Operating Room Registered Nurse

OakLeaf Surgical Hospital; Altoona (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

PTO

Free meals

Wellness reimbursement

Health Savings Account

Job summary

OakLeaf Surgical Hospital is seeking an Operating Room RN Circulator to manage nursing care in the OR, support the surgical team, and maintain a safe patient environment during procedures. You will rely on critical thinking to coordinate care, ensure asepsis, and support intraoperative communication.

The role requires Wisconsin RN licensure, ADN, BLS on hire, and ACLS/PALS within six months. Prior OR experience is preferred; 8-hour shifts are scheduled.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in medical terminology and nursing care in surgical settings.
• Experience with EMR and compliance with HIPAA.
• Current RN license in Wisconsin and BLS upon hire (ACLS/PALS within six months).
• Strong communication and teamwork in a fast-paced operating room.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct patient care in the OR and administer medications as prescribed.
• Ensure infection control and asepsis throughout procedures.
• Prepare OR, handle equipment, and oversee time-out and surgical site identification.
• Educate patients and families about care and post-operative steps.
• Maintain patient safety and participate in on-call rotations.

Skills

Medical terminology

EMR systems

HIPAA and patient rights

English communication

Attention to detail

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing)

Tools

None

Job description

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:

The Operating Room RN is responsible for managing all nursing care within the operating room, observing the surgical team from a broad perspective, and assisting the team to create and maintain a safe, comfortable environment for the patient’s surgery. The circulating nurse ensures that all members of the surgical team perform in a united effort. By employing critical thinking, assessment, diagnosing, outcome identification, planning, and evaluation skills, RN circulators direct the nursing care and coordinate activities of the surgical team for the benefit of the patient.

Hours:

• 8-Hour Shifts

Essential Job Functions:

• Advocate for patients’ rights, preferences, and needs, ensuring that they receive high-quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual circumstances
• Project a professional demeanor and appearance while maintaining the confidentiality of the patient, coworkers, and the organization, as appropriate
• Assess patient health problems and needs to develop, implement, and evaluate care in collaboration with healthcare team
• Provide direct patient care, including administering medications and treatments as prescribed
• Educate patients and their families on health conditions, medications, treatment care, and post-surgical care
• Operate and monitor medical equipment relevant to patient care
• Ensure infection control protocols and safety standards are followed in all aspects of patient care
• Promptly record all care information concisely, accurately, and completely
• Respond to emergency situations using appropriate interventions
• Promptly report and document any occurrences of unusual events, safety concerns, or incidents in accordance with organization policies and procedures
• The circulating RN serves the well-being of the patient, advocating for their safety, vigilantly watching for any unforeseen or unintended event that might compromise the patient during the surgery
• Prepare the operating room for the procedure
• Performs and documents point-of-care testing in accordance with established protocols, ensuring accuracy, quality control compliance, and timely communication of results to the care team
• Ensure compliance with Universal Protocol by initiating a pre-procedural 'Time Out' to prevent wrong-site, wrong-procedure, and wrong-patient errors
• Assist in positioning and responding to the comfort and safety of the patient
• Perform a surgical site identification and surgical time-out on every patient
• Prepare, administer, and record prescribed medications
• Observe and enforce strict standards of asepsis
• Observe, check, and monitor all equipment used during surgery to confirm that it is functioning properly, removes and reports any malfunctioning equipment from service
• Operate the retinal laser under the direction of the physician, adhering to all safety protocols and maintaining annual competency through required training
• Provide for accurate care and handling of specimens
• Inventory all items used in surgery
• Provide hand-off communication to PACU RNS
• Participate in the department’s on-call rotation and respond promptly to call-ins to ensure continuous patient care and surgical support as needed
• May be cross-trained and assigned to other nursing departments within the hospital, with responsibility for carrying out the essential functions of the assigned role
• Use the organization's secure messaging platform in accordance with departmental protocols, including timely receipt and responses to communications
• Perform other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Medical terminology
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems
• Quality assurance and accreditation standards
• Understanding of HIPAA regulations, patient confidentiality laws and patient rights
• Effective English communication in verbal and written form
• Quality work including attention to detail and accuracy
• Basic computer proficiency
• Carry out customer service standards
• Capacity to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Prioritize tasks effectively through managing workload based on urgency and importance
• Continuously learn and improve through staying up to date on job specific trends, policies and new technologies
• Successfully demonstrate organization-wide performance review competencies

Qualifications:

• Demonstrates eligibility for employment in the U.S.
• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from an accredited nursing program required
• Current RN licensure in the State of Wisconsin
• BLS certification is required upon hire
• Must obtain ACLS and PALS certification within six months of hire
• Previous operating room experience is preferred
• Must possess a cell phone that interfaces with the organization’s secure messaging system
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account with an employer contribution
• Free scrubs with laundry service
• PTO
• Free Meals
• 401(k) retirement plan with 4% company match
• Wellness reimbursement

Our organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer