Theatre Nurse – Operating Room (Nairobi)

About the role

Responsible for preparing and maintaining the operating theatre, assisting surgeons during surgical procedures, providing scrub and circulating nursing support, preparing patients before surgery, maintaining sterile techniques, handling theatre equipment, and ensuring infection prevention and patient safety standards.

Key responsibilities

• Prepare operating theatres before procedures, ensuring all instruments, equipment and supplies are sterile, functional and readily available.
• Support surgeons and surgical teams as a Scrub and Circulating Nurse across various procedures.
• Maintain strict aseptic techniques and infection‑prevention standards throughout peri‑operative care.
• Conduct accurate surgical counts of instruments, sponges and needles before, during and after procedures.
• Receive and verify patients, performing thorough pre‑operative assessments.
• Monitor, document and respond to patients’ vital signs during surgery and immediate post‑anaesthesia recovery.
• Maintain accurate peri‑operative documentation in line with hospital protocols and Nursing Council of Kenya standards.
• Handle, label and dispatch surgical specimens to the laboratory promptly.
• Monitor theatre equipment maintenance schedules and report faults or safety hazards.
• Participate in emergency surgical response activities and clinical governance audits.

Required profile

• BScN, KRN or KRCHN, or Higher Diploma in Peri‑operative Nursing.
• Registered Nurse with a valid practicing licence from the Nursing Council of Kenya.
• At least 2 years of progressive experience in a busy operating theatre.
• Minimum of 4 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse.
• Training in ACLS, BLS and ATLS is an added advantage.

Required skills

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• Surgical instrument counting
• Sterile technique maintenance
• Peri‑operative documentation
• Theatre equipment maintenance