Cardiovascular Anesthesia Technician

Job Summary

The Cardiovascular (CV) / General Anesthesia Technician assists the Anesthesiologist and/or Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) throughout all phases of the provision of anesthesia to patients undergoing cardiac and other surgical procedures, including setting up for the procedure and the operation, maintenance, and servicing of all anesthesia equipment.

This also includes handing these functions for hospital locations where anesthesia services are used. i.e., Radiology, Labor and Delivery and ICU. This also involves various duties related to ordering and coordinating general anesthesia and pharmacy supplies.

Essential Responsibilities

• Performs assessment of the equipment requirements for the current day and future case load. This includes all pressure lines, regional supplies, and various other pieces of equipment.
• Maintains the knowledge required to maintain each piece of anesthesia equipment in a good working status.
• Maintains professional contact with the various departments involved in providing support to the Anesthesia Department to allow a highly functional status.
• Demonstrates competency in specific technical skills as evidenced by skills/competency inventory.
• Must understand and participate in all regulatory requirements established by Kaiser and the labor management teams.
• Attends all required meetings to increase communication within department.
• Demonstrates an awareness of and sensitivity to patient/family rights and cultural/religious beliefs and age-specific needs.
• Job Specific Criteria - Transports patients to and from operating room, with and without the assistance of a physician, as appropriate to the condition of the patient.
• Prepares and sets up all required anesthesia-related equipment, including anesthesia machine, transesophageal echo, physiologic monitors, transducers, and pediatric and adult carts.
• Prepares invasive monitoring lines, including arterial, CVP, and PA lines.
• Preps patient in anticipation of invasive monitoring line placement.
• Applies monitoring devices to the patient and must be able to operate all common physiological monitors (i.e., EKG, Datex, pulse oximeter, CO2 monitor, Drager machine, I-Stat, Ultrasound, BP monitors cuffs, etc.)
• Assists with proper positioning of the patient for invasive monitoring line insertion, introduction of spinal anesthesia, and induction of anesthesia.
• Assists the Anesthesiologist/CRNA with invasive line placement, induction of anesthesia, placement of transesophageal echo probe and other ultrasound devices.
• Troubleshoots anesthesia-related equipment failures, notifying and working with Biomedical Engineering personnel when deemed appropriate.
• Cleans all anesthesia-related equipment after each patient use; cleans and decontaminates equipment per Sterile Processing Department protocols.
• This includes the disassembly of equipment and sterilization in accordance to the Center for Disease Control guidelines, to prevent the spread of infectious and contagious diseases.This also includes maintaining and orchestrating the laryngoscope blade and fiber optic scopes per SP protocols.
• Checks all anesthesia supply stock levels, orders necessary supplies, and restocks supplies, as needed. Orders from Pharmacy and stocks all non scheduled drugs; may have access to non scheduled drugs via the Pyxis machine.
• Operates, calibrates, and performs routine maintenance on a variety of technical equipment used in the operating room, such as the Drager 6000, Drager Mobile, and MRI compatible anesthesia machines, CompuRecord, pulse oximeter, and rapid infusion/transfusion systems; identifies malfunctioning equipment, troubleshoots equipment problems, refers serious equipment problems to appropriate technical repair personnel when there are no established guidelines.
• Assists in the establishment and maintenance of a regular schedule of preventive maintenance and calibration of monitors utilized in the administration of anesthesia.
• Performs related duties as assigned.
• Supervisory Responsibilities: This role has no supervisory responsibilities.

Grade 670