Patient Care Tech - Palliative Care Unit - FT

Carilion Clinic•Roanoke, VA

23h•Onsite

About The Position

As a Patient Care Tech on the Palliative Care Unit, you will be an integral part of the patient care team, contributing to an environment focused on personal well-being and professional development. This role offers a significant opportunity to begin a healthcare career within a setting recognized for clinical excellence. You will provide essential nursing care, including monitoring vital signs (blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature) and assisting patients of all sexes and genders with daily living activities such as bathing, meals, toileting, and ambulation. The position may also involve providing one-on-one care for patients requiring suicide or safety precautions. The Palliative Care Unit is an adult inpatient medical-surgical unit featuring 10 private patient rooms with views of the Roanoke Valley. The nursing team, composed of Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants, is specially trained to care for individuals living with serious illnesses. Palliative Care emphasizes symptom relief and stress reduction associated with serious illness, focusing on patient-centered care. Working with the Palliative Care team, you will contribute to interprofessional assessment and comprehensive management of patients' and families' physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and bereavement needs. This is a part-time position, working day shifts with every other weekend and rotating holidays.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent education.
AHA BLS-HCP required within 6 months of hire.
Effective interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills.
Successfully complete orientation and competency validation for position.
Ability to perform responsibilities in a fast-paced environment, requiring use of prioritization and time management skills.
Must be able to attend required orientation classes during daytime hours, Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm for the first 2 weeks.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in direct patient care.
Certified Nursing Assistant preferred (required if employee is working in a critical access facility).

Responsibilities

Provide nursing care that includes taking the patient's blood pressure, checking their oxygen levels and temperature.
Assist patients of all sexes and genders with bathing, meals, toileting, ambulation, and other basic needs.
Provide one-on-one care of patients on suicide or safety precautions.
Perform basic clerical and technical clinical services relating to the care, cleanliness, safety, and comfort for patients of all ages.
Provide quality service through a team oriented, collaborative approach to patient care.
Provide basic nursing care and perform advanced technical skills for specified age groups according to established standards.
Assist patients with activities of daily living.
Appropriately document and report patient observations to licensed staff.
Transport patients, supplies, specimens, equipment, etc. within the facility.
Contribute to Carilion Clinic’s performance improvement activities.
Actively participate in obtaining desired service line/departmental outcomes.
Exhibit competent knowledge of EMR and assist with chart audits.
Participate in unit quality surveillance activities.
Actively participate in unit shared governance and/or organization councils/committees.
May lead unit huddle; participate in IDR's (unit based interdepartmental patient rounds).
Provide support for department/unit staff scheduling, including covering lunch assignments.
Review medical record for outstanding orders and notify nurse of stat orders and medication changes.
Order department/unit supplies and equipment and stock/organize supplies.
Assist with customer service in way-finding, answering phones, making meaningful connections with patient and visitors.
Process equipment between patients as needed (cleans unit based equipment and gathers supplies needed to operate equipment).
Operate and maintain general office equipment.
Follow procedures for timely equipment repairs.
Lead streamlined, timely and comprehensive admission, transfer, and discharge processes keeping the patient experience as the top focus.
Assist in coordination of patient flow into/out of area using department/unit specific software and Intranet.
Be aware of unit outcomes and metrics and promote process improvement initiatives that add value to our outcomes and/or organizational mission.
Welcome and assist patients and visitors; assist with registration.
Serve as “face” of the unit; role model service excellence behaviors at all times.
Demonstrate excellent telephone etiquette and interpersonal skills when answering phones and interacting with patients, visitors, physicians, and other health professionals.
Receive and screen incoming calls via telephone and patient call system.
Route calls to appropriate individuals and take messages accurately.
Monitor cleanliness of the waiting and break rooms.
Perform safety/environmental rounds on unit and with multidisciplinary team members.
Participate in the sitter process (if competencies appropriate).
Assist with maintaining regulatory compliance (refrigerator, glucose meters, equipment room storage, assisting with code cart checks as assigned etc).
May be responsible for phlebotomy (competency appropriate).
May conduct nonsterile wound care dressings (competency appropriate).
May replace and remove saline locks (competency appropriate).
May do colostomy bag changes (competency appropriate).
Support multiple nursing units.
Interact with unit staff, patients, physicians, families, visitors, management, ancillary departments, and the general public.
Maintain patient, staff and customer confidentiality.
Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development through the life span, possess the ability to recognize and report data reflective of the patient’s status, interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his or her age and specific needs, and provide the care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures (if assigned to perform patient care tasks).
May be required to sit with patients on suicide precautions or confusion.
Suggest cost containment initiatives in immediate work unit/department.
Follow set guidelines and procedures in the execution of daily tasks.
Observe and document data reflective of the patients’ status, interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his or her age and specific needs, and provide the care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures (Age-specific Responsibilities).