Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant is a direct patient caregiver who performs hands-on care, activities of daily living, and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The role assists registered nurses and may also serve as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is in the Medical Unit at Parkwest Medical Center and is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift. The assistant provides routine and supportive patient care, monitors and documents vital signs and intake and output, helps patients with mobility and personal care, and supports a safe, clean care environment. Additional duties may include phlebotomy and EKGs after the required training, specimen collection, and setting up or checking oxygen and suction equipment. The position requires age-specific care competency, adherence to policies and safety standards, annual education, and participation in quality improvement initiatives as requested.

Requirements

CPR is required.
No minimum experience is specified.
Education is not formally specified; qualifying knowledge, skills, and abilities may be demonstrated through a combination of formal education and/or prior work experience, typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
Ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the essential tasks of the job.
Must be trained and willing to serve as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

Preference may be given to individuals with a high school diploma or GED.

Responsibilities

Measure and record temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, height, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, take deep breaths, and use incentive spirometry as specified in the Plan of Care.
Ambulate patients and assist them into and out of bed, into wheelchairs, and during transport when necessary.
Attend to patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding patients, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bathing, oral hygiene, grooming, back care, dressing, changing bed linen, and tidying the patient’s room and bedside area.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment, report malfunctioning equipment, handle linen appropriately, and store supplies.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, and turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; providing 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 the patient’s Plan of Care.
Perform phlebotomy after additional training, including correctly labeling specimens with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
Perform EKGs after special training.
Answer patient call lights promptly 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, including 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; check oxygen connections and placement and verify equipment is functioning properly at the bedside.
Ambulate patients receiving oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Provide care that meets the age-specific needs of the population served and demonstrate skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education assignments; work toward goals and objectives; and participate in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
Be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients who need full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.