Charge Nurse - Operating Room

At Houston Methodist, the Charge Nurse II Operating Room (OR) Department Premium WA Periop position is a licensed professional Registered Nurse (RN), who, as an experienced clinician, functions at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benner's model of clinical practice. This position coordinates interdepartmental communication with all those involved in the care delivered to our diverse patient population (i.e., Anesthesia Board Runner, Sterile Processing staff, Pre-op, PACU, Bed Control Perfusionists, ICU, Monitoring, and Cell Savers) as well as creates an environment for the management and delivery of safe patient care.

In addition to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a clinical nurse, the Charge Nurse II OR Department Premium WA Periop position is a role model and assists in coaching and mentoring department staff in areas of clinical and professional practice. Role modeling compassionate communication with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, the Charge Nurse II OR Department Premium WA Periop position assumes leadership responsibilities with high level contributions in the unit, service line, and across the institution.

Responsibilities for this position may include but are not limited to leading unit and shared governance activities, assessing unit needs related to practice and improvement opportunities, serving as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff and coordinating unit and hospital-wide education in partnership with management.

This job code is reserved for RNs who are dedicated to the OR departments only.

To be eligible for the Periop Weekend Alternative differential, 24 hours must be worked between Friday at 6:45 p.m. through Monday at 7:15 a.m.

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Accurately and clearly communicates information regarding the OR schedule and staffing resource needs. Reviews next day OR schedule and works with the management team to make room assignments based on skill and knowledge. Communicates with staff concerning changes in their assignment, taking into consideration staff competency. Reassigns staff to another room as appropriate, directly informing staff or their manager.

• Ensures students, new medical students, residents, and visitors, etc. have been appropriately processed/credentialed accordingly. Maintains constant awareness that observers and visitors do not scrub, escalating issues as they arise.

• Fosters staff engagement by demonstrating active listening, requesting, and acknowledging feedback, making equitable decisions, providing rationale when appropriate, and supporting organizational goals. Anticipates the needs of the staff members and proactively offers assistance. Role models interprofessional communication, which includes active listening and teaching, and assists with staff stress management as needed. Improves department scores for employee engagement.

• Leads the patient and family-centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Proactively recognizes, determines a plan of action, and responds to situations, such as emergency codes.

• Coordinates activities that align the surgeon and their schedule for efficiency and effectiveness by going to rooms and communicating with the surgeon and staff assigned as to the projection for time to send for the next patient. Communicates and discusses information with Anesthesia board runner and staff assigned to follow case.

• Confers with the Lead in Sterile Processing/Materials Management to ensure all cases are pulled and all equipment, instrumentation, and supplies are available for scheduled cases and any appropriate resources are ready for use.

• Maintains ongoing interactions with entire care team, and patients and families as appropriate, throughout the perioperative experience, on improvement of patient care through consistent rounding, as needed. Drives department service standards and activities to improve department score for patient satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability.

• Models the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document by actively participating in continuous improvement environment initiatives to improve quality and safety scores on the unit and hospital scorecards, through peer-to-peer accountability, using teachable moments, reporting near misses, and identifying solutions by collaborating with the interprofessional team promoting situational awareness.

• Coordinates OR flow throughout the shift considering staff skill level and safety to ensure that duty to patients can be met. Reviews surgery schedule the day prior and at the beginning of the shift, delegating appropriately with Sterile Processing Department (SPD) team. Informs staff, anesthesia, and surgeon of any issues.

• Facilitates seamless patient flow to/from/through the department by providing an accurate…