Surgical RN - Clinical Operations

We take care of each other. We exemplify kindness. We find a better way. We are stewards in our community. We surprise and delight. We receive feedback as a gift. We strive to be worth imitating. We protect our profits.

This is a full-time position at the Amelia Aesthetics Tampa Bay location. Details include:

• PTO + 7 annual paid holidays
• Health, Dental, Vision options
• 401K with Company Contribution
• Discounts on plastic surgery services
• Parental Leave
• Opportunity to grow with an expanding, innovative practice where your leadership and ideas make an impact

Position Summary

The Surgical RN – Clinical Operations is responsible for providing exceptional perioperative nursing care while helping establish and strengthen the clinical systems of a growing surgical practice.

This is a hands-on nursing position spanning patient medical readiness, pre-operative care, circulating, PACU, patient education, and clinical coordination. Because this position is part of a developing surgical practice, the RN will also play an active role in building consistent workflows, identifying opportunities for improvement, and creating reliable clinical processes as patient volume and the surgical team grow.

The ideal candidate is clinically strong, highly organized, comfortable taking ownership, and interested in growing beyond traditional bedside responsibilities as the practice develops.

Success means that patients arrive for surgery medically prepared, clinical concerns are identified early rather than on the day of surgery, nursing workflows are consistent, documentation is complete, patients feel well supported, and the surgical team can rely on this individual as a trusted clinical resource.

As the practice grows, success will increasingly mean not only providing excellent individual patient care, but also helping create the systems and standards that allow the entire clinical team to provide that same level of care consistently.

Perioperative Nursing Responsibilities

The Surgical RN – Clinical Operations is expected to function confidently across the perioperative continuum and provide safe, organized, patient-centered nursing care before, during, and after surgery.

Medical Screening & Surgical Readiness

• Review each surgical patient's chart following consultation to identify required laboratory testing, medical clearances, imaging, outside records, mammography, or other documentation required before surgery.
• Complete medical screening calls and assess relevant medical history, current conditions, medication use, prior anesthesia history, allergies, and other factors that may affect surgical readiness.
• Review current medications with the patient and provide clear instructions regarding which medications should be continued, held, stopped, or resumed in accordance with established protocols and provider direction.
• Verify pharmacy information and assist with preparation and coordination of prescribed perioperative medications.
• Confirm procedure details, including procedure type and implant information when applicable.
• Monitor completion of required pre-operative testing and documentation and follow up on outstanding items before the surgical date.
• Identify changes in health status, abnormal findings, medication concerns, or other clinical risks and escalate them promptly to the appropriate surgeon, anesthesia provider, or clinical leader.
• Prepare or maintain appropriate pre-operative documentation, history and physical templates, screening documentation, and nursing checklists.
• Communicate directly with patients regarding preparation for surgery and answer clinical questions within the RN scope of practice.
• Help ensure patients arrive for surgery medically prepared and without preventable day-of-surgery delays or cancellations.

Pre-Operative Nursing

• Perform and document a complete pre-operative nursing assessment.
• Verify patient identity, planned procedure, surgical site, allergies, medication history, NPO status, transportation arrangements, and other required pre-operative information.
• Confirm completion and availability of required consents, testing, clearances, laboratory results, and other clinical documentation.
• Complete required pregnancy testing, nicotine testing, or other facility-specific testing when applicable.
• Obtain and document baseline vital signs and complete required clinical assessments.
• Establish IV access and administer medications or fluids as ordered and within nursing scope.
• Review the patient's current condition and identify any changes since medical screening or prior evaluation.
• Provide pre-operative patient education and address questions or concerns related to the surgical experience.
• Communicate relevant patient information and clinical concerns to the surgeon, anesthesia provider, circulating RN, and other members of the surgical team.
• Ensure the patient is appropriately prepared for transfer to the operating room.

Circulating Nursing

• Receive the patient into the operating room and participate in safe positioning and preparation for the procedure.
• Ensure required positioning devices, SCDs, warming devices, safety straps, padding, and other protective measures are appropriately applied and functioning.
• Assist anesthesia personnel as needed during induction, intubation, emergence, and extubation.
• Monitor and communicate relevant patient status, fluid balance, thermoregulation, and other intraoperative concerns within the circulating RN role.
• Lead or participate in the required surgical time-out and verify active participation by the surgical team.
• Confirm patient identity, planned procedure, surgical site, allergies, implants, medications, and other required safety elements before incision.
• Perform or assist with surgical skin preparation in accordance with facility protocol.
• Maintain continuous awareness of sterile technique and intervene when breaks in aseptic practice are identified.
• Serve as the patient's advocate throughout the operative procedure.
• Open sterile supplies and instrumentation using appropriate aseptic technique.
• Coordinate additional supplies, equipment, medications, specimens, implants, or other intraoperative needs without disrupting surgical flow.
• Document the surgical procedure accurately and contemporaneously in accordance with facility policy and accreditation requirements.
• Complete required counts and documentation in collaboration with the surgical technologist and operative team.
• Manage and document surgical specimens appropriately.
• Assist with dressings, garments, positioning, and preparation for transfer at the conclusion of the procedure.
• Provide a complete handoff to the receiving PACU RN and assist with safe transfer of the patient from the operating room.

