Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Lenoir City, TN

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant works on the Medical Surgical Unit at Fort Loudoun Medical Center, part of Covenant Health. This direct patient-care role assists registered nurses by providing hands-on care, supporting activities of daily living, and performing specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The assistant may also serve as a sitter for patients who require full-time supervision in the hospital. The position includes obtaining and documenting vital signs and measurements; assisting with mobility, hygiene, nutrition, positioning, and other supportive care; collecting specimens; and helping maintain a safe, clean patient-care environment. With additional training, the assistant may perform phlebotomy and EKGs, and may help prepare and check oxygen and suction equipment. The role requires following care plans, infection-control and safety procedures, documenting care, completing annual education, and participating in quality-improvement activities as requested.

Requirements

No minimum education is specified; candidates must have a combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the essential job tasks.
CPR is required.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED is preferred.

Responsibilities

Measure and record temperature, pulse, respirations, 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 with transfers into or out of bed and wheelchairs, and with transport when necessary.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and providing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bathing, oral hygiene, grooming, dressing, bed-linen changes, and other supportive care.
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.
Position, lift, or turn patients; assist with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; provide preoperative supportive care; and apply or remove 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 according to the patient’s 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.
Promptly answer call lights and respond to patient requests, and report significant changes in patient condition to the RN.
Help maintain clean and orderly patient and work areas.
Follow infection-control policies, standard and transmission-based precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures, and proper body mechanics.
Document and maintain patient records as appropriate.
Gather oxygen setup equipment, check oxygen connections and placement, and check that bedside equipment functions properly.
Ambulate patients receiving oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Demonstrate competency in meeting age-specific needs and performing skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education assignments; and participate in quality-improvement initiatives as requested.
Train and be willing to serve as a sitter for patients requiring full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.