CNA

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Certified Nursing Assistant in the Float Pool provides direct patient care by assisting registered nurses with hands-on care, activities of daily living, and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The role may also include serving as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift at Parkwest Medical Center in West Knoxville, Tennessee. Parkwest Medical Center is Covenant Health’s flagship facility and provides advanced cardiac, emergency, critical, breast health, and other services to the East Tennessee community. It is part of Covenant Health, the region’s largest employer. The CNA supports patient safety, comfort, and daily care; reports significant changes in patient condition to the RN; documents care as appropriate; and follows applicable policies, procedures, infection-control practices, and safety standards. Phlebotomy and EKG duties require additional or special training, respectively.

Requirements

Tennessee CNA licensure is required upon hire. Out-of-state hires must have the Tennessee CNA license in process, as reflected on the state website, upon hire.
CPR is required.
Must be able to operate a computer and possess excellent interpersonal skills.
Must be able to read with comprehension, write legibly, and perform basic arithmetic computations.
Must understand patient care that may appropriately be delegated to nursing assistants.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

Hospital experience is preferred.
Knowledge of medical terminology is a plus.

Responsibilities

Measure and record patients’ temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, height, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, breathe deeply, and use incentive spirometry as specified in the plan of care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers, including getting in and out of bed and into wheelchairs; transport patients when needed.
Attend to nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding patients, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, which may include bathing, oral hygiene, hair care, back care, dressing, changing bed linen, cleaning bedside surfaces, and straightening rooms.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment, report malfunctioning equipment, handle linen appropriately, and store supplies.
Provide general care such as positioning, lifting, and turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; providing preoperative supportive care; and applying or removing abdominal binders, anti-embolism stockings, and sequential compression devices.
Empty and clean ostomy bags according to procedure.
Collect urine, stool, and sputum specimens as ordered.
Perform range-of-motion tasks and assist with ambulatory devices as specified in the plan of care.
Perform phlebotomy after required additional training, including correct labeling with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
Perform EKGs after special training.
Answer patient call lights promptly and respond to patient requests.
Report significant changes in patients’ conditions to the RN.
Help maintain clean and orderly patient and work environments.
Follow infection-control policies, including standard and transmission-based precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures, and proper body mechanics.
Document and maintain patient records as appropriate.
Gather equipment for oxygen setup, check connections and placement, and verify that bedside equipment functions properly.
Ambulate patients receiving oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Demonstrate knowledge and competency in meeting age-specific needs of the population served and perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education assignments; work toward goals and objectives; and participate in quality-improvement initiatives as requested.
Train and be willing to function as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.