Nursing Department Assistant (NDA) III - Geriatric Psych

Cleveland Clinic•Fort Wayne, IN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nursing Department Assistant III supports patient care on Lutheran Hospital’s Geriatric Psych Unit, which serves patients ages 55 and older with mental health needs. The unit provides evaluation, treatment, and stabilization for disturbances of thought, feelings, mood, behavior, and co-morbidities. Working alongside other caregivers, the assistant helps with patients’ daily living activities and room maintenance, and performs related tasks such as EKGs, blood glucose monitoring, specimen collection, and vital-sign documentation. The position works evenings from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. This role is described as an entry point into a nursing career at Cleveland Clinic.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross within the new-hire period.
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention certification from a national organization.
Ability to handle the physical requirements of the role, including patient handling and lifting, frequent standing, walking, kneeling, reaching, squatting, bending or stooping, and exerting the listed levels of force.
Corrected vision and hearing to the normal range.
Ability to work under stressful conditions and irregular hours.
Use personal protective equipment as required and follow standard precautions.

Nice To Haves

State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) certification.
Previous nursing assistance experience.
Experience with behavioral health or mental illness patients.
Healthcare experience from a nursing home or inpatient care.

Responsibilities

Assist with a wide variety of patient care tasks and collaborate with healthcare team members to promote patient care.
Organize patient care assignments to ensure timely delivery and completion of care for assigned patients.
Document care provided in patient records and label specimens properly.
Ask patients about pain and report concerns to the RN/LPN as needed.
Maintain the orderliness and cleanliness of units, including patient and unit equipment.
Keep patient areas neat and uncluttered and prepare rooms for patient admissions.
Clean and maintain patient and unit equipment, such as over-bed tables, bed pans, and bedside commodes.
Immediately report equipment, supply, and maintenance problems to the RN.
Make hourly patient rounds to ensure safety measures are in place, including appropriate side rails, beds in low and locked positions, accessible phones and call lights, and appropriately applied restraints.
Ensure bed alarms are activated during hourly rounds.
Support patient daily living activities and room maintenance.
Perform EKGs, monitor blood glucose levels, collect specimens, and document vital signs.