Patient Care Assistant, Cardiac Specialty Unit

Park West • Knoxville, TN

91d

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant in the Cardiac Specialty Unit at Parkwest Medical Center is a full-time position requiring 72 hours per pay period on the day shift. The role involves direct patient care, assisting registered nurses with hands-on care, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs), and performing specified technical tasks under the supervision of the Team Leader. The Cardiac Specialty Unit consists of 33 telemetry beds, providing specialized care to patients with chest pain, unstable angina, and those recovering from cardiac procedures. The unit is known for its teamwork and supportive culture, welcoming staff of varying experiences from new graduates to seasoned healthcare professionals.

Requirements

• None specified; will accept any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill, and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job.
• Preference may be given to individuals possessing a high school diploma or GED.
• CPR certification required.

Responsibilities

• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
• Encourage patients to turn, cough, and take deep breaths and to use incentive spirometry as specified by Plan of Care.
• Ambulate, and assist patients in and out of bed, into wheelchairs and transport when necessary.
• Attend to nutritional needs of patients, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and passing out water pitchers.
• Provide morning or evening care, including bed baths, oral hygiene, combing hair, back care, dressing patients, changing bed linen, and cleaning over-bed tables.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins and record intake and output.
• Assist in maintaining a safe environment by reporting equipment that is out of order and handling linen appropriately.
• Provide general care such as positioning, lifting or turning patients, and assisting in the use of bedpans or commodes.
• Empty and clean ostomy bags as per procedure.
• Collect urine, stool, and sputum specimens as ordered.
• Perform tasks such as range of motion exercises and assist with ambulatory devices as specified by the patients' plan of care.
• Perform phlebotomy and EKGs as required, following proper protocols.
• Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
• Report significant changes in patients' conditions to the RN.
• Help maintain a clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Employ established infection control policies and safety measures.
• Document and maintain patient records as appropriate.
• Gather equipment for oxygen setup and check for proper functioning.
• Ambulate patients with oxygen and set up suction equipment.
• Demonstrate knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
• Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards, completing required education assignments annually.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Real Estate
• Education Level: High school or GED