Lead Registered Nurse

Valleygate Dental Surgery Centers operates in North Carolina as the state’s first dental-only ambulatory surgery centers, offering specialized care in oral surgery, anesthesia, and sedation dentistry. With locations in Fayetteville, Greensboro, and Charlotte, VDSC provides an essential solution for patients needing comprehensive dental surgeries that require anesthesia, while maintaining a strong commitment to patient safety and quality care.

Our mission is to offer safe, high-quality dental surgery services in a patient-centered environment. This is achieved through advanced technology, experienced clinical staff, and a dedication to improving access to dental care. Our state-of-the-art facilities provide the highest level of surgical care, particularly for patients who cannot be treated in traditional dental offices due to special needs or medical conditions.

Valleygate prides itself on its excellent work environment, offering competitive pay and benefits, with a strong emphasis on work-life balance—no nights or weekends required for staff, ensuring employees have time for personal well-being. It’s an ideal place to work for professionals passionate about dental health and dedicated to making a difference in patients’ lives.

Job Description:

 Tentative start date: 3/1/25. Must be willing to train at our Fayetteville, NC location until official opening of Garner center.  

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned. 

1. Philosophy 

Supports the facility’s ideology, mission, goals, and objectives 

Performs in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures 

Follows the facility’s standards for ethical business conduct 

Conducts self as a positive role model and team member 

Recognizes patients’ rights and responsibilities and supports them in performance of job duties. 

2. General 

Participates in meetings, in-services, and activities 

Shares input with facility manager, Director of Operations regarding short- and long-term goals of the facility, including hiring and termination of employees. 

Maintains pre-op and post-op areas and equipment to ensure cleanliness, sterility, and operational ability at all times, reports deficiencies to facility manager. 

Recommends need for new/different items regarding trends and needs of the pre-op and post-op areas. 

Reports deficiencies in services provided by contracted providers (e.g., housekeeping) to facility manager. 

Accompanies the facility manager in RN/LPN/CNA interviews. 

Charge nurse provides input to the manager who evaluates performance of nurse personnel. 

3. Communication 

Communicates effectively and professionally with physicians, and coworkers 

Interacts with others in a positive, respectful, and considerate manner 

Promotes effective communication among nurse team, business office, and physicians. 

4. Financial practices 

Promotes cost containment and efficient use of resources 

Analyzes the pre-op and post-op areas and makes recommendations for potential cost-effective improvements 

Monitors pre-op and post-op (Staff) utilization and makes recommendations to promote cost-effective practices within the department 

Makes suggestions on purchasing equipment and supplies to provide optimum patient care within budget allowances 

Materials management  

Monitors the care and cleaning of equipment to maintain proper working conditions; identifies and evaluates need for items relative to trends and physician requests 

Reviews inventory for availability of supplies and equipment necessary to meet patient needs 

Assists facility manager in monitoring inventory, maintaining adequate supplies and equipment, and providing for their economical use 

Assist facility manager in monitoring and verifying that required materials-management documentation (i.e., purchase orders, purchase logs, etc.) is current and complete  

Monitors items/logs for borrowed/ loaned to Chilton, making sure items are properly documented, returned to/from, input properly into Amkai, taking note of any trends that may need to be addressed. 

Help control and monitor sales rep/vendors use of supplies brought into the OR for potential “upselling” therefore containing cost as quoted. 

5. Compliance program 

Assists the facility manager in the implementation and maintenance of the organization’s adopted compliance program 

Performs according to established compliance policies and procedures 

6. Performance-improvement program 

Assists the facility manager in the implementation and maintenance of the organization's adopted performance-improvement program, policies, and procedures 

Performs according to established performance-improvement policies and procedures 

Charge nurse provides input to the manager who evaluates performance of OR personnel. 

Evaluates suggestions, grievances, and processes from OR Staff to identify opportunities to improve performance and quality of care. 

Successfully performs at least 1 QAPI study per year. 

7. Safety/risk-management program 

Adheres to safety policies and procedures in performing job duties and responsibilities 

Implements practices and regulations adopted to provide safety in the OR environment 

Monitors the pre-op and post-op area’s physical environment and makes suggestions for maintaining safety, comfort, cleanliness, and order; reports physical-environment status to the facility manager. 

Works with the safety officer to resolve observed or suspected safety violations, hazards, and policy/procedure noncompliance within the pre-op and post-op restricted areas. 

8. Professional competence 

Participates in continuing education and other learning experiences, if available 

Shares knowledge gained in continuing education with staff 

Seeks new learning experiences by accepting challenging opportunities and responsibilities 

Welcomes suggestions and recommendations 

Makes suggestions to the facility manager for continuing education of OR staff members  

Assists with creating/implementing orientation programs for new employees in the OR. 

 9. Patient care 

Controls patient/staff traffic to help prevent infections 

Maintains quality patient care and patient education, in accordance with written policies and standards of care 

Maintains clinical skills and knowledge 

Develops and monitors standards of care. 

Takes vital signs consisting of blood pressure, pulse, and respirations when the patient arrives in recovery and every 15 minutes thereafter unless otherwise ordered. 

Charts patient's color, level of consciousness, condition of dressings and character of respirations on arrival and every 30 minutes while patient is in recovery. 

Verifies doctor's orders, administers medications, and performs procedures as ordered 

10. Daily operations  

Pre-op/PACU lead nurse serves as a liaison between pre-op/PACU staff and facility manager. 

Staff will communicate with lead nurse as to any problems or concerns with patients, families, staff, etc. Lead nurse will in turn communicate problems to facility manager. 

Manages the daily flow in pre-op and PACU. 

Completes all logs and/or will delegate to staff to complete. This includes monthly pregnancy tests, monthly glucose testing, monthly cleaning log, monthly handwashing log, Weekly eye wash and daily temperature checks. 

Responsible for ensuring pre-op and post-op nurse care supplies are ordered by surgery control and unpacking supplies once delivered in storage room to ensure all needs are met. Supplies needed from major vendor will be sent to OR surgery control coordinator for ordering. 

Responsible for orienting new employees and/or will delegate to team.  

In the absence of the lead nurse, another nursing team member will be responsible for the duties. 

Responsible for composing the nursing schedule monthly to be approved by facility manager. 

Supports the facility manager daily with nursing staff needs due to sickness, vacations, etc.  

Lead nursing staff meetings on quarterly basis and as needed. 

Promotes harmonious relations and favorable attitudes among all staff. 

Responsible for facilitating breaks and lunches for nurse staff team members. 

Communicate with surgery control/ anesthesia team to ensure the patient flow to the OR is done timely and efficiently. 

Overseeing proper PPE/dress code is enforced by surgery control in the Pre-op/PACU to maintain infection control policies and procedures. Reporting any adherence issues/concerns with facility manager. 

Makes sure that preop calls, postop calls and confirmation calls are done daily and in a timely manner. 

Makes sure that SimpleAdmit is monitored daily. 

Checks charts daily/weekly to make sure that charts are all at 100%. Reviews task manager daily/weekly and assigns incomplete charts to person that needs to complete the chart. Once charts are completed, closes charts monthly.  

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE: 

Must meet the following requirements: (1) Successful completion of an Associate Degree from an Accredited School of Nursing or bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) (2) Obtain state Licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN), progressive work experience in recovery rooms of no less than three (3) years which reflects both clinical and management skills. 

ASC Experience preferred 

PACU & Pre-Op Experience Required