PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health•Crossville, TN

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant works on the Cardiology Unit 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 role assists registered nurses and may also serve as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is full-time, 72 hours per pay period, on the day shift, at Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville, Tennessee.

Requirements

Successfully complete Covenant’s orientation and in-house Nursing Assistant training program before working with patients.
CPR is required.
Be trained and willing to function in a sitter capacity for patients requiring full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

Nursing Assistant certification from the state of Tennessee is preferred.
A high school diploma or GED may be preferred.

Responsibilities

Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, take deep breaths, and use incentive spirometry as specified by the Plan of Care.
Ambulate patients and assist them in and out of bed, into wheelchairs, and with transport when necessary.
Address patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and filling and passing out water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, including bed baths, oral hygiene, hair combing, back care, dressing, changing bed linen, cleaning bedside surfaces, straightening rooms, and other supportive care as needed.
Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans, and emesis basins, and record intake and output.
Help maintain a safe environment, including reporting malfunctioning equipment, handling linen appropriately, 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 samples with two patient identifiers and maintaining, rotating, and restocking lab-draw supplies.
Perform EKGs after special training.
Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
Report significant changes in patients’ conditions to the RN.
Help maintain a clean and orderly patient and work environment.
Follow infection control policies, including standard and transmission-based isolation 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 providing age-specific care for the population served.
Demonstrate the ability to 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 function as a sitter for patients requiring full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.