OR Surgical Specialist - Thoracic/Surgical Oncology

UPMC Passavant is hiring a full-time OR Surgical Specialist to support our Thoracic/Surgical Oncology patients. This is a Monday-Friday, 8-hour shifts, daylight role with no weekends/holidays or call required.

Purpose: The OR Surgical Specialist is a Registered Nurse and a member of the care delivery team. The OR Surgical Specialist is responsible for Operating Room responsibilities as detailed herein. The OR Surgical Specialist works on complex surgical procedures in the Operating Room. The OR Surgical Specialist establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients, and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care.

Responsibilities: Serves on teams and leads successful teams as a part of daily practice. Demonstrates a passion for developing others, enthusiastically and expertly precepts students, graduate nurses, and new hires. Analyzes clinical and behavioral situations, identifying learning opportunities to improve patient care practices. Regularly seeks feedback on performance and applies continuous professional improvement. Supports continuous learning in the clinical area by sharing research, materials from professional organizations, presenting on the unit, supporting journal clubs, etc.

Practices solid communication skills and is able to articulate and translate the patients condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices. Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.

Demonstrates superior knowledge of the OR environment and equipment. Leads service line specialty teams, which may include more than one specialty depending on volume, complexity of equipment. Additional responsibilities include:

1. Ensures all cases have proper vendor trays and in-house instrumentation.
2. Ensures all cases have proper implants or special products available for cases.
3. Prevents products that are not approved for use in UPMC from being brought into the OR and used on cases. Reports vendor or surgeon immediately to OR Nurse Manager if a non-approved product is brought in.
4. Only allows approved vendors into OR suites.
5. Participates in Value Analysis Team (VAT process).
6. Informs and educates staff of any specific service line equipment or general updates.
7. Participates in education and training of new staff to service line and evaluation of core service line staff.
8. Ensures service line specialty supplies are ordered, and proper par level maintained in coordination with Supply Chain Management (SCM).
9. Maintains up-to-date preference cards.

Performs charge nurse role and runs OR service line in absence of the clinician. Performs scrub role (requirement for RNs hired on or after July 1, 2023). Belongs to at least one department or hospital committee. Demonstrates knowledge of department fiscal requirements. Participates in decision-making activities related to evaluating and acquiring surgical equipment, instruments, and supplies.

Minimum 4 years of experience. BSN preferred. Annual completion of a professional contribution selected from department, hospital, or system goals, and approved by Unit Director AND UPMC-approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained. OR certification from the UPMC Wolff Learning Academy Center for Nursing Excellence required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained. OR Masters in nursing or DNP. If a BSN is held, a Masters degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification.

Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families. Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities, and specialized equipment.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Basic Life Support OR Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation
• Registered Nurse Current licensure as a Registered Nurse either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located.
• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Act 31 Child Abuse Reporting with renewal
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal
• Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC agreement), a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran