RN / Registered Nurse - Or First Assistant

Become part of the Beebe team—an inclusive, mission‑driven organization located in a vibrant coastal community. At Beebe, you’ll build a rewarding career while making a meaningful impact on the health and well‑being of our patients. Join a team committed to excellence, collaboration, and compassionate care, and experience the fulfillment that comes from supporting a community that trusts and values the work you do every day. 

Benefits

In addition to competitive compensation and wellness benefits (medical, dental, vision and prescription) Beebe Healthcare also offers:

• Sign-on and Referral Bonuses for select positions
• Tuition Assistance up to $5,000
• Paid Time Off
• Long Term Sick accrual
• Employer Contribution Plan
• Free Short and Long-Term Disability for Full Time employees
• Zero copay for drugs on prescription plan for certain conditions
• College Bound 529 Savings Plan
• Life Insurance
• Beebe Perks via WorkAdvantage
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pet Insurance

Join the surgical team at Beebe Healthcare, where your skills and experience as a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) will make a lasting impact. We are currently seeking a full-time RNFA to support our perioperative services in delivering safe, efficient, and expert surgical care to patients across Sussex County.

As a clinically competent, registered professional nurse, the RNFA demonstrates advanced proficiency in perioperative nursing and intraoperative first assisting. This position plays an integral role in the surgical team by collaborating with surgeons and operating room staff to ensure high-quality patient outcomes. The RNFA uses the full scope of the nursing process – assessment, planning, intervention, implementation, and evaluation – to deliver comprehensive surgical care and support throughout the perioperative continuum.

First Assisting Responsibilities

• Initiate appropriate intraoperative behaviors unique to first assisting: provide hemostasis to reduce potential for fluid volume deficit by clamping and/or legating vessels using ESU, direct pressure, applying chemical agents that promote coagulation and other means as directed by the surgeon.
• Provide exposure of the operative site through appropriate use of retractors, other instruments, and through suctioning and sponging.
• Use surgical instruments skillfully in ways consistent with their design and purpose as directed by the surgeon.

Scrub / Surgical Routines & Aseptic Technique

• Demonstrates competency in performance of scrub/surgical routines and aseptic technique.
• Utilizes proper scrub, gown and gloving technique for self, surgeon, and assistant.
• Ongoing monitoring of asepsis in all roles—scrub, circulator, and assistant.
• Anticipates needs of surgeon.
• Consistently recognizes sequence of procedures in all roles—scrub, circulator, and assistant.
• Passes instruments correctly.
• Appropriate review and preparation for assigned procedures.

Sterilization Processes & Instrument Handling

• Understands and utilizes established guidelines for operation of autoclaves and steris units.
• Performs daily A-Test/Biological tests as required.
• Performs proper care, handling, and assembly of instruments for processing.
• Ensures complete/thorough documentation of all flash and steris cycles as per protocol.

Supply, Instrument, and Equipment Accountability

• Accepts personal accountability for proper handling, judicious use, and optimum care of all department supply, instrument, and equipment inventory.

Perioperative Nursing Process

• Patient assessment: collecting, interpreting, recording, and communicating pertinent data relevant to patient care in surgery.
• Care planning: utilization of collected data to plan appropriately for intraoperative nursing care.
• Implementing: provides direct patient care to meet physical and psychological needs.
• Evaluating care: continuously evaluates patient response to nursing intervention and modifies care plan to achieve desired outcome.

Theoretical Knowledge & Clinical Competence

• Demonstrates and conveys theoretical knowledge and skills related to perioperative nursing care.
• Understands the "why" concept as well as the "how" process.

Intraoperative Documentation

• Thorough/Accurate/Complete documentation of intraoperative patient care.

Patient Positioning & Skin Integrity

• Understands/Demonstrates/Conveys knowledge related to proper intraoperative patient positioning.
• Universal skin care precautions.
• Prevention of nerve damage.
• Prevention of pressure-related skin breakdown.

Surgical Counts

• Assists with completion and accuracy of surgical sponge, sharps/miscellaneous items, and instrument counts as per established policies and guidelines.

Preference Sheet Management

• Assists with maintenance of up-to-date preference sheets in conjunction with Resource RNs and department Nurse Managers.

Critical Thinking, Prioritization & Time Management

• Effectively demonstrates critical thinking.
• Prioritizes duties appropriately.
• Demonstrates strong time management skills throughout the perioperative arena.

Charge Accuracy & Cost Efficiency

• Maintains accuracy with patient charge process.
• Uses case supplies cost efficiently.
• Ensures all pertinent data is provided to post‑case data personnel to facilitate a time‑efficient billing process.

Turnover Efficiency

• Strives to ensure efficiency in turnaround time between procedures.
• Readily available as needed.
• Communicates with OR Desk/Charge RN and/or department Nurse Manager.
• Performs gross cleaning of body fluid spills to confine contamination throughout the procedure.
• Prioritizes case completion process.
• Assists with room cleanup tasks as necessary.
• Prioritizes case setup process toward maximum efficiency.

Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance

Adheres to all accreditation, regulatory, and safety requirements throughout the perioperative process.

• Completion of an accredited RNFA program
• Minimum of 2 years of recent perioperative nursing experience  
• 1 year recent perioperative experience as an RN First Assist preferred
• Strong clinical judgment, communication skills, and commitment to patient-centered care

• RN - Registered Nurse
• BLS - Basic Life Saving certification
• CNOR - Certified Nursing - OR

• Graduate of an accredited nursing program