The Certified Surgical First Assist performs an expanded role by assisting the surgeon with patient positioning, prepping, draping, providing hemostasis, ensuring wound exposure, and handling sutures under supervision. This role may also involve performing duties as a Surgical Technologist when not actively First Assisting.
Requirements summary
Candidates must be graduates of an approved discipline or complete a surgical assistant training program through the US Armed Forces, requiring at least one year of relevant work experience. Registration with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners is mandatory, and preferred qualifications include specific surgical certifications.
professional certificateInventory ManagementEquipment MaintenancePatient SafetyInfection ControlSuturingHemostasisWound ExposureSurgical TechnologyProcedures KnowledgeSurgical First AssistOperating Room CareSurgical Equipment Knowledge
Environmental Sterility
Surgical Scrub Tech
Job description
Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
Organization
Operating
Room
Job
Summary: The Certified Surgical First Assist performs in the expanded role as a CST First Assistant to the Surgeon, by performing positioning, prepping, and draping of patient, providing hemostasis, providing wound exposure and handling of sutures and tissue under the direction and supervision of the operating surgeon. May perform as a Surgical Technologist when not First Assisting. Registration with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners is required.
Position Details
- Schedule: Full-time, Monday – Friday, 10 or 12 hr shifts available - Day Off: One set day off per week - Call Coverage & Late Stay: Weekend/holiday call rotation, back-up call for M-F call team, 2-3 late stays per month Sign-On Bonus: - This full-time position includes a $20,000 taxable sign-on bonus, distributed in 4 equal payments over two years. - Note: This bonus is not available to current VUMC employees or those who have worked at VUMC within the past twelve months. Relocation Bonus: - Eligible candidates can receive up to $10,000 (taxable) for relocation expenses, payable within 45 days of start date. Bonus amount to be awarded is based on relocation distance. - To qualify, candidates must relocate from a distance greater than 100 miles. - Note: This bonus is not available to current VUMC employees or those who have worked at VUMC within the past twelve months. About Us: For more than 40 years, Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital (VWCH) has been a place of healing and connection for patients and families in Wilson County and the surrounding area. A part of the Vanderbilt Health community of hospitals and clinics, VWCH is the sole provider of inpatient and outpatient medical services in Wilson County. . Key Responsibilities: Certified Surgical Scrub Tech/First Assistant Assist surgeon on surgical procedures with hemodynamics, suturing, retracting Assist OR staff as requested Adheres to practices and policies outlined to ensure patient safety and follows infection control standards Qualifications: Required: Graduate of an approved specific discipline OR successful completion of a surgical assistant training program during the applicant's service as a member of any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
Required
1 year of relevant work experience. Preferred experience in ortho, general, gyn, vascular, urology, bariatrics, plastics, spine, and head & neck.
Required
Registration with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
Preferred
Certification from one of the listed issuers below: NBSTSA CST – National Board of Surgical Technologist and Surgical Assistants, Certified Surgical Technologist. NCCT – TS-C – National Center for Competency Testing, Tech In Surgery.
Required
Certification from one of the listed issuers below: CSFA - Certified Surgical First Assistant - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) CSA - Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) CSA- Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA) SA-C – Surgical Assistant-Certified -
American
Board of
Surgical
Assistants (ABSA)
Technical
Capabilities:
Equipment
Maintenance (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of preventive maintenance in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully maintaining equipment, products, or systems without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to conduct predictive maintenance on core products and equipment.
Operating
Room
Care (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of operating room care in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering operating room care services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
Environmental
Sterility &
Safety (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of environmental sterility and safety in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering environmental sterility and safety services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
Inventory
Management (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate Inventory Management skills in practical applications of moderate difficulty. Demonstrates basic expertise with Inventory Management tools, procedures and processes. Monitors material moved into and out of stockroom locations and reconciles inventory balances. Works with electronic catalogs.
Surgical
Technology (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of surgical technology in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering results without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
HQ
Nashville, Tennessee
Procedures
Knowledge (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of procedures knowledge in practical applications of a difficult nature. Possesses sufficient knowledge, training, and experience to be capable of successfully delivering procedures knowledge services without requiring support and instruction from others. Able to train and educate by setting the example, giving technical instruction, providing leadership, and generally raising the level of performance of others while on the job.
Surgical
Equipment
Knowledge (Intermediate): Demonstrates mastery of the equipment and related devices. Has solid knowledge of performance criteria. Able to use the equipment to accomplish advanced tasks associated with the specific devices. Easily resolves equipment problems. Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings. These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South. Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.
Core
Accountabilities:
Organizational
Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.
Problem
Solving/
Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precendent.
Breadth of
Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas.
Team
Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.
Core
Capabilities :
Supporting
Colleagues: -
Develops
Self and
Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. -
Builds and
Maintains
Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. -
Communicates
Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.
Delivering
Excellent
Services : -
Serves
Others with
Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. -
Solves
Complex
Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. -
Offers
Meaningful
Advice and
Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.
Ensuring
High
Quality : -
Performs
Excellent
Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. -
Ensures
Continuous
Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. -
Fulfills
Safety and
Regulatory
Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.
Managing
Resources
Effectively : -
Demonstrates
Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. -
Stewards
Organizational
Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. -
Makes
Data
Driven
Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.
Fostering
Innovation: -
Generates
New
Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. -
Applies
Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. -
Adapts to
Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.
Position
Qualifications:
Responsibilities:
Certifications: Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA), Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA), Certified Surgical First Assistant - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), Certified Surgical First Assistant - The American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA),
LIC-Registered
Surgical
Assist-Tennessee -
Tennessee
Work
Experience:
Relevant
Work
Experience
Experience
Level : 1 year
Education: Graduate of an approved discipline specific program Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled. PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO.
Our vision: The world leader in advancing personalized health.
Our mission: personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities. Making Health Care Personal. We’re looking for like-minded individuals driven to make a difference. We invite you to explore careers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At VUMC, we place a priority on designing with and for our patients and families. We value collaboration, embrace continuous learning and discovery, and seek to be a place where everyone has the chance to thrive. We’re the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with a growing team and expanding footprint in towns and communities across the region. We employ more than 28,000 people who work in inpatient and outpatient clinical care, research, and graduate medical education as well as critical supporting roles in administration, information technology and informatics, finance, legal and community affairs, communications and marketing, fund-raising, groundskeeping and facilities, and many more.
Our growing health system has more than 1,700 licensed hospital beds at: Vanderbilt University Hospital Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital It’s also home to hundreds of outpatient clinic and surgical locations throughout the region. We serve our community with many unique and specialized services including the Level 1 Trauma Center, a highly experienced Transplant Center that does the most heart transplants in the world, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lung Institute, Burn Center and many more. World-leading academic departments and centers make scientific discoveries, advance clinical care and train the next generation of health care professionals. Our robust research enterprise consistently ranks among the highest in the country as measured by peer-reviewed grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. We’re honored to be consistently considered among the nation’s best hospitals, including being nationally ranked in multiple medical specialties for treating the most complex conditions in adults and children by US News and World Report. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt ranked as the No. 1 children’s hospital in the southeast in 2024. We support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at VUMC for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose. Join us in Making Health Care Personal.
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