Surgery

Service/Responsibilities

OMHS surgery performs over 13,000 inpatient and outpatient procedures annually. Services provided include: Open Heart, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic, General, Vascular, Gynecology, Urology, ENT and Eyes . There are 14 open procedure suites and two cystoscopy suites.

Technology

Nursing documentation is electronic. X-ray images are electronic and viewable in each O.R. suite. Technology changes frequently in surgery and currently includes, but is not limited to: stereotactic imaging and guidance, digital subtraction angiography, lasers, specialized imaging systems, radium seeds, and multiple systems for cutting edge minimally invasive procedures.

Staffing

All surgery suites operate until 3:00 p.m. when the number of staffed rooms is reduced gradually until two rooms at 7:00 p.m. and one room after 11:00 p.m. Staff schedules include: 6a-2p, 7a-3p, 7a-5p (4 days), 7a-7p (3 days), 11a-11p (3 days), and 6p-6a). In most cases new nurses start on 11a-11p.  Staffing is achieved by assignments to a posted matrix. Nurses know what days they will consistently work based on an established two-week pattern that continues throughout the year. The RN to patient ratio is 1:1.  However, on same cases the ratios is two RN to one patient.

Training/Education

Surgery orientation for nurses consists of a six to seven month program with both didactic and hands-on experience. In-services, either for refresher or new practice, are offered regularly. Management also encourages certifications such as CNOR and TNCC. Tuition reimbursement is available for the certification expense.

Continuous Quality Improvement

OMHS Surgical Services has embraced the SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Project) initiative. Nurses participate in interventions to reduce and track surgical site infections, DVT, hypothermia, and others complications. Nurses are patient advocates and leaders in facilitating pre-procedural briefings that are critical in providing safe and quality care for our patients.