NURSE ASSISTANT NON-CERT

Covenant Health•Oak Ridge, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nurse Assistant Non-Certified provides direct patient care and assists registered nurses with hands-on care, activities of daily living, and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of an RN or Team Leader. The role is in the Critical Care Unit and is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the night shift. The assistant supports patients’ personal care, mobility, nutrition, comfort, and safety; takes and records measurements; collects specimens; and helps operate and check bedside oxygen and suction equipment. The position requires safe, competent care for the assigned patient population, adherence to infection-control and safety policies, appropriate documentation, and participation in required education and quality-improvement activities. Additional training may be required to perform phlebotomy or EKGs. Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, part of Covenant Health, is a regional hospital serving East Tennessee. It offers more than 30 specialties and is supported by over 1,000 healthcare professionals and 250 physicians.

Requirements

Certification is not required for the non-certified Nurse Assistant position.
CPR is required; applicants who are not currently certified must become certified or recertified during the orientation period.
Must be able to operate a computer.
Must have 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 provide safe, efficient, competent care and must not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of self or others.
Must demonstrate competency in unit-specific functions described in the performance continuum, skills lists, and/or standards.

Nice To Haves

Hospital experience is preferred.
Knowledge of medical terminology is a plus.
A high school diploma or equivalent certificate (GED) may be given preference.

Responsibilities

Take and record patients’ temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
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 in and out of bed, into wheelchairs, and during transport.
Attend to patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bathing, oral hygiene, hair care, back care, dressing, linen changes, and other supportive care.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment by reporting malfunctioning equipment and handling linen and supplies appropriately.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, and turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, and commodes; 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 patients’ plans of care.
May perform phlebotomy after additional training, including labeling samples with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
May perform EKGs after special training.
Promptly answer patient call lights 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, 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 and check oxygen connections and placement.
Check that equipment at the patient bedside is functioning properly.
Ambulate patients who are using oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Demonstrate knowledge and competency in meeting the age-specific needs of the population served and in performing position-required skills.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education; work toward goals and objectives; and participate in quality-improvement initiatives as requested.
Perform other duties as assigned.