PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant works in the Procedural Care Unit at Parkwest Medical Center as a direct patient caregiver, performing hands-on care, activities of daily living assistance, and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader. The role may also include serving as a sitter for patients who require full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift. The assistant supports patients’ comfort, safety, mobility, nutrition, and care plans; performs assigned measurements and technical tasks; maintains patient and work areas; and documents care as appropriate. The role requires age-specific care competency, adherence to established policies and safety standards, completion of annual education assignments, and participation in quality improvement initiatives as requested. Phlebotomy and EKG duties require additional or special training, respectively. Parkwest Medical Center is a Covenant Health facility serving the East Tennessee community. The posting describes its advanced services and recognition in cardiac care, safety, and other areas.

Requirements

CPR is required.
No minimum experience is specified.
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 for the essential tasks, typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients requiring 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 temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, height, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, breathe deeply, and use incentive spirometry as directed by the Plan of Care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers into or out of bed and wheelchairs, and with transport as needed.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding patients, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, which may include bed baths, oral hygiene, hair care, back care, dressing, linen changes, cleaning bedside surfaces, and straightening rooms.
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 as specified in patients’ plans 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 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 that it functions properly.
Demonstrate knowledge and competency in meeting the age-specific needs of the population served and the ability to 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 serve as a sitter for patients needing full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.