Senior Cardiac Surgery First Assist: Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA)

Company Description

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) is an academic private health system, focused on delivering compassionate, high quality care and putting discovery and innovation into practice at the bedside. Partnering with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Nursing and University of Maryland, Baltimore who educate the state’s future health care professionals, UMMS is an integrated network of care, delivering 25 percent of all hospital care in urban, suburban and rural communities across the state of Maryland.

UMMS puts academic medicine within reach through primary and specialty care delivered at 11 hospitals, including the flagship University of Maryland Medical Center, the System’s anchor institution in downtown Baltimore, as well as through a network of University of Maryland Urgent Care centers and more than 150 other locations in 13 counties. For more information, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

General Summary

* Vein Harvesting Experience Required*

Under the direction and supervision of a licensed Cardiothoracic surgeon, assists in the performance of surgical procedures in Cardiac surgery. During the intraoperative phase of heart surgery, the first assist practices in collaboration with and at the direction of the attending surgeon or his designee.

This position is hiring for an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physican Assistant (PA) or RN First Assist

I. General Summary Under the direction and supervision of a licensed Surgeon and/or physician in the Cardiac Surgery assist department, the First Assistant, Cardiac Surgery performs professional duties and surgical assistance.

II. Principal Responsibilities and Tasks The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

1. Performs tissue handling including making incisions, retracting, dissecting, tying, ligating, stapling, suturing and providing hemostasis. Performs chest tube insertions and closes leg and chest incisions.

2. Performs endoscopic or open harvesting of the saphenous vein during coronary artery bypass procedures and preparation of the vein for bypass.

3. Prepares and loads the vein on an Aortic Connector System for proximal anastomosis.

4. Performs endoscopic or open harvesting of the radial artery during coronary artery bypass procedures and prepares radial artery for bypass.

5. May take cases in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) as needed.

6. Regularly visits pre- and post-operative patients, independently or with attending physician and/or students, to monitor patient progress in accordance with Medical System policies and procedures and generally accepted professional practice and The Joint Commission standards.

A. Notifies attending physician on call, house physician on call or supervising physician (or surgeon) regarding any unusual or unexpected events or problems requiring direct physician consultation.

B. Assists in the preoperative planning and documentation in keeping with protocols.

7. May take call during non-routine working hours to assist attending physicians in urgent and emergency procedures.

8. Performs clinical procedures such as the application of dressings and bandages, casting and splinting, removal and adjustment of frames, suturing. Performs these tasks independently, using universal precautions and following prescribed protocols of the hospital.

A. First and second assistance during surgery requires: prepping and draping patients, placing foley catheter, giving pre and post operative health care instruction to the patient, and transporting the patient from the O.R. to the PACU.

B. Collects data for prospective studies and manipulates via computer for various reporting or research purposes.

9. Performs in-service training for medical paramedical personnel locally, nationally and internationally. Assists in supervising students; designs, directs, instructs and evaluates the activities of first assistant students.

III.…