PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant is a direct patient caregiver who performs hands-on care, assists with activities of daily living, and completes specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The role may also function as a sitter for patients who require full-time supervision in the hospital. This is a full-time Float Pool position at Parkwest Medical Center, scheduled for 72 hours per pay period on day shifts.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

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

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 according to the plan of care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers into and out of bed, wheelchairs, and transport.
Meet 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 by reporting malfunctioning equipment and handling linen and supplies appropriately.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, and turning patients; assisting with bedpan, urinal, or commode use; 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 according to the patient’s plan of care.
Perform phlebotomy after additional training, including labeling specimens with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
Perform EKGs after special training.
Respond promptly to patient call lights and 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 oxygen connections and placement.
Check that equipment at the patient bedside is functioning properly.
Ambulate patients who are using oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check its function.
Demonstrate knowledge and competency in meeting the age-specific needs of the population served.
Demonstrate the skills listed on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education; work toward goals and objectives; and participate in quality-improvement initiatives as requested.
Be trained and willing to serve as a sitter for patients who require full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.