Nursing Assistant - Surgical Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (SNICU) - 100% - Days

UIOWA•Iowa City, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Iowa Health Care Department of Nursing is seeking a Nursing Assistant to perform specific tasks to assist members of the Nursing team in providing patient care under the direct supervision of Registered Nurses. The Surgical and Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (SNICU) is the largest intensive care unit in Iowa, seeing more than 2,500 patients each year. The 36-bed unit is structurally divided into three bays. It is staffed by a multidisciplinary team skilled in the care of acutely ill surgical and neuroscience patients. Beyond routine care for patients requiring intensive care following surgery, the SNICU provides care for patients suffering from: Respiratory failure, Sepsis, Multi-system trauma, Peri-operative complications, Acute neurological injuries, Pre- and post-organ transplantation care, and Pain. The SNICU provides a full range of intensive care services, using advanced monitoring techniques and equipment including: Pulmonary artery catheters, Arterial lines, Intracranial pressure monitoring and CSF drainage, Ventilatory support, Continuous infusion of vasoactive medications, Care for micro-vascular reconstruction, Advanced neurological monitoring, Multiple renal replacement therapies (CRRT), Nitric oxide, Hypothermia Management, and Pentobarbital Comas. The SNICU is grounded in the belief that our primary responsibility is to provide care that will assist critically ill patients to cope with the physiological and psychological components of their illness or injury. The goal of the critical care team is to assist the patient and their family to maximize those actions that support a state of well-being, minimize those actions that threaten it, and, when necessary, to attain a dignified and peaceful death. We believe that care of the critically ill patient and family is both an art and a science intended to bring about maximum quality of life.

Requirements

Ability to read, write and follow instructions.

Responsibilities

Perform patient personal hygiene such as bathing, toileting, feeding, dressing, grooming and oral care for patients
Turn, position and ambulate patients
Assist patients with bedpans, urinals and perineal cleansing
Take temperature, pulse and blood pressure
Enter daily patient record charting in computer
Perform simple diagnostic/therapeutic procedures (i.e., dressing changes)
Clean equipment, patient bedside area and nursing unit
Set up rooms for patient admission
Transport patients by bed, cart or wheelchair
Transport equipment, specimens and supplies
Stock and supply patient rooms and Nursing unit
Perform basic CPR as required
Maintain patient confidentiality