Patient Care Assistant

Covenant Health•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant provides direct patient care and assists registered nurses with 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 need full-time supervision in the hospital. The position is in Orthopedic Medical Surgery at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and is full time, 72 hours per pay period, on the night shift. The assistant supports patients’ physical and nutritional needs, monitors and documents measurements and intake and output, helps maintain a safe and orderly care environment, and performs assigned clinical support tasks. Additional duties may include phlebotomy and EKGs after the required training. The assistant follows established care, infection-control, safety, and documentation policies, completes required annual education, and participates in quality-improvement initiatives as requested.

Requirements

CPR certification is required.
Education requirements are not specified; qualifying knowledge, skills, and abilities may be demonstrated through any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience, typically equivalent to a high school diploma or GED.
No minimum experience is specified.
Must be trained and willing to function as a sitter for patients needing full-time supervision.

Nice To Haves

A high school diploma or GED is preferred.

Responsibilities

Measure and record patients’ temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, height, and intake and output.
Encourage patients to turn, cough, breathe deeply, and use incentive spirometry as specified by the plan of care.
Ambulate patients and assist them with transfers into and out of bed, wheelchairs, and transport as needed, including ambulation with oxygen.
Attend to patients’ nutritional needs, including distributing meal trays, feeding, and filling and distributing water pitchers.
Provide morning or evening care, which may include bed baths, oral hygiene, hair care, back care, dressing, linen changes, and cleaning and straightening the patient’s room and bedside area.
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 such as 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 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.
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, check oxygen connections and placement, and check that bedside equipment functions properly.
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.
Train and be willing to serve as a sitter for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital.
Perform other duties as assigned.