Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

18d

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant works in the Pulmonary Unit at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, providing direct patient care and assisting registered nurses under the supervision of the Team Leader. The role includes hands-on care, assistance with activities of daily living, specified technical tasks, and serving as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the night shift. Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is a 444-bed hospital and part of Covenant Health, a nonprofit health system with nine hospitals and nearly 150 service locations. The hospital provides specialized services including stroke care, bariatric and robotic surgery, minimally invasive spine procedures, and advanced orthopedic care.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED is preferred.

Responsibilities

Measure and record vital signs, weights, heights, 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, mobility, and getting in and out of bed or wheelchairs.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and providing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening personal care, including bathing, oral hygiene, grooming, dressing, linen changes, and bedside and room tidying.
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.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, turning, assisting with toileting, 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 ordered urine, stool, and sputum specimens.
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.
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 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 equipment for oxygen setup, check oxygen connections and placement, and verify bedside equipment function.
Ambulate patients receiving 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 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.
Complete training and be willing to serve as a sitter for patients requiring full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.