PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health • Knoxville, TN

147d

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant in the Step-Down Unit at Parkwest is a full-time position requiring 72 hours per pay period on the night shift. This role involves direct patient care, assisting registered nurses with hands-on care, and performing specified technical tasks for a group of patients under supervision. The Step-Down Unit serves patients with higher acuity conditions requiring increased monitoring and care. The unit is known for its energetic team environment and commitment to excellent patient care.

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 which may include distributing meal trays, feeding, filling and passing out water pitchers.
• Provide morning or evening care, which may include bed bath, oral hygiene, combing hair, back care, dressing patient, changing bed linen, cleaning over-bed table and bedside stand, straightening room, and other supportive care as needed.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans and emesis basins and record intake and output.
• Assist in maintaining a safe environment, which may include reporting equipment that is out of order, appropriate handling of linen and storing of supplies.
• Provide general care such as positioning, lifting or turning patients; assisting in use of bedpan, urinal or commode; preoperative supportive care; and application/removal of abdominal binders or anti-embolism stockings and sequential compression devices.
• Empty & clean ostomy bag, per procedure.
• Collect urine, stool and sputum specimen as ordered.
• Perform tasks such as ROM, assist with ambulatory devices as specified by the patients' plan of care.
• Perform phlebotomy (requires additional training).
• Perform EKG (requires special training).
• Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
• Report significant changes in patients' condition to RN.
• Help to maintain clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Employ all established infection control policies including standard precautions, transmission-based isolation precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures and proper body mechanics in performance of job.
• Document/maintain patient record as appropriate.
• Gather equipment for O2 set up. Check O2 for connection and proper placement.
• Check for proper functioning of equipment at patient bedside.
• Ambulate patients with oxygen.
• Set up suction equipment and check for proper function.
• Demonstrate knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
• Demonstrate ability to perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
• Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards. Complete required education assignments annually. Work toward achieving goals and objectives, and participate in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Hospitals
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees