Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

6d•Onsite

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, and 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 need full-time hospital supervision. The role is full time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift. Parkwest Medical Center is Covenant Health’s flagship facility in West Knoxville. The hospital provides cardiac, breast health, emergency, and critical care services and is part of Covenant Health, the region’s largest employer.

Requirements

CPR certification 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 job, typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients who require full-time supervision.
Additional training is required to perform phlebotomy.
Special training is required to perform EKGs.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Measure and record vital signs, weights, heights, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, breathe deeply, and use incentive spirometry as specified in their plan of care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers, including moving in and out of bed and into wheelchairs; transport patients when needed.
Support patients’ nutritional needs by 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 linens, and other supportive care.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment by reporting malfunctioning equipment and properly handling linen and 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.
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, 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; check connections, placement, and equipment function; and ambulate patients 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 perform skills 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.
Train and be willing to serve as a sitter for patients needing full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.