Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)- CA5 Neuro ICU

The University of Kansas Health System•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant is an unlicensed staff member who is accountable to the RN and completes delegated tasks in a caring, culturally sensitive manner while providing excellent customer service. The role requires competence in critical thinking, interpersonal relationships, and technical skills related to delegated tasks. The Patient Care Assistant provides basic nursing care, documents tasks and patient information in O2, and helps maintain a clean, safe patient room and work environment. The position includes supporting patients in restraints, assisting with fall-prevention measures, and promptly communicating changes in a patient's condition or other concerns to the RN. Duties and skills may vary by department or unit, and other duties may be assigned.

Requirements

High school graduate or GED, or currently enrolled in a high school or GED program.
Meet at least one of the following: hold a CNA license; have completed the Gold Standard Intern Program; have documentation of fundamentals of nursing courses; or have at least 18 months of experience in a relevant patient care role.
Obtain Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS or BCLS) certification from the American Heart Association within 14 days.

Responsibilities

Perform delegated basic nursing skills, including taking vital signs and pulse oximetry readings, performing finger-stick blood glucose tests, assisting with activities of daily living, recording intake and output, and collecting urine, stool, and sputum specimens.
Apply and remove compression hose and SCDs, and empty drains, urinary catheters, NG tubes, and ostomies.
Document tasks, intake and output, and the percentage of meals eaten in O2.
Maintain a neat, clutter-free, and clean patient room and work environment.
Maintain a safe patient environment, including appropriate high-fall-risk interventions such as hourly rounds and promptly answering call lights in person.
Follow proper hand hygiene, standard precautions, and isolation principles.
Care for patients in restraints, including providing range-of-motion exercises and fluids and assisting with toileting.
Reorient confused patients and reinforce patient and family education about fall and safety precautions.
Promptly notify the RN of changes in vital signs, mental status, or condition; skin-integrity breakdown or redness; patient reports of pain; and other patient needs, concerns, or issues.
Perform the professional, clinical, and/or technical competencies required by the assigned unit or department, along with other duties as assigned.