Post-Anesthesia Care

• Receive and verify handoff from the circulating RN and anesthesia provider upon the patient's arrival to PACU.
• Perform and document post-anesthesia assessments, including level of consciousness, airway status, respiratory status, cardiovascular status, vital signs, surgical site assessment, pain, nausea, and other relevant findings.
• Recognize abnormal recovery patterns or changes in patient condition and intervene or escalate promptly.
• Administer medications and treatments as ordered for pain, nausea, blood pressure, hydration, or other postoperative needs.
• Monitor surgical dressings, drains, garments, and operative sites as appropriate.
• Maintain patient comfort, privacy, safety, and emotional support throughout recovery.
• Communicate postoperative concerns promptly to the surgeon and anesthesia provider.
• Determine whether required discharge criteria have been met in accordance with facility policy and provider direction.
• Provide clear verbal and written discharge education to the patient and designated caregiver.
• Confirm understanding of medication instructions, wound care, activity restrictions, warning signs, follow-up expectations, and when to contact the practice or seek emergency care.
• Ensure safe transfer of the patient to the designated caregiver at discharge.

Post-Operative Patient Support

• Participate in postoperative follow-up calls and assess recovery, pain control, nausea or vomiting, medication tolerance, oral intake, mobility, voiding, wound or dressing concerns, and other procedure-specific needs.
• Reinforce postoperative instructions and answer questions within the RN scope of practice.
• Identify symptoms or concerns requiring surgeon review and ensure timely escalation.
• Document postoperative communication and follow-up accurately in the patient's medical record.
• Coordinate with surgeons, clinic staff, and other clinical team members when additional patient follow-up is needed.

Patient Safety, Infection Prevention & Emergency Readiness

• Maintain a high standard of infection prevention and surgical asepsis throughout all phases of patient care.
• Observe clinical and surgical practices for breaks in sterile technique and take corrective action when needed.
• Support maintenance of a surgically clean environment and ensure supplies and instrumentation used for patient care remain appropriate and sterile.
• Adhere to patient identification, surgical time-out, medication safety, specimen handling, counts, handoff, and documentation requirements.
• Maintain current BLS, ACLS, state nursing licensure, and other required competencies.
• Demonstrate the ability to recognize and respond rapidly to perioperative emergencies.
• Participate in emergency drills and maintain familiarity with facility response processes for events including cardiac arrest, anaphylaxis, malignant hyperthermia, hemorrhage, airway emergencies, emergency transfer, fire, and evacuation.
• Assist with routine checks of emergency equipment, medications, crash carts, malignant hyperthermia supplies, and other required clinical readiness items as assigned.

Clinical Documentation & Communication

• Maintain complete, accurate, timely, and legally appropriate nursing documentation throughout the surgical episode of care.
• Ensure required clinical information is available to the surgical and anesthesia teams before the procedure.
• Monitor charts for incomplete documentation and help resolve deficiencies before they affect patient care.
• Maintain confidentiality and protect patient privacy in all verbal, written, and electronic communications.
• Communicate changes in patient condition, clinical concerns, and outstanding requirements clearly and promptly.
• Support effective handoffs between medical screening, pre-op, OR, PACU, clinic, surgeons, anesthesia, and scheduling.
• Monitor designated clinical communication channels and ensure patient questions or clinical concerns are routed and addressed appropriately.

Nursing Standards & Team Support

• Maintain a working knowledge of facility policies, perioperative nursing standards, and applicable QUAD A requirements.
• Participate in competency validation, continuing education, and ongoing clinical training.
• Serve as a resource to other clinical team members regarding nursing workflows and perioperative patient care.
• Assist with orientation and training of new nurses as the team grows.
• Reinforce consistent nursing expectations related to documentation, patient safety, communication, infection prevention, emergency response, and patient experience.
• Help identify opportunities to improve nursing workflows and bring forward practical solutions to the Surgical Operations Manager.

Clinical Operations

• Help develop and maintain efficient, standardized nursing workflows for medical screening, pre-op, OR, PACU, discharge, and follow-up.
• Identify missing steps, recurring problems, documentation gaps, or inefficiencies and bring forward proposed solutions.
• Assist in creating checklists, protocols, templates, and clinical tools that improve consistency and patient safety.
• Support daily surgical readiness through strong communication with surgeons, anesthesia, surgical staff, scheduling, and operational leadership.
• Assist with required clinical logs, emergency readiness activities, competencies, infection prevention, and other clinical compliance activities as assigned.
• Maintain familiarity with facility policies, procedures, and applicable accreditation standards.
• Support onboarding and training of future nursing team members.
• Serve as a knowledgeable clinical resource for the surgical team while appropriately escalating operational, staffing, regulatory, or performance concerns to the Surgical Operations Manager.

Growth & Role Development

This position is designed to grow alongside the surgical practice.

Initially, the Surgical RN – Clinical Operations will maintain significant hands-on responsibility while helping establish the clinical foundation of the new facility. As patient volume and staffing increase, the role may progressively assume greater ownership of nursing workflows, patient readiness, training, documentation standards, clinical quality, and process improvement.