Registered Nurse Prescreen

Job Title: Registered Nurse Prescreen

Position Summary 

The Hybrid Prescreen RN is responsible for completing preoperative screening of patients scheduled for procedures at the surgery center. This position contacts patients before surgery to obtain and review health histories, medications, allergies, previous surgical and anesthesia history, and other pertinent clinical information. 

The RN evaluates clinical information for potential anesthesia or surgical risk, identifies concerns requiring additional testing or medical clearance, and communicates pertinent findings to anesthesia, nursing leadership, physician offices, and other members of the surgical team. The RN follows established, strict prescreening criteria when interviewing patients and reviewing their medical history to ensure appropriate concerns are identified, documented, and escalated according to facility and anesthesia guidelines. 

This position is designed as a hybrid role, allowing a combination of on-site and remote work when operational needs, productivity expectations, and patient-care requirements are being met. The RN must demonstrate the ability to work independently, remain productive, and consistently meet established prescreen timelines regardless of work location. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Complete thorough preoperative telephone assessments with scheduled surgical patients. 

• Work quickly and efficiently to ensure all prescreen calls are completed within the established goal of 5-7 days prior to each patient’s scheduled surgery, while maintaining accuracy, thoroughness, and patient safety. 

• Review and verify medical and surgical history, medications, allergies, and other pertinent health information. 

• Assess clinical information for potential anesthesia risks and appropriateness for the ambulatory surgery setting. 

• Consistently follow established prescreen and anesthesia criteria when interviewing and assessing patients. 

• Identify patients requiring additional testing, medical clearance, anesthesia review, or other follow-up before surgery. 

• Recognize concerns that require escalation and communicate them promptly to the appropriate provider or member of the clinical team. 

• Provide clear and accurate preoperative instructions, including medication instructions and patient-specific requirements. 

• Confirm the scheduled procedure and laterality and ensure documentation is accurate and complete. 

• Maintain complete and timely documentation within the electronic medical record and case coordination systems. 

• Review voicemail, email, and patient communications throughout the workday and respond in a timely manner. 

• Communicate concerns promptly with anesthesia, the Charge Nurse, Director of Nursing, physician offices, scheduling, and other appropriate team members. 

• Notify appropriate departments regarding cancellations, rescheduling, or concerns that could affect the patient’s procedure. 

• Follow established anesthesia screening criteria and escalation processes, including established hard and soft stops. 

• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA, facility policies, and organizational requirements. 

Productivity Expectations 

• Work quickly, efficiently, and independently to consistently maintain the prescreen schedule 5-7 days ahead of scheduled surgeries. 

• Conduct patient phone calls in a thorough but efficient manner to maintain the required daily patient volume. 

• Balance efficiency with accuracy, patient safety, and appropriate patient education. 

• Make timely patient-contact attempts and follow up appropriately when patients cannot initially be reached. 

• Complete documentation at the time of the prescreen whenever possible. 

• Regularly monitor the upcoming surgical schedule and prioritize calls based on surgery date and clinical need. 

• Review and address emails and voicemails throughout the workday. 

• Maintain consistent productivity, responsiveness, availability, and quality standards whether working remotely or on-site. 

• Remain accessible to the prescreen team and nursing leadership during scheduled work hours. 

Hybrid Work Expectations 

This position offers a combination of on-site and remote work. The hybrid arrangement is intended to support productivity and operational efficiency while maintaining excellent patient care. 

• Have a private, professional workspace appropriate for confidential patient conversations. 

• Maintain reliable internet and telephone access. 

• Remain actively available and responsive throughout scheduled working hours. 

• Maintain HIPAA-compliant handling and discussion of protected patient information. 

• Consistently meet established productivity, quality, and documentation expectations. 

• Maintain the expectation of completing prescreen calls 5-7 days prior to scheduled surgery. 

• Communicate promptly with on-site staff when patient concerns require follow-up or intervention. 

• Be available to work on-site when patient care, staff training, meetings, staffing needs, or department operations require it. 

Continuation of the hybrid work arrangement is dependent upon the RN consistently meeting productivity, communication, documentation, patient-care, and prescreen timeline expectations. 

Education, Licensure, and Experience 

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. 

• Current Registered Nurse license in the applicable state. 

• Current BLS certification. 

• Perioperative, preoperative, ambulatory surgery, or pre-admission testing experience preferred. 

• Strong electronic medical record and computer skills. 

• Experience coordinating patient care and communicating with physician offices, anesthesia providers, and other healthcare team members preferred. 

• Experience with electronic systems such as One Medical Passport, HST, and EPIC preferred. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Strong organizational and time-management skills. 

• Ability to work quickly and efficiently in a high-volume environment. 

• Ability to consistently meet the goal of completing patient prescreen calls 5-7 days prior to surgery. 

• Excellent telephone communication and patient-education skills. 

• Strong attention to detail and the ability to prioritize multiple patients and competing deadlines. 

• Ability to work independently and remain accountable for assigned workload. 

• Ability to recognize abnormal or concerning clinical findings and appropriately escalate concerns. 

• Ability to consistently follow established prescreen and anesthesia criteria. 

• Working knowledge of medical-surgical conditions, medications, operative procedures, and preoperative preparation. 

• Ability to work independently while remaining an effective member of the clinical team. 

• Proficiency with electronic medical records, telephone systems, email, Teams, and other required applications. 

Key Performance Expectations 

Consistently complete prescreen calls 5-7 days prior to each patient’s scheduled surgery. 

Work quickly and efficiently while maintaining complete, accurate, and clinically appropriate patient assessments. 

Consistently follow established prescreen and anesthesia criteria and appropriately escalate patients who do not meet established criteria. 

Complete accurate and thorough documentation in a timely manner. 

Identify clinical concerns early enough to allow sufficient time for anesthesia review, additional testing, medical clearance, or other interventions before the day of surgery. 

Maintain timely communication with patients, anesthesia, physician offices, scheduling, nursing leadership, and other members of the healthcare team. 

Demonstrate consistent productivity, availability, and responsiveness during both on-site and remote work. 

Effectively prioritize patient calls and workload according to scheduled surgery dates and clinical needs. 

Support the overall prescreen team’s ability to remain ahead of the surgical schedule while maintaining high-quality patient care.