PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant is a direct patient caregiver on the Cardiology Unit, 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 night shift at Parkwest Medical Center.

Requirements

No minimum education is specified; a combination of formal education and/or prior work experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the essential job tasks. This is typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
CPR certification is required.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients who require full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED is preferred.

Responsibilities

Measure and record patients’ temperature, pulse, respiration rates, 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.
Support patients’ nutritional needs, including 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 bed linen, cleaning bedside surfaces, 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 appropriately handling linen and storing supplies.
Provide general care, including positioning, lifting, and turning patients; assisting with bedpans, urinals, or commodes; 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 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 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.
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 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.
Demonstrate the ability to perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards; complete 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 requiring full-time hospital supervision.
Perform other duties as assigned.