Anesthesia Tech

DEPARTMENT: ANESTHESIOLOGY

F ACILITY: Tift Regional Medical Center

WORK TYPE: Full Time

S HIFT: Daytime

SUMMARY:

The Anesthesia Tech is responsible for assisting with both clinical and clerical duties of the Anesthesia unit, assisting the professional staff in delivery of quality care to a varied patient population, coordinating communications while assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care and the provision of safety assigned to patients. In addition, the Anesthesia Tech provides customer service to patient's families, visitors, physicians, coworkers, and other medical and non-medical personnel.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

* Demonstrates knowledge of principles of growth and development and the skills necessary to provide care to the age of the patient, neonate through geriatric.

• Performs and documents pre-anesthetic assessment and evaluation of the patient, including all appropriate lab values, study results, consultative information, and pre-anesthesia clinical history.
• Ability to adequately assess and reassess pain.
• Utilizing appropriate pain management techniques.
• Educates the patient and family regarding pain management.
• Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likely hood of medical/healthcare errors.
• Documents evidence of informing patient of all risks, potential complications, options and alternatives to anesthesia.
• Obtains informed consent.
• Development, implements and documents an anesthetic plan of care, prior to providing anesthesia.
• Documents planned anesthesia selection for the patient.
• Performs an assessment immediately prior to induction of anesthesia of the patient and documents this in the anesthesia evaluation record.
• Maintains the patient's physiologic homeostasis and corrects abnormal responses to the anesthesia and/ or surgery, should these occur.
• Collects and interprets patient physiological data by selecting, applying or inserting noninvasive monitoring modalities.
• Displays ability to intubate most patients with ease, manages the patient's airway and the pulmonary status through the perioperative process.
• Communicates the mission, ethics, and goals of the facility, as well as the focus statement of the department.
• Performs smooth patient emergence and recovery from anesthesia by maintaining homeostasis, providing relief from pain and anesthetic side effects.
• Prevents and manages complications through selecting, obtaining, ordering and administering medications, fluid or ventilator support in correct dosages and methods.
• Follows the 5 medication rights and reduces the potential for medication errors.
• Stays with the patient as long as required by the patient's condition relative to his/her anesthesia status and until responsibility for proper patient care has been assumed by other qualified individuals.
• Monitors the quality of anesthesia care rendered by Nurse Anesthetists and PAA's anywhere in the facility.
• Ensures that anesthesia care is provided by a qualified Nurse Anesthetist or PAA and that a Nurse Anesthetist or PAA is available.
• Provides education to staff on performance improvement.
• Ability to plan and organize orientation and in-service training for Nurse Anesthetists and PAA's, participates in guidance and educational programs.
• Effectively and consistently communicates administrative directive to personnel and encourages interactive departmental meetings and discussions.
• Supports and adapts to progressive changes in work environment.
• Improves self-knowledge through voluntarily attending continuing education/certification classes.
• Replaces breathing circuits and suctions for each case.
• Inventories and stocks supplies and drug inventory as needed. Exchange and fill narcotic boxes.
• Ensures supply carts are restocked with all supplies and equipment at all times.
• Serves as a communication link between Anesthesia staff and vendors. Set up demonstrations and discussions between the vendors and staff.
• Maintains Anesthesia machines clean and orderly. Troubleshoots any problems and contacts Biomed as needed.
• Maintains cleanliness in the Anesthesia supply room.
• Maintains adequately supplies of oxygen, nitrous, and air cylinders.
• IV Fluids are prepared as needed by anesthesia staff.
• Assist anesthesia staff as needed with inductions.
• Assembles supplies and assists when needed for regional anesthesia.
• Complies with TRMC vendor policy and notifies Lead CRNA of any deviation by sales representatives, physicians, or staff.
• Keeps abreast of pertinent federal, and state regulations and laws and Tift Regional Health System, Inc. ("TRHS") policies as they presently exist and as they change or are modified.
• Understands and adheres to: TRHS' compliance standards as they appear in TRHS's Corporate Compliance Policy, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy; and HIPAA and TRHS policies regarding privacy and security of protected health information.
• Demonstrates the ability to perform tasks that meet the age-specific requirements of the persons, patients, vendors, and staff that the employee is charged to interact with as required by the position.
• Offers suggestions on ways to improve operations of department and reduce costs.
• Attends all mandatory education programs.
• Improves self-knowledge through voluntarily attending continuing education/certification classes.
• Maintains required competency levels as identified in written exams, skills checklists, skills labs, annual safety and health requirements as well as service excellence education hours requirements.
• Cross-trains in order to better assist co-workers and to provide maximum efficiency in the department.
• Volunteers/participates on hospital committees, functions, and department projects.
• Manages resources effectively.
• Reports equipment in need of repair in order to extend life of equipment and removes malfunctioning equipment out of service with timely reporting to the appropriate personnel.
• Makes good use of time so as to not create needless overtime.

EDUCATION:

* High School Diploma or Equivalent

CREDENTIALS:

* LICENSED PHARM TECH

OTHER INFORMATION:

Southwell/Tift Regional Health System, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.