6 North Certified Nursing Assistant BWFH

Mass General Brigham•Boston, MA

1d•$19 - $28•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant II works as a member of the patient care team under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), consistently performing the PCA role and supporting the RN with clinical tasks. These tasks include blood glucose monitoring, EKGs, simple dressing changes using aseptic technique, and responding to medical emergencies using Heartsaver CPR and AED skills. The position responds to patient and family needs and contributes to efficient unit operations while supporting the Patient and Family Centered Care Model and best practices. The role provides safe, respectful, and culturally sensitive patient care; collects and documents patient information; communicates patient changes and concerns promptly to the RN; and collaborates with the interdisciplinary team. Care duties include assisting with daily living, mobility, admissions and transfers, comfort measures, treatments, monitoring, and end-of-life care. The PCA II also maintains an orderly care environment, checks and restocks equipment and supplies, follows infection-control and safety procedures, and may assist with orienting new PCAs and supporting float staff. This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week onsite position on the night shift at Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital. The schedule includes every other weekend and holiday rotation. The listed pay range is $18.56–$27.58 per hour.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Required Certified Nursing Assistant/Patient Care Technician (CNA/PCT) credential from an accepted issuer, or current nursing student status with completion of Fundamentals of Nursing or an equivalent medical-surgical clinical rotation.
Successful completion of an approved nursing assistant training program.
Required Heartsaver CPR AED certification from the American Heart Association (AHA).
Ability to speak, read, and write effectively in English.
Ability to pass clinical competency, basic math, and reading tests.
Ability to perform basic calculations and measurements for height, weight, intake and output, and calorie counts.
Ability to interpret and use basic medical terminology and abbreviations accurately.
Ability to enter and retrieve computerized information.
Physical ability to push, transfer, and pull heavy loads during the assigned shift and meet core job demands for the patient populations served.
Effective interpersonal skills to interact appropriately with nursing staff, patients, families and visitors, physicians, and other hospital staff.
Organizational skills to set priorities and complete assigned work efficiently.
Ability to manage stress related to patient-care issues and changing hospital and personnel conditions.
Adherence to the organization's I C.A.R.E. Standards.

Responsibilities

Anticipate and identify patient safety risks, take appropriate action with the licensed nurse, make routine room rounds, follow restraint policies under licensed-nurse supervision, and provide 1:1 observation when assigned.
Follow hospital infection-control and safety procedures and use proper body mechanics when moving or assisting patients.
Organize and prioritize patient care, assist coworkers, adapt to changing patient and unit needs, and coordinate breaks with the Charge Nurse or Nursing Supervisor while maintaining appropriate visibility on the unit.
Review applicable policies, procedures, work rules, emergency codes, meeting minutes, and clinical updates; participate in staff meetings and in-services.
Communicate with the RN throughout the shift about patient condition, delegated tasks, significant changes, and monitoring alarms; accurately collect and document vital signs, intake and output, blood glucose, weights, restraint monitoring, and other patient data.
Work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team and maintain a teamwork approach to patient care.
Provide patients and families with nonclinical information and comfort support; orient them to the hospital and unit, assist with room needs and errands, and reinforce nurse-provided education on basic care activities.
Maintain required competencies and technical skills, including external monitor application, CPM machine use, EKGs, blood glucose monitoring, simple dressings, Heartsaver CPR, and AED use; assist with orientation of new PCAs and serve as a resource to float staff.
Participate in hospital-wide and unit-based SEAQ quality-improvement activities as indicated and communicate patient-care quality concerns to nursing leadership.
Assist with patient admissions, discharges, and transfers; prepare rooms, check identification bands, and transport patients, belongings, equipment, and supplies.
Provide personal and basic skin care, including bathing, grooming, oral and perineal care, linen changes, routine diabetic foot care, application of non-medicated ointments and compression items, and turning and repositioning patients every two hours.
Assist with elimination needs, including catheter care, bedpan and commode use, toileting schedules, and emptying colostomy bags, urinals, and urinary drainage bags.
Carry out comfort and pain-relief measures, assist with treatments and procedures, set up meals and assist with feeding, and record calorie counts and intake and output.
Take vital signs and daily weights; perform EKGs and blood glucose monitoring as directed; document patient information accurately and promptly on patient flow sheets.
Provide end-of-life comfort measures and post-mortem care; collect, label, and transport specimens with the appropriate requisitions.
Track and secure patient belongings according to policy in coordination with the RN; promptly respond to call lights and patient requests and seek assistance when appropriate.
Keep patient rooms orderly and stocked; conduct room rounds; check, assemble, and restock equipment and supplies; dispose of waste appropriately; and perform spot or spill cleaning as needed.
Check equipment for proper operation and current safety inspections or expiration dates; remove broken or expired items from service and notify the Charge RN or Staff Nurse.
Perform initial equipment cleaning and decontamination, including removing reusable equipment from isolation rooms and arranging terminal cleaning as appropriate.
Recognize emergency or crisis situations, initiate appropriate actions within the role's scope, notify the RN promptly, and assist the nurse during and after emergencies as directed.
Perform other duties as assigned and comply with all policies and standards.