Patient Care Technician - Intensive Care Unit Nights - 36hrs/wk

University of Michigan Health-West•Wyoming, MI

About The Position

Under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), the Patient Care Technician (PCT) provides basic nursing care to patients and performs related tasks necessary to support the Intensive Care Unit. This is a night-shift role scheduled for 36 hours per week, with weekend work required and no on-call duty. The PCT assists with activities of daily living, comfort, hygiene, nutrition, elimination, specimen collection, vital signs, measurements, equipment use, infection control, documentation, and communication. The role also includes completing unit-specific core competencies and performing other assigned duties that support department efficiency and ongoing patient-care knowledge.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet at least one of the following: current Certified Nurse Aide (CENA) certification; current enrollment with continued progression in a health science program; or equivalent experience.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) provider certification.
Ability to successfully complete unit-specific core competencies as defined in the orientation checklist.

Nice To Haves

For health science program enrollment, completion of a nursing fundamentals course and/or one clinical rotation is preferred.
Basic understanding of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and patient confidentiality.
Experience in an acute care or extended care facility.
Equivalent health science program enrollment may include nursing school, pre-PA school, medical school, or a closely related program.
Equivalent experience may include work as a medical assistant, paramedic, medical first responder, EMT, nurse tech, resident aide/assistant, or LPN.

Responsibilities

Assist patients with activities of daily living and comfort, including making beds, turning and positioning patients, ambulating and dangling patients, transferring patients, and performing passive and assisted active range-of-motion exercises.
Assist patients with hygiene activities.
Provide indwelling urinary catheter care (excluding insertion, removal, and irrigation), change non-sterile dressings, provide ileostomy and colostomy care, and assist with postmortem care.
Assist with nutrition by passing trays, snacks, and drinking water; feeding patients; and measuring and recording dietary intake.
Assist patients with elimination needs, accurately record intake and output, and empty drains as designated by the RN.
Collect and label sputum, urine, and stool specimens for laboratory testing; test urine for sugar, acetone, blood, or pH; strain urine for kidney stones; and use a glucometer to test blood glucose levels.
Measure and record vital signs and weight, including temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate, using appropriate scales to measure weight.
Use equipment and supplies safely and appropriately, including assisting with incentive spirometry; setting up oxygen flow meters and suction equipment; disposing of suction canisters; and applying or removing ice bags, heat, ace bandages, arm slings, binders, supports, anti-embolism stockings, sequential compression devices, and restraints.
Help control the spread of infection by using aseptic technique and standard precautions; caring for patients under special isolation precautions; handling clean and soiled linen; replacing full sharps containers; and cleaning equipment between patients and before return to Central Processing Department.
Document care as directed by the RN.
Communicate using Vocera, unit paging, telephone, and pneumatic tube systems; answer patient call lights; report observations to the RN; keep the RN informed about care delivered; and maintain patient confidentiality.
Complete unit-specific core competencies as defined in the orientation checklist.
Perform other assigned duties, including tasks that support department efficiency, maintaining knowledge of department processes and procedures, pursuing self-directed learning and continuing education, and participating in committees, task forces, and work groups as determined by management.