Staff Nurse - Pre-Assessment
Job overview
The Pre-Assessment Team at Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust is expanding, and we are looking for a pre-assessment nurse to join our team.
You will be based within our centralised pre-operative assessment clinic, and will review patients from multiple surgical specialities. The purpose of pre-assessment is to prepare patients for surgery, optimise their health and help to reduce cancellations.It requires an accurate assessment of a patient’s general health and fitness before surgery which is underpinned with pre-operative testing and investigations. All patients undergoing a general anaesthetic will require a nurse led pre-assessment, and we are looking for an experienced and dynamic nurse to complement our clinical team.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for nurses with effective communication skills, who are confident to interpret blood results, ECG’s and make decisions based on their clinical findings. We require candidates to have excellent verbal, written and IT skills in order to document an accurate medical history, and identify high risk patients requiring further review.A knowledge of surgical specialties/procedures is useful, but not essential. As a pre-assessment nurse you must be able to cope with a caseload independently. This will require the ability to prioritise, multitask and manage your time effectively.
As a band 5 you will be supported by a team of band 6 specialist nurses to support, and improve your decision making. As a nurse led clinic, pre-assessment delivers a unique opportunity for those looking to expand their skills in assessment, decision making and autonomous working.
We also have additional clinics for frail patients – PRIME, and offer prehabilitation for major surgery – Fit4Surgery.
Our current opening hours are 08:00 until 18.00 Monday to Friday, with some additional late clinics running until 20:00. We are looking to expand the clinic hours to include Saturdays.
Working for our organisation
Come Nurse with us…
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services.It’s a great place to nurse, work and live.
You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together – Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care.We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.
Why choose Cambridge University Hospitals?- Our values and reputation for outstanding care
- Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
- Career and development opportunities
- Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
- Research experience and opportunities
- Lovely location and quality of life
- Excellent schools/colleges and transport links (road, rail and air)
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:
- applied for a Graduate visa
- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start date of employment
If you require sponsorship for a Visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check you are not applying from a Red list country - Code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
This vacancy is for Registered Nurses with full NMC registration. If you are an internationally trained nurse that has not passed their OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination), you will not be considered for this role and will be automatically rejected.
This vacancy will close at midnight on 23rd February 2025
Interviews are due to be held on 6th March 2025
Benefits to you
We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse, day nurseries and access to a great transport system with easy access to airports and rail travel.Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Current and active NMC registration
- Pre-assessment course
- Mentorship
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of surgical nursing
- Experience of various surgical specialities
- Experience of interpreting results – Bloods, Observations, ECG’s
- Ability to recognise when to escalate
- Evidence of supervision/mentoring of learners and junior staff
- Previous Pre-assessment experience
- Autonomous working
- Previous experience managing a caseload
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Understanding of why pre-assessment is important
- Understand the importance of health promotion
- Knowledge of long term health conditions and consequences of poor management
- Understanding of multiple medications
- Identify normal from abnormal observations and pathology results – escalate when appropriate
- Knowledge of surgical specialities pre-op and post op care
- Management of pre-op medication
Skills
Essential criteria- Flexible and adaptable to changing situations due to both workload and colleague needs
- Good communication skills both written and verbal
- Teamwork
- Accurate observations – Undertaking ECG’s, urinalysis, MRSA, peak flow, blood sugars
- Phlebotomy
- Assessment skills and patient questioning
- Able to explore past medical history
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria- Ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of Safe, Kind, Excellent
- Evidence of both professional and personal development
- Willingness to undertake additional roles
- Committed to the development of junior staff
- Willingness to accept alternative shift times