ACUTE CARE TECH

Forrest General Hospital•Hattiesburg, MS

About The Position

The Acute Care Technician works under the direct supervision of an RN and completes tasks delegated by the nurse or Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) to support quality patient care. The role participates in the implementation phase of the nursing process and is organizationally accountable to the Patient Care Manager (PCM). The technician assists patients with activities of daily living, including bathing, feeding, toileting, turning, and repositioning, and performs clinical duties such as taking and documenting vital signs, point-of-care glucose testing, reporting abnormal values to the nurse, and venipuncture. Additional duties may be delegated by the nurse, PCC, or PCM. The technician provides age-appropriate technical care, collects and documents information, communicates relevant patient data to the nurse and other health care team members, and helps maintain a safe and clean work environment. The role requires timely documentation, shift reports, effective communication, adherence to organizational values and patient-care policies, and prompt notification of the RN, PCC, and other team members when a patient's condition worsens. The technician maintains clinical skills, competencies, required equipment knowledge, and certifications, including Basic Life Support (BLS) certification every two years. The role includes technical care such as venipuncture, obtaining vital signs and blood glucose, restraint and 1:1 suicide precautions, bathing, dressing, ambulating, and feeding patients. The technician works with and assists in troubleshooting patient-care equipment, and safely positions and assists patients using support and mobility devices. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn when handling hazardous drugs and contaminated body fluids or materials. The technician is expected to use supplies cost-effectively and keep incremental overtime to a minimum.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Completion of an approved Nurse Aide training course.
Successful completion of the Acute Care Technician course at FGH during clinical orientation.
Meet the requirements of the Primary Stroke Center, including two hours of stroke education during orientation and one hour of stroke education annually.
Obtain Basic Life Support certification within 30 days of employment and maintain certification every two years.
Complete the Annual Medical History Questionnaire for Hazardous Drug Handlers within 30 days of employment.
Ability to work as a team member, cooperate with others, follow directions precisely, demonstrate initiative, set priorities, and function under stress.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working as a Nurse Aide.

Responsibilities

Assist patients with activities of daily living, including bathing, feeding, toileting, turning, and repositioning.
Take and document vital signs and point-of-care blood glucose results; report abnormal values to the nurse.
Perform venipuncture and other technical skills required by the unit's patient population.
Collect and document patient data and relay appropriate and pertinent information to the nurse and health care team.
Perform restraint and 1:1 suicide precautions, and assist with bathing, dressing, ambulating, and feeding patients.
Operate, troubleshoot, and assist the nurse with patient-care equipment, including telemetry and vital-sign monitoring devices, glucose monitors, specialty beds, and sequential compression devices.
Safely position and assist patients using devices such as abduction pillows, splints, slings, braces, neck collars, walkers, crutches, and immobilizers.
Maintain a safe and clean work environment and follow patient-care and organizational policies, procedures, and standards.
Attend promptly to patients whose condition worsens and alert the RN, PCC, and other health care team members as indicated.
Maintain current clinical skills, competencies, required equipment knowledge, and certifications, including BLS certification every two years.
Wear appropriate PPE when handling hazardous drugs or contaminated body fluids and materials.
Use supplies in a cost-efficient manner and keep incremental overtime to a minimum.