Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant provides direct patient care and assists registered nurses by 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 role may also include serving as a sitter for patients who require full-time hospital supervision. The position is in the Cardiac Specialty Unit at Parkwest Medical Center and is listed as PRN/OCC with variable hours and shifts. The assistant supports patients’ safety, comfort, mobility, nutrition, hygiene, and care documentation; carries out assigned clinical support tasks; follows infection-control and safety procedures; and demonstrates competency in meeting the age-specific needs of the patient population. Phlebotomy and EKG duties require additional or special training, respectively.

Requirements

CPR certification is required.
No minimum experience is specified.
Education is not specified as a strict minimum; applicants need 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.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED may be preferred.

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 specified in the Plan of Care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers to and from beds, wheelchairs, and transport when necessary.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bathing, oral hygiene, grooming, back care, dressing, changing bed linens, and tidying the bedside area and room.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment by reporting faulty equipment and properly handling linens and storing supplies.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, or turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; providing 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 as specified in the patient’s Plan of Care.
Perform phlebotomy after receiving additional training, including labeling specimens with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
Perform EKGs after receiving 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 areas.
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 proper functioning at the bedside; and ambulate patients with 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 in performing skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete required annual education; and participate in quality-improvement initiatives and assigned goals and objectives.
Be trained and willing to serve as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.