Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant is a direct patient caregiver who performs tasks in support of registered nurses, including hands-on care, assistance with activities of daily living, and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The position may also involve serving as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision in the hospital. The role is in the Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

Requirements

No minimum education specified; a combination of formal education and/or prior work experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job, typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
No minimum experience specified.
CPR certification is required.
Must be trained and willing to serve as a sitter for patients needing full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED may be preferred.

Responsibilities

Measure and record patients’ temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, height, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, breathe deeply, and use incentive spirometry as specified in the plan of care.
Ambulate patients and assist them in and out of bed, into wheelchairs, and during transport as needed.
Support 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 linens, and tidying patient areas.
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, or turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; 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 plan of care.
Perform phlebotomy after additional training, including labeling samples 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 and check connections, placement, and proper functioning; ambulate patients with oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Demonstrate knowledge and competency in meeting the age-specific needs of the population served and perform 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.
Train and be willing to function as a sitter for patients who need full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.