OR/SPD Liaison at Boston Children's Hospital

General Summary: The SPD/OR Liaison is responsible for planning, organizing, and overseeing daily clinical and administrative operations for designated specialty surgical services. This role assists in developing, recommending, and implementing internal standards, policies, and procedures to enhance quality and cost-effectiveness of patient care and sterile processing. The Liaison will actively participate in hospital, departmental, and multidisciplinary programs, committees, and special projects.

Values Statement: The SPD/OR Liaison embodies the Hospital’s core values in all interactions with patients, families, and colleagues.

Duties Notice: The essential duties described below outline the responsibilities of the SPD/OR Liaison. This list is not exhaustive, and in the event of a public health emergency, additional duties in other areas of the organization may be required.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide support to Operating Room (OR) staff in preparing the OR suite for surgery by verifying the availability of instrument kits before case start times.
• Meet daily with OR Specialty Coordinators at the Collaborative Daily Review to forecast instrument needs up to five days in advance.
• Monitor case flow throughout the day, track instrument needs, and notify SPD personnel of any potential additional or emergent instrumentation requirements. Resolve issues or propose alternatives as necessary.
• Conduct daily audits of Key Performance Indicator (KPI) data, including:
  • Case cart audits
  • Room visits for identification of OR opportunities
  • Post-case cart audits
  • Kit audits
  • Other identified items
• Analyze KPI data to identify trends and operational issues within the operating rooms and SPD.
• Coordinate the planning and communication of priority instruments and turnarounds, and communicate essential instrumentation information to the surgical team that may affect or delay surgery start times.
• Respond to problem calls from surgery.
• Process and clean required equipment according to manufacturer’s guidelines (IFU), including the use of protective equipment as indicated in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure required instrumentation is processed and available for next-day, on-call, or weekend cases.
• Complete documentation for inventory/equipment requests, instrument sets, etc.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Collaborate with Coordinators on pick-list updates.
• Identify kit updates, modifications, and accuracy of count sheets in conjunction with Coordinators and physicians.

Certification/Registration:

• Required: SPD Tech certification through a nationally recognized accreditation association.
• Preferred: SPD Leadership, Instrument Tech, and Endoscopy certification through a nationally recognized accreditation association.

Education:

• Required: High School Diploma / GED
• Preferred: Associate's Degree

Work Experience:

• Required: Three (3) years of SPD experience.
• Preferred: Five (5) years of SPD experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Analytical skills to resolve complex problems requiring clinical, scientific, or technical principles, theories, and concepts, and in-depth, cross-functional experience-based knowledge.
• Effective communication skills to deal with conflicting views or issues and mediate fair solutions, as well as well-developed writing skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with supervisors, coworkers, and all levels of hospital staff, including the Operating Room and physicians.
• Ability to multi-task projects, plan, and organize effectively. Must be flexible and self-motivated.
• Demonstrated customer-centric behavior.
• Knowledge of OR workflow, procedures, medical terminology, and instrumentation.
• Knowledge of infection control and health & safety policies and procedures.
• Sensitivity to recognize, appreciate, and incorporate diversity and preferences into the provision of care.