LPN-Surgical/Perioperative

Job Description

Job Description

Join Decypher and make a direct impact on the health and readiness of America’s service members, veterans, and their families. Since 2008 Decypher has offered healthcare industry professionals careers where their expertise is valued, and their work makes a meaningful impact. Decypher partners with the Defense Health Agency to deliver professional services, technology, and management solutions. Our mission is to provide and support quality care for our veterans, servicemembers and their families, across the United States.

Job Summary: The Surgical/Perioperative LPN provides clinical and technical support for invasive endoscopic and pulmonary procedures by assisting providers and nursing staff with patient preparation, monitoring, recovery, specimen handling, and procedure room operations. This role is responsible for operating and maintaining specialized endoscopy equipment, supporting infection control and reprocessing standards, recognizing patient complications, and ensuring safe, efficient patient care throughout the procedural process.

Required Qualifications:

• Education:
  • Graduation from a State Board of Nursing approved LPN/LVN training program or completion of equivalent military training that permits sitting for the State licensure examination.
  • Associate degree in Practical Nursing.
• Certifications
  • Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Advanced Life Support (ACLS/ALS)
• License:
  • Current unrestricted LPN/LVN license in one of the 50 US States and/or territories
• Experience:
  • At least 1 years of LPN experience in an inpatient or outpatient healthcare setting. Previous experience of work in endoscopy suites, OR, or other procedure-based suites is required.

U.S. Citizenship is required

Key Responsibilities:

• Prepares patients for invasive procedures, including preoperative data collection, providing patient education and information before and after procedures. Assists physicians, LPNs, RNs, and hospital medics and Corpsmen in the preparation, recovery, and performance of invasive Gastroenterological procedures. Provides a wide range of diagnostic support duties, to include cardio-respiratory monitoring, obtaining specimens and lab results and documenting in the patient’s record.
• Performs EKGs (including 12-lead).
• Starts intravenous lines as directed by physician or RN.
• Performs Point of Care Glucose testing and HCG testing.
• Recognizes abnormal findings, reports findings to GI providers and RNs, and documents finding in automated medical records. Recognizes patient’s changing condition and reports changes to RN.
• Recognizes life-threatening conditions and performs BLS and ALS resuscitative procedures.
• Assists in post anesthesia recovery for patients following gastroenterological and pulmonary procedures under supervision of an RN.
• Immediately recognizes and reacts to any post-operative concerns and complications, and reports them immediately to RN, and GI provider, documents in medical record.
• Provides discharge instructions to patients and family members on endoscopy procedure under supervision of the RN.
• Assists with transportation of patient to and from endoscopy suite and between rooms.
• Assist the physician with invasive endoscopic procedures. Sets up, cleans, disinfects and stores endoscopic equipment.
• Sets up computer-based equipment to accept procedure data and generate procedure reports.
• Operates electronic video endoscopy equipment. Handles endoscopic accessories, including light sources, image generating and retrieval systems (some of which are computer based) and tissue retrieval devices (such as biopsy forceps and polypectomy snares).
• Applies techniques of therapeutic endoscopy, including electrocoagulation and injection hemostasis. Performs preventive maintenance on all equipment to ensure that adequate maintenance on all equipment to ensure that adequate maintenance occurs and that supply of expendable equipment is acceptable.
• Handles biopsy tissues and other material obtained from patients during procedures, including proper recording and transport to the laboratory.
• Recovers procedure rooms at the end of procedures, returns unused supply to stock, cleans all medical equipment per MTF and Joint Commission guidelines, restocks supplies to par levels.
• Interacts directly with the Department of Pathology to assure that retrieval is timely and complete.
• Participates in patient-related administrative activities as directed by the division head.
• Assures that the unit conforms to the Infection Control Guidelines for Endoscopic Procedure established by the Centers for Disease Control, the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA), and NNHC infection control policies. This includes proper equipment preparation, point of care cleaning, manual cleaning, high level disinfection of endoscopy equipment, and storage. Establishes and maintains a variety of files and records relating to endoscope reprocessing activities and functions.
• Performs operator level maintenance and care of equipment. Identifies need for and initiates action to obtain higher-level support. Prepares and/or replaces endoscope reprocessing material.

Physical Requirements: Must be able to work in a dimly lighted or dark room for procedures. Must be able to do heavy lifting, (45 pounds and over). Personnel must be able to stand up to 8 hours per shift with a combination of walking up to 5 hours.

Work Environment and Schedule: Monday through Friday; shifts 700 – 1530. Rotating scheduled based on government needs, nights, weekends, holidays and on-call/call back required. Situations will arise during performance of duties that may require the LPN to stay on site to complete tasks.

Decypher is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce (M/F/D/V)