-management and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care. Administers medications and procedures per established policies and guidelines. Influences care outcomes by collaborating with members of the interdisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Assume responsibility for coordinating care efforts that emphasize patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction across the entire continuum of care.
• Administer medications and perform procedures in accordance with established policies, guidelines, and safety standards.
• Influence patient care outcomes through effective collaboration with interdisciplinary team members, fostering a team-based approach to high-quality care delivery.
• Meet qualifications for Moderate Sedation Nurse Competencies and maintain current certifications, including ACLS and BLS.
• Participate in a rotating on-call schedule, with a response time of 30 minutes to OR notifications.
• Independently plan, direct, and coordinate care for complex patients within the perioperative setting, including the operating room, ambulatory surgery, and endoscopy units as needed.
• Serve as a resource for patients, caregivers, and staff to address and resolve ethical issues in the immediate practice setting.

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements:
• English Language Proficiency
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)
• Preferred Experience:
• At least two (2) years current RN perioperative experience specific to skills and duties as circulator, scrub and PACU nurse required.
• Ability to independently perform direct nursing care to circulate or scrub scheduled, urgent or emergent surgeries, and provide post-operative recovery of patients during regular hours with flexibility of work schedule and tours to support emergent after-hours, weekends, and holidays.
• Current License, BLS and ACLS certification
• Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) preferred but not required
• Skilled in patient and family education. Ability to perform as educator, preceptor, mentor, evaluator, and counselor in support of unit and facility education platform.
• Ability to accurately document perioperative care according to current practice, policies, standards, directives, and guidelines using a computer based electronic medical record system. Ensures safety checklists and procedures are implemented and documented.
• Knowledge and understanding of surgical procedures and surgical instruments, techniques, pharmaceuticals and anesthetic agents used in the perioperative environment, utilizing automated systems and programs, proper positioning techniques, symptoms and complications of surgery and anesthesia and consequent nursing interventions.

Pay, Benefits & Schedule

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
• Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm
• Telework: Not available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

• Basic Requirements:
• English Language Proficiency
• Graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
• Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)
• Preferred Experience:
• At least two (2) years current RN perioperative experience specific to skills and duties as circulator, scrub and PACU nurse required.
• Ability to independently perform direct nursing care to circulate or scrub scheduled, urgent or emergent surgeries, and provide post-operative recovery of patients during regular hours with flexibility of work schedule and tours to support emergent after-hours, weekends, and holidays.
• Current License, BLS and ACLS certification
• Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR) preferred but not required
• Skilled in patient and family education. Ability to perform as educator, preceptor, mentor, evaluator, and counselor in support of unit and facility education platform.
• Ability to accurately document perioperative care according to current practice, policies, standards, directives, and guidelines using a computer based electronic medical record system. Ensures safety checklists and procedures are implemented and documented.
• Knowledge and understanding of surgical procedures and surgical instruments, techniques, pharmaceuticals and anesthetic agents used in the perioperative environment, utilizing automated systems and programs, proper positioning techniques, symptoms and complications of surgery and anesthesia and consequent nursing interventions.