Surgery - General Physician Assistant

VASCULAR PROCEDURES ONLY-M-F SHIFT

General Summary of Position
Assists with the pre- and post-operative care of patient. Performs surgical procedures under direction of a physician.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Assists physician with general surgery procedures including but not limited to: abdominal breast and neck procedures as well as limb amputations. Assists physician with renal/ pancreas transplants at both the main OR table or the back table.
• Assists physician with vascular access cases which may involve Intraoperative Fluoroscopy procedures. Provides surgical and technical assistance during the insertion of access grafts and long term dialysis catheters.
• Sutures the leg arm and/or other tissues/wounds from which surgery was performed and ensures proper hemostasis of patient. Applies dressings as needed and may remove surgical staples/sutures following surgical procedures.
• Ensures/maintains a sterile field during surgical procedures by following Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) standards/protocols. Assists in the surgical draping and positioning of patient for surgery to ensure proper body alignment.
• Assists the physician with the application of external fixation devices. May assist the Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) in monitoring patient during anesthesia induction and performing venipunctures starting/administering IV's.
• Inserts Foley catheter rectal temperature probes and NGT tubes as directed by the attending physician. Places electrical cautery grounding pads on patient.
• Assists with preoperative workup of patient i.e. completes brief history and physicals as well as evaluates laboratory values.
• Assists in the monitoring and transporting the patient to the Recovery Room or Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
• Performs procedures for renal transplant and vascular access patients e.g. placement of temporary access including internal jugular subclavian and femeral central lines dressing changes etc. as directed by surgeon.
• Performs removal of temporary accesses and achieves hemostesis.
• Performs daily rounds with physician/surgeon/nurse practitioner on all transplant/vascular access patients. Reviews patient chart and films (e.g. cxr post catheter placements; angiogram/fistulogram) with the physician/surgeon as appropriate.
• Assists physicians/residents/fellows and nursing staff with the post-operative care of inpatients and patients in the Emergency Room and performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as required.
• Assists physician in evaluating postoperative patients in the Transplant/Vascular Access clinic.
• Evaluates arterial-venous (A-V) grafts and fistulas for function and potential problems such as infection and clotting.
• Assists in the maintenance and care of permanent and temporary access lines for inpatients and outpatients including emergency coverage.
• Obtains arterial lines via femoral or radial approach for monitoring purposes or to obtain blood samples.
• Assists in compiling statistical data regarding surgical procedures/outcomes for biomedical research and/or other purposes.
• Maintains and monitors supplies and equipment inventories of assigned areas including assisting in the maintenance/care of specialty equipment used in specific clinical service areas. Maintains a high level of knowledge about specialty instrumentation.
• Assists in the training of surgical residents in dialysis catheter placements as well as pre and post operative teaching and the orientation of new personnel as appropriate.
• Attends surgical conferences in-service training and continuing medical education programs as appropriate to maintain clinical expertise and certification.

Minimal Qualifications
Education

• Associate's degree required or
• Higher level degree required or
• Equivalent training such as graduation from National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) or directly related discipline required

Experience

• 1 to 3 years experience with a minimum of two years of direct previous Surgical Assistant or equivalent experience in a general surgery program required

Licenses and Certifications

• Health Services Certified Surgical Assist - CSA from the National Surgical Assistant's Association or equivalent certification within 1 Year required
• Licensed Surgical Assistant in the District of Columbia within 1 Year required