Job Summary
The Specialist Nurse Theatres is an essential member of the surgical team, providing expert perioperative nursing care to patients undergoing a diverse range of surgical procedures, including general surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular, neurosurgery, and emergency surgeries. This role involves comprehensive preparation for surgeries by ensuring that all necessary instruments, equipment, and supplies are available, sterile, and ready for use, as well as verifying patient identity, consent, and surgical site to comply with safety protocols. The Specialist Nurse Theatres functions in multiple capacities, including scrub nurse, circulating nurse, and recovery nurse, depending on the needs of the operating room. As a scrub nurse, they provide direct assistance to the surgeon by passing instruments, maintaining the sterile field, and anticipating the needs of the surgical team. As a circulating nurse, they manage the overall environment in the operating room, ensuring that all equipment functions properly, maintaining sterility, and documenting intraoperative events. In the recovery role, they monitor patients postoperatively, managing pain, nausea, and any immediate complications, and ensuring safe transfer to the recovery area or ward. The Specialist Nurse Theatres plays a critical role in upholding infection control standards, patient safety, and the smooth coordination of care during surgeries. They work collaboratively with surgeons, anesthetists, surgical technicians, and other healthcare professionals to optimise patient outcomes and promote efficient surgical workflows. Additionally, they provide preoperative and postoperative education to patients and families, helping them understand the surgical process, potential risks, recovery expectations, and discharge planning. The Specialist Nurse Theatres also contributes to the continuous improvement of theatre services by participating in research, audits, and the development of new protocols and guidelines, ensuring that surgical practices remain up-to-date, safe, and evidence based.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership:
- Provide clinical leadership in the operating theatre, guiding and supporting the surgical team in delivering high-quality care.
- Mentor and train junior nurses, surgical technologists, and support staff in perioperative practices.
- Lead debriefs after surgeries to evaluate performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement changes.
- Participate in the development and delivery of educational programs for perioperative staff.
Strategic Development
- Contribute to the development and implementation of theatre protocols and guidelines to improve patient safety and surgical outcomes.
- Support initiatives to enhance theatre efficiency, reduce turnover times, and optimize resource utilization.
- Participate in quality improvement projects and audits aimed at enhancing theatre services and reducing surgical complications.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to adopt innovative surgical techniques and technologies
Governance
- Ensure compliance with hospital policies, procedures, and national standards for perioperative care, including infection control and medication management.
- Maintain accurate and comprehensive documentation of perioperative care, including surgical counts, equipment checks, and patient assessments.
- Participate in audits, incident reporting, and risk management activities to enhance patient safety and care quality.
- Implement changes in practice based on audit findings, safety alerts, or updated guidelines.
Other Responsibilities
- Prepare the operating room by setting up instruments, equipment, and supplies according to the surgical procedure requirements.
- Assist surgeons during operations by passing instruments, controlling bleeding, and ensuring a sterile environment.
- Monitor patients’ vital signs during surgery and respond to any complications or emergencies.
- Provide postoperative care in the immediate recovery period, including pain management and monitoring for complications.
- Ensuring clinical practice is based on validated research, and participating in quality assessment, research and clinical audits
Equality and Diversity
- Act as lead for Equality & Diversity in the Estates and Facilities department to ensure the development and effective implementation of a strategy, set of policies, procedures and monitoring and control systems are in place.
Personal and Staff Development
- Work with HR to undertake recruitment, retention, performance management and development of staff in the team.
- Work with the Recruitment Manager to establish connections with appropriate local, international, and online communities to nurture a pipeline of talent to support the growth of the company.
- Responsible for development of high potential employees, providing a structured approach to mentoring and developing critical talent at all levels of management.
Organizational Responsibilities
- Report to the Manager or Head of Nursing, contributing to the strategic development of theatres services.
- Represent the theatre in hospital committees related to patient safety, clinical governance, and quality improvement.
- Support the hospital’s accreditation processes by ensuring compliance with theaters standards and protocols.
- Engage in initiatives aimed at improving patient care, safety, and efficiency within the theatres.
Confidentiality
The post holder must be aware that Confidential Information and data to which the post holder will have knowledge and access to in the course of their employment with the AMCE is to be kept confidential, and this confidentiality is a condition of employment. The duty to maintain confidentiality continues even when the post holder is no longer employed.
This information is not to be shared with anyone outside of the AMCE under any circumstances, except to the extent necessary to fulfil any duties and responsibilities required within the role. Furthermore, upon termination with the AMCE Abuja, the post holder will return to the AMCE all confidential information held.
General
The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and well-being and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of AMCE together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients, staff and visitors.
To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
All employees must hold an AMCE email account, which will be the AMCE's formal route for email communication. You are therefore required to check this regularly and to deal with such communication promptly.
Infection Control Statement
The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to make to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of this role. These requirements are set out in the AMCE Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures, which will be made clear during your induction and subsequent refresher training. These standards must be strictly complied with at all times.