JOANNA BAKER

As a scrub practitioner the role involved both scrub and circulating duties. As a circulator duties entail:

• Preparing theatre daily prior to commencement of list
• Prepare and arrange instruments and equipment required for list
• Ensuring theatre is well stocked
• Helped deliver stabilising and life-saving treatments during medical emergencies.
• Dressed surgical wounds, monitored healing and replaced bandages to prevent infections.
• Counting swabs and countable before, during and following procedure
• Checking expiry date and sterility of instruments and equipment
• Helping to position patient prior to starting procedure
• Ensuring counts are correct with scrub practitioner

My role as a scrub practitioner involves:

• Perform surgical hand scrub, gowning and gloving
• Ensuring anything on trolley is accounted for prior to start of procedure and ensuring all equipment needed is ready
• Assisting in preparing patients surgical site (cleaning and draping)
• Passing instruments, sutures, swabs and any other equipment in a timely manner
• Anticipating surgeons needs by following surgery and acting efficiently
• Maintain sterile field throughout procedure
• Handle any specimens during and after procedure ensuring they are labelling correctly and applicable forms have been completed prior to transfer to lab
• Perform counts throughout procedure as necessary
• Assist with wound dressing
• Ensure sharps are disposed off safely
• Complete any appropriate paperwork and documentation
• Give handover to recovery staff

At all times I adhere to NMC Code of Conduct whilst remaining professional and accountable. My professional responsibilities include:

• Promoting an environment that facilitates and encourages learning and development of myself and others
• To ensure skills and underpinning knowledge are up to date and in line with evidence based practice and most up to date guidelines.
• Practicing within scope of competence at all times
• Provide leadership and support for colleagues, junior staff and students
• Acting as role model that inspires respect and confidence
• Effectively communicate with multi-disciplinary team, colleagues and patients
• Comply with relevant legislation such as Health and Safety at Work Act, Trust Policies, Guidelines and Procedures
• Contribute to service improvement
• Act as advocate to patients, acting in their best interests at all times, challenging poor practice and discriminatory behaviour
• Ensure patients physical and psychological needs are considered and met
• Adhere to Infection prevention control procedures
• Being able to delegate safely, ensuring work delegated is within delegees scope of competence
• To work with and support Theatre Team Leader managing key operational aspects
• Help with audits to help improve quality of patient care
• Support Team Leaders to undertake risk assessments to identify potential risks to patients and staff
• Report any incidents via Trust reporting system
• Ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times, treating patients with respect, dignity and compassion
• Ensure documentation is correct, legible and accurate
• Follow safeguarding procedures when concerns are raised

As a theatre care assistant the role entailed:

• Transferring patients from ward to theatre department
• Ensuring theatre is prepared and clean for theatre list
• Counting countable items from the scrub practitioners trolley
• Helping to position patient
• Anticipating needs of scrub practitioner throughout procedure
• Collecting specimens and ensuring they are correctly labelled and transporting to lab
• Completing theatre documentation
• Disposing of clinical waste as per trust policy
• Answer bleeps and relay messages
• Act as patient advocate
• Follow trust guidelines and policies
• Follow infection prevention control procedures
• Worked closely under supervision from registered nurses contributing to efficient workflow within the facility.
• Provided emotional support to patients, improving their mental wellbeing.
• Respected privacy and dignity of patients