Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Morristown, TN

18d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant provides direct patient care and assists registered nurses with hands-on care, activities of daily living, and 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 need full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is PRN/OCC, with variable hours per pay period on the day shift at Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System.

Requirements

CPR certification is required.
No minimum experience is specified.
No minimum education is specified; the employer accepts any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the role.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision.
Additional training is required to perform phlebotomy; special training is required to perform EKGs.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED is 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 and help patients move in and out of bed, into wheelchairs, and during transport as needed.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and providing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bathing, oral hygiene, grooming, back care, dressing, changing bed linens, and maintaining the bedside area.
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.
Assist with positioning, lifting, and turning patients; use of bedpans, urinals, or commodes; preoperative supportive care; and application or removal of 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 correct labeling 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.
Maintain clean and orderly patient and work environments.
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; check bedside equipment for proper function; and ambulate patients receiving oxygen.
Set up suction equipment and check that it functions properly.
Demonstrate skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist and 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 remain willing to serve as a sitter for patients needing full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.