PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant (PCA) functions as a direct patient caregiver performing tasks to assist registered nurses. The PCA performs hands-on care, assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. This role is part of the Nephrology Unit at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, a 444-bed hospital recognized for its clinical expertise and advanced medical technology. Fort Sanders Regional is a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center and offers specialized services in bariatric surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive spine procedures, and advanced orthopedic care. The hospital is part of Covenant Health, a leading nonprofit health system in East Tennessee.

Requirements

CPR required

Nice To Haves

HS diploma or GED preferred
Phlebotomy training
EKG training

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.
Attends to nutritional needs of patient which may include distributing meal trays, feeding, filling and passing out water pitchers.
Provides 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.
Assists in maintaining a safe environment, which may include reporting equipment that is out of order, appropriate handling of linen and storing of supplies.
Provides 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). To include correct labeling using two patient identifiers, maintenance of lab-draw supplies, rotating and restocking.
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.
Gathers equipment for O2 set up. Checks O2 for connection and proper placement.
Checks for proper functioning of equipment at patient bedside.
Ambulate patients with oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check for proper function.
Demonstrates knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
Demonstrates ability to perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
Must be trained and willing to function in a Sitter capacity for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital.
Performs other duties as assigned.