RN First Assist Surgery

As our Surgical First Assist RN, you will help surgical patients across all age populations receive safe, effective, and quality patient-family centered care in the OR and other areas of perioperative services so they can achieve optimal surgical outcomes and a smooth recovery throughout the perioperative continuum.

Every day you will function as an RN First Assistant during operative and invasive procedures, including assessing patients, assisting with tissue dissection and closure, and providing postoperative follow-up. You will be expected to collaborate closely with the surgical team, maintain precise documentation, and ensure patient safety through careful management of instruments and prevention of surgical site infections.

To be successful in this role you must be committed to the delivery of safe, effective, and quality patient-family centered care for all patient populations. This requires a strong working knowledge of performance improvement, licensure, and accreditation requirements, along with active participation in fulfilling the Mission of the Organization and consistent demonstration of its Core Values. You will also possess excellent communication and organizational skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office, Outlook, and Internet, and demonstrate a strong capacity for teaching, planning, and development to support the Organization's strategic plan and performance improvement initiatives.

• Provides a safe therapeutic core by collaboration with the surgeons and health care team in performing a safe operation with optimal outcomes for the patient. The RNFA practices preoperative nursing and must have acquired the necessary knowledge, skills and judgment specific to clinical practice
  Collects and interprets complex assessment data, recognizes subtle changes in the patient
• Formulates an individualized plan of care for the patient with complex needs to achieve desired outcomes
  Shares data with team and supports team with surgeon. Gets procedure questions asked and helps to set up for correct procedures
• Makes clinical decisions based on experience, patient population data, and intuition, promotes the development of clinical decision making of all team members.Advocates patient rights from the patient/family perspective: provides counsel and acts as a resource to resolve issue
• Provides validation of clinical decision for other staff members, seeks validation from others for complex patients or unfamiliar situations
• Acts as a team leader in coordinating the care of the patient, and the team process
• Collaborates with the health care team and other disciplines to meet the desired outcomes
• Teamwork-Communicates effectively and works cooperatively with others. Has respect for and understanding of other clinical disciplines. Uses an integrated approach toward patient outcomes
  Demonstrates effective communication skills and seeks out opportunities to improve communication among health care team members/patients/families
• Delegates patient care activities to other health care team members and redirects unit activities ass patient acuity and census changes
• Actively participates as a member of the CVOR team and CVOR committees
  Works to implement practice initiatives in a positive and productive manner
• Able to perform in the Charge Nurse role by coordinating the staff and surgery schedule and handling day to day issues with positive outcomes
• Able to fill in as needed on the staffing schedule. Helps with lunches and breaks
• The RNFA acts as a team leader or participant in the quality improvement process. Actively identify areas and explores alternatives to care or practice. Recommends revisions to standards or cost initiatives as needed.

We are not currently accepting new graduate or new to speciality applications.   Our next posting period will be July 1, 2026 for an October 16, 2026 start date.  Positions can be found under National Resident RN (<12 months experience as an RN) or RN Transition/Fellowship (>12 months experience as an RN.

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This position is represented by CNA and is covered by the terms and conditions of the applicable collective bargaining agreement

Required

• 5 Years of Perioperative Nursing practice as both a scrub and circulating nurse upon hire 
• If less years of experience, 3 recommendations from practicing Surgeons and demonstrated clinical practice
• Successful completion of an RFNA program that meets Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recommended education standards for RN First Assistant programs
• Current and active Registered Nurse: CA
• AHA Basic Life Support / Advanced Cardiac Life Support

Preferred

• Bachelors Of Nursing Two thousand (2,000) hours of RNFA practice, upon hire and
• May have endovein harvesting, radial artery harvesting, or saphenous vein harvesting experience
• Other Experience supporting multiple surgical specialties based on department and patient care needs
• Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant, upon hire

Founded in 1926, Dignity Health - Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center is a 334-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital. Serving over 70,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including a Level III NICU, heart care, wound care and surgical services. Additionally, Glendale Memorial Hospital has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center and a SRC Center of Excellence for Robotic Surgery and Colorectal Surgery.

One Community. One Mission. One California