Surgical Tech/Robotics First Assist

at  UPMC

Participates in an expanded role of perioperative First Assisting. Under the direction of the physician, assists in operations; may help set up operating room, prepare and transport patients for surgery, pass instruments and other supplies to surgeons and surgeon’s assistants, wound closure, hold retractors, cut sutures, and help count sponges, needles, supplies, and instruments.

• Provide competent and ethical care within legal standards of practice as applicable to the STFA.
• Maintains regulatory, credentialing, and privileging requirements
• Assume responsibility for personal development and education.
• Know and follow all organizational/departmental policies/procedures.
• Incorporate leading/evidence-based practice in quality/safety into everyday work. Commit to high quality, safe work; encourage others to have similar standards. Identify processes/systems that could lead to inefficient practices, unsafe conditions, errors or adverse events. Avoid shortcuts to ensure quality and safety measures are not circumvented. Encourage patient and family involvement in processes involving patient safety. Speak up with other service partners to ensure high quality and safety. Report serious events/incidents per policy.
• Assist surgeon during operating room procedures. Performs positioning, prepping, and draping of the patient. Provides homeostasis by safe use of electrocautery, clamping blood vessels, coagulating bleeding points, ligating vessels, and other means as directed by surgeon. Identifies various suture needs and demonstrated appropriate suture management
• Applies knowledge of surgical anatomy, physiology and operative technique relative to operative procedures. Identifies specific physician preferences and steps of the procedure.
• Acts as a patient advocate and maintains privacy and confidentiality of all appropriate information.
• Serves as an educator, mentor, consultant, and resource to colleagues and other health care professionals in relation to STFA activities and robotic surgery
• Associates Degree in Surgical Tech preferred.
• 1 year of experience required.Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:CST Certification Required. Completion of STFA program and certification within 2 years required. (Exempt from this requirement is the current STFA which possesses ten years Operating Room experience with five years First Assist experience assisting a surgeon and competencies are checked off by surgeon every two years)
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• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

• Certified Surgical Technologists (CST)
• Act 31 Child Abuse Reporting with renewal
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal