OT Nurse / OT Incharge

The OT In-Charge is responsible for the overall management and smooth functioning of the Operation Theatre. The role includes supervising OT staff, coordinating surgical procedures, ensuring patient safety, maintaining infection-control standards, managing equipment and supplies, and ensuring compliance with hospital policies and quality standards.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

1. Operation Theatre Management

• Manage the day-to-day functioning of the Operation Theatre.
• Ensure all OT rooms are prepared and ready before scheduled surgeries.
• Coordinate elective and emergency surgical procedures.
• Prepare and monitor the daily OT schedule in coordination with surgeons and anaesthetists.
• Ensure smooth patient movement and timely completion of procedures.
• Coordinate with wards, ICU, emergency, CSSD, laboratory, blood bank and other departments.

2. Staff Management

• Prepare OT duty rosters and allocate duties appropriately.
• Supervise OT nurses, technicians, attendants and housekeeping staff.
• Monitor staff attendance, punctuality, discipline and performance.
• Ensure adequate staffing during elective and emergency procedures.
• Conduct staff orientation, training and competency assessments.

3. Infection Control & Sterilization

• Ensure strict adherence to aseptic and sterile techniques.
• Monitor OT cleaning, disinfection and environmental hygiene.
• Ensure proper sterilization and availability of surgical instruments.
• Coordinate with CSSD and Infection Control teams.
• Ensure proper biomedical waste segregation and disposal.
• Monitor compliance with hospital infection-control policies.

4. Patient Safety

• Ensure correct patient identification and procedure verification.
• Ensure proper consent and surgical-site verification.
• Ensure implementation of the Surgical Safety Checklist.
• Ensure safe patient positioning and transfer.
• Monitor compliance with patient-safety protocols.
• Report and follow up on incidents, near misses and adverse events.

5. Equipment Management

• Ensure availability and proper functioning of OT equipment and instruments.
• Monitor OT tables, lights, suction, cautery/diathermy, anaesthesia equipment and other essential equipment.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance and repair of equipment.
• Maintain equipment service and maintenance records.
• Immediately report critical equipment failures.

6. Inventory Management

• Maintain adequate stock of surgical consumables, sutures, implants, linen and other OT supplies.
• Prepare and monitor material indents.
• Check stock levels, expiry dates and storage conditions.
• Prevent stock-outs, overstocking and unnecessary wastage.
• Maintain proper records of material consumption.

7. Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain OT registers and records accurately.
• Ensure proper documentation of surgeries, implants, specimens and sterilization.
• Maintain OT utilization and surgical statistics.
• Prepare daily/monthly reports as required.
• Ensure records are available for internal and external audits.

8. Quality & Accreditation

• Ensure compliance with hospital SOPs, policies and clinical protocols.
• Participate in quality-improvement activities.
• Support NABH and other accreditation requirements.
• Conduct regular audits of OT practices.
• Identify gaps and implement corrective and preventive actions.

9. Coordination & Communication

• Maintain effective communication with surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, technicians and administration.
• Communicate changes in the OT schedule promptly.
• Coordinate emergency OT requirements.
• Attend departmental meetings and report operational issues to management.
• Resolve routine OT-related problems and escalate critical issues appropriately.

Qualification

• B.Sc. Nursing / GNM with relevant OT experience, or
• B.Sc./Diploma in Operation Theatre Technology, as per hospital requirements.
• Additional training in infection control, OT management or healthcare quality is desirable.

Experience

• Relevant experience in Operation Theatre.
• Previous supervisory/leadership experience preferred.
• Experience in multidisciplinary surgical procedures is desirable.
• Knowledge of NABH and hospital quality standards is an advantage.

Key Skills

• OT management and coordination
• Staff supervision and leadership
• Infection control
• Patient safety
• Surgical instrument and equipment management
• Inventory management
• Documentation and reporting
• Emergency management
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Communication and interpersonal skills