Gena Birch

• Manage all aspects of the OR schedule.
• Assign employees to each case, including RNs, Scrub Techs, CRNAs and X-ray as needed.
• Manage the OR, GI, Central services, Day surgery and Recovery room call schedule monthly.
• Post surgery and GI cases as needed.
• Notify reps when needed for a particular case.
• Communicate with the Anesthesiologist throughout the day about the status of cases and add on cases.
• Communicate with the floor nurses about surgery cases that involve any floor patients to ensure the nurses are aware and the proper consents are obtained.
• Communicate with the lab regarding necessary labs to ensure a timely result.
• Premed surgeries with day surgery and the floors.
• Keep monthly logs as necessary for the OR, including fluid warmer temps, ultra low freezer temps etc…
• Preform malignant hyperthermia drills with all staff yearly.
• Manage weekly huddles with all staff
• Give lunch breaks, as needed, to our circulators or scrubs.
• Communicate with surgeons about all aspects of their surgery cases.
• Manage the GI team and their surgery schedule.
• Create and update preference cards.

• Worked in the operating room as a scrub nurse and circulator.
• Worked in pre-op preparing patients for surgery, including EKG's, Istat labs, breathing treatments and consents.
• Worked in PACU recovering adult and pediatric patients after surgery. Covered 23 hour observation patients after neuro cases
• Managed the education needs of all nursing staff and prepared monthly education opportunities for all clinical staff. Responsible for healthstream for all employees.
• Managed the ordering and reordering of medications. Responsibilities included keeping a log of all drugs including expiration dates, watching Par levels & placing weekly orders for needed medications, stock & maintain anesthesia carts and maintain a daily log of refrigerator temperatures for medications needing to be refrigerated.
• Assisted in updating policies and procedure manuals to fit our facility.
• Entered charges from surgeries performed and assisted with keeping Par levels accurate.
• Assisted in chart reviews monthly.

Sedated patients for pain management cases using Fentanyl and Versed.

• Scrubbed and circulated GI cases.
• Worked in central processing cleaning, organizing, wrapping and steralizing instruments as needed.

• Verified necessary information such as laboratory tests and physician orders from the chart & placed such orders in the computer as a unit clerk.
• Closely monitored surgical ICU and medical ICU telemetry patients, interpreted heart rhythms & reported any change in rhythm to the RN as a monitor tech.
• Provided excellent direct patient as a nurse aide.
• Obtained my LVN license and transferred to the operating room as a scrub nurse. (1990)
• Obtained my RN licence and continued working in the operating room as both a scrub nurse & circulator. (2009)
• Managed the Robotics Program & launched our first robotics program in 2010. I traveled to Shreveport & Miami for training. Was responsible for gathering all necessary equipment, instrument and essential order numbers and assisting the materials manager in finding and placing orders. Was responsible for selecting a core group of RNs and training them for robotics. First assisted the surgeons during robotic surgery. Involved in the televised recording to launch our program. I also visited several local schools and gave presentations about robotic surgery.
• Coordinated Quality Improvement Activities (QIA’s) to identify performance areas for improvement.
• Utilized strong assessment skills to determine necessary patient care.
• Developed and supervised staff by providing orientation, training, support and direction.

• Worked in the operating room as a scrub nurse. 
• Took emergency call during the trauma program.