PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Covenant Health • Knoxville, TN

97d

About The Position

The Patient Care Assistant in the Cardiac Specialty Unit at Parkwest is a full-time position requiring 72 hours per pay period, primarily during day shifts. This role involves direct patient care, assisting registered nurses with various tasks, and providing hands-on care to patients in a telemetry unit. The Cardiac Specialty Unit is known for its specialized care for patients with cardiac conditions, and the team is recognized for its culture and teamwork. The position offers flexibility with a modified self-scheduling model and welcomes candidates with varying levels of experience.

Requirements

• No formal education specified; any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job.
• Preference may be given to individuals possessing a high school diploma or GED.
• CPR certification required.

Responsibilities

• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
• Encourage patients to turn, cough, and take deep breaths and to use incentive spirometry as specified by Plan of Care.
• Ambulate, and assist patients in and out of bed, into wheelchairs and transport when necessary.
• Attend to nutritional needs of patients which may include distributing meal trays, feeding, filling and passing out water pitchers.
• Provide morning or evening care, which may include bed bath, oral hygiene, combing hair, back care, dressing patient, changing bed linen, cleaning over-bed table and bedside stand, straightening room, and other supportive care as needed.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans and emesis basins and record intake and output.
• Assist in maintaining a safe environment, which may include reporting equipment that is out of order, appropriate handling of linen and storing of supplies.
• Provide general care such as positioning, lifting or turning patients; assisting in use of bedpan, urinal or commode; preoperative supportive care; and application/removal of abdominal binders or anti-embolism stockings and sequential compression devices.
• Empty & clean ostomy bag, per procedure.
• Collect urine, stool and sputum specimen as ordered.
• Perform tasks such as ROM, assist with ambulatory devices as specified by the patients' plan of care.
• Perform phlebotomy (requires additional training).
• Perform EKG (requires special training).
• Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
• Report significant changes in patients' condition to RN.
• Help to maintain clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Employ all established infection control policies including standard precautions, transmission-based isolation precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures and proper body mechanics in performance of job.
• Document/maintain patient record as appropriate.
• Gather equipment for O2 set up. Check O2 for connection and proper placement.
• Check for proper functioning of equipment at patient bedside.
• Ambulate patients with oxygen.
• Set up suction equipment and check for proper function.
• Demonstrate knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
• Demonstrate ability to perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
• Follow policies, procedures, and safety standards. Complete required education assignments annually. Work toward achieving goals and objectives, and participate in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Hospitals
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees