The Certified Surgical First Assist assists the surgical team during operative procedures, ensuring optimal patient positioning and maintaining sterility. They also perform core Surgical Technologist duties as needed to support safe and efficient operations.
Requirements summary
Candidates must be graduates of an approved surgical assistant training program or have relevant military experience, along with at least one year of relevant work experience. Certification as a Surgical First Assistant is required, along with registration with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
professional certificateTeamworkQuality AssuranceCommunicationRecord KeepingProblem SolvingPatient CareContinuous ImprovementSterile TechniqueResource ManagementOperational EfficiencySuturingSurgical AssistanceHemostasisWound ExposureInstrument PreparationPACU Care
Job description
Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
Organization
Surgical
Services
Job
Summary: The Certified Surgical First Assist plays a vital, hands‑on role in delivering high‑quality surgical care by working side‑by‑side with the surgeon in an expanded CST First Assist capacity. This position actively supports surgical procedures through precise patient positioning, preparation, and draping, maintains optimal surgical site visibility by providing wound exposure and hemostasis, and assists with tissue handling and suturing under the surgeon’s direction. As a versatile member of the surgical team, the Surgical Technologist First Assist may also step in to perform core Surgical Technologist duties as needed to ensure safe, efficient operations.
Position
Shift: - Day shift, with on‑call responsibility for some weekends, holidays, and nights - On‑call rotation required, approximately 7 days per month
Consistent weekly schedule Sign On Bonus
This full-time position offers a $20,000 (taxable) bonus to be paid in equal payments over 2 years.
The sign-on bonus is not applicable to current VUMC staff or former staff who have worked for VUMC in the past twelve months. Relocation Bonus
Up to $10,000 (taxable) to be paid within 45 days of hire, based on relocation mileage.
Must relocate from greater than 100 miles to be eligible.
This bonus is not applicable to current VUMC staff or former staff who have worked for VUMC in the past twelve months.
About Us: Our 60-bed facility offers a range of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical care. Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital has once again received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog for spring 2024, marking its fifth consecutive “A” rating. This national distinction recognizes our hospital's achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error. VBH is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the American Heart Association. .
Benefits
Sign-On Bonus
Health Insurance
Relocation Bonus
Key
Responsibilities:
Assists the surgical team during the operative procedure.
Knowledge of sterile technique and maintenance of sterility of surgical field.
Ability to circulate all operative cases independently.
Ability to care for patient in PACU in the immediate postoperative period.
Completes perioperative record accurately and completely.
Charges accurately for items used in the operating room.
Prepares rooms with appropriate instruments, sutures, supplies and equipment.
Assists the surgical team during operative procedures.
Consistently provides accurate and complete handoff communication to any healthcare provider according to hospital policy.
Qualifications
Required: Graduate of an approved specific discipline OR successful completion of a surgical assistant training program during the applicant's service as a member of any branch of the armed forces of the United States.
Required
1 year of relevant work experience
Required: Registration with the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
Preferred
Certification from one of the listed issuers below: NBSTSA CST – National Board of Surgical Technologist and Surgical Assistants, Certified Surgical Technologist. NCCT – TS-C – National Center for Competency Testing, Tech In Surgery.
Required
Certification from one of the listed issuers below: CSFA - Certified Surgical First Assistant - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) CSA - Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA) CSA- Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA) SA-C – Surgical Assistant-Certified - American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA) Allied health is among the fastest growing occupations in healthcare today. This area can be defined as credentialed professionals who perform supportive, diagnostic, and therapeutic health care services to promote health and prevent disease in a variety of settings. These areas are crucial to Vanderbilt Health’s reputation for excellence in these areas that has made us a major center for patient referrals from throughout the Mid-South. Each year, people throughout Tennessee and the southeast choose Vanderbilt Health for their health care because of our leadership in medical science and our dedication to treating patients with dignity and compassion.
Core
Accountabilities:
Organizational
Impact: Independently performs non-routine tasks that significantly impact team and other related teams.
Problem
Solving/
Complexity of work: Gathers and analyzes data to solve problems that arise with little or no precendent.
Breadth of
Knowledge: Applies advanced job knowledge and has developed a breadth of skills in other areas.
Team
Interaction: Serves as a lead for the team by providing expertise and guidance to team members.
Core
Capabilities :
Supporting
Colleagues: -
Develops
Self and
Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas. -
Builds and
Maintains
Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships. -
Communicates
Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.
Delivering
Excellent
Services : -
Serves
Others with
Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them. -
Solves
Complex
Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions. -
Offers
Meaningful
Advice and
Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.
Ensuring
High
Quality : -
Performs
Excellent
Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly. -
Ensures
Continuous
Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. -
Fulfills
Safety and
Regulatory
Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.
Managing
Resources
Effectively : -
Demonstrates
Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure. -
Stewards
Organizational
Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area. -
Makes
Data
Driven
Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities.
Fostering
Innovation: -
Generates
New
Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches. -
Applies
Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges. -
Adapts to
Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.
Position
Qualifications:
Responsibilities:
Certifications: Certified Surgical Assistant - National Commission for Certification of Surgical Assistants (NCCSA), Certified Surgical Assistant - National Surgical Assistant Association (NSAA), Certified Surgical First Assistant - National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA), Certified Surgical First Assistant - The American Board of Surgical Assistants (ABSA),
LIC-Registered
Surgical
Assist-Tennessee -
Tennessee
Work
Experience:
Relevant
Work
Experience
Experience
Level : 1 year
Education: Graduate of an approved discipline specific program This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth. Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled. PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO.
Our vision: The world leader in advancing personalized health.
Our mission: personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities. Making Health Care Personal. We’re looking for like-minded individuals driven to make a difference. We invite you to explore careers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At VUMC, we place a priority on designing with and for our patients and families. We value collaboration, embrace continuous learning and discovery, and seek to be a place where everyone has the chance to thrive. We’re the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with a growing team and expanding footprint in towns and communities across the region. We employ more than 28,000 people who work in inpatient and outpatient clinical care, research, and graduate medical education as well as critical supporting roles in administration, information technology and informatics, finance, legal and community affairs, communications and marketing, fund-raising, groundskeeping and facilities, and many more.
Our growing health system has more than 1,700 licensed hospital beds at: Vanderbilt University Hospital Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital It’s also home to hundreds of outpatient clinic and surgical locations throughout the region. We serve our community with many unique and specialized services including the Level 1 Trauma Center, a highly experienced Transplant Center that does the most heart transplants in the world, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lung Institute, Burn Center and many more. World-leading academic departments and centers make scientific discoveries, advance clinical care and train the next generation of health care professionals. Our robust research enterprise consistently ranks among the highest in the country as measured by peer-reviewed grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. We’re honored to be consistently considered among the nation’s best hospitals, including being nationally ranked in multiple medical specialties for treating the most complex conditions in adults and children by US News and World Report. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt ranked as the No. 1 children’s hospital in the southeast in 2024. We support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at VUMC for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose. Join us in Making Health Care Personal.
