Patient Care Technician - Observation Unit Days - 12hrs/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 unit. This position is in the Observation Unit, on days, at 12 hours per week (FTE 0.3). It is not on-call and includes weekends.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

For health science program enrollment, completion of a nursing fundamentals course and/or one clinical rotation is preferred.
Equivalent enrollment may include nursing school, pre-PA school, medical school, or a closely related health science program.
Equivalent experience may include Medical Assistant, Paramedic, Medical First Responder, EMT, Nurse Tech, Resident Aid/Assistant, or LPN experience.
Basic understanding of medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and patient confidentiality.
Experience in an acute care or extended care facility.

Responsibilities

Assist patients with activities of daily living and comfort, including making occupied and unoccupied beds; turning and positioning patients; ambulating and dangling patients; transferring patients; and performing passive and assisting with 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 patients with nutrition by passing trays, snacks, and drinking water; feeding patients; and measuring and recording intake from dietary trays.
Assist patients with elimination needs, record accurate intake and output, and empty other 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 accurate vital signs and weight, including oral and tympanic temperature, radial and apical pulse, blood pressure, and respiratory rate; use standing, chair, sling, and bed scales to measure weight.
Use equipment and supplies safely and appropriately, including assisting patients with incentive spirometry; setting up oxygen flow meters and suction equipment; disposing of suction canisters; and applying or removing ice bags, moist or dry 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 universal or standard precautions; providing appropriate care for patients with special isolation precautions; passing clean linen and bagging and disposing of soiled linen; replacing full sharps containers; and cleaning equipment between patients and before returning it to Central Processing Department.
Document care as directed by the RN.
Communicate effectively 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.
Perform other duties as assigned, including tasks assigned by the RN in charge to facilitate department efficiency.
Maintain current knowledge of department processes and procedures for patient care, pursue self-directed learning and continuing education opportunities, and participate in committees, task forces, and work groups as determined by management.