Patient Care Technician - Adult Psychiatry - Nights

VCU Health•Richmond, VA

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician provides direct, age-specific care to a patient or group of patients based on medical orders and the plan of care under the direction of the RN or licensed independent practitioner. This role involves providing safe and direct care, monitoring patient conditions, assisting with comfort, personal hygiene, and safety needs, and ensuring care aligns with VCUHS policies. The technician is responsible for maintaining a safe, clean, and stocked clinical environment, managing supplies and equipment, and contributing to the patient experience by accurate identification, observing safety goals, and reporting patient responses or incidents. Key duties include obtaining and recording patient information (admissions data, vital signs, intake/output, etc.) and assisting with specimen collection. The role requires attendance at mandatory trainings and adherence to patient safety initiatives. The technician must establish and maintain courteous rapport with patients, visitors, and co-workers, demonstrating sensitivity and responding promptly to instructions. The position requires knowledge and skills to provide equitable care appropriate to various patient age groups, including Neonates, Infants, Pediatrics, Adolescents, Adults, and Geriatrics, and the ability to assess and interpret patient status relative to their age-specific needs.

Requirements

High School Degree or equivalent
AHA BLS HCP Certification or equivalent
Certification/Completion of one of the following: Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, Military Corpsmen/Medic, Nursing Aide Training Program
Experience within a healthcare environment OR Completion of foundations/ clinical nursing course and one clinical rotation.
Knowledge of patient data collection and documentation (i.e. vital signs, intake/output, change in patient condition)
Knowledge of basic hygiene and activities of daily living care
Ability to assist with feeding, hydration, and nutrition
Ability to assist with ambulation and patient mobility
Ability to provide safe, compassionate care
Accountability for completion of assigned tasks
Ability to wear personal protective equipment as needed
Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias.

Nice To Haves

Certified Nursing Assistant
Acute care experience as a nursing assistant or aide experience

Responsibilities

Provide safe and direct care to patients in their assigned unit making age-appropriate adjustments as needed.
Monitor patients’ conditions and provide updates to the health care team.
Provide direct and indirect care to patients with and without medical/surgical complications to meet their comfort, personal hygiene and safety needs.
Provide care in accordance with nursing and medical plans of care and deliver per VCUHS Nursing and Hospital policy and procedure.
Ensure assigned clinical location is maintained as a safe, clean, stocked environment to facilitate meeting patient needs and unit/healthcare team functioning.
Maintain supplies, educational material, equipment, sterilization of supplies, instruments and the environment to promote quality, safe patient care outcomes (as applicable).
Contribute to the patient experience by accurately identifying the patient, by observing safety goals and reporting to a licensed independent practitioner, manager and/or Registered Nurses regarding the patient’s physical and mental responses to the plan of care or any incident posing harm or threat to a patient.
Obtain and record initial and ongoing patient information throughout the cycle of care, including admissions data, vital signs, height and weight, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, intake and output, calorie counts, and other patient information as outlined by VCUHS policy.
Obtain or assist in the collection of specimens for diagnostic or waived tests.
Attend all mandatory in-services and trainings and adhere to online training requirements.
Ensure patient safety in the performance of job functions and through participation in hospital, department or unit patient safety initiatives.
Establish and maintain courteous and effective rapport with patients, visitors, co-workers, and other members of health care team; demonstrate sensitivity and awareness to needs of patients, visitors and co-workers and respond promptly to verbal and/or written instructions.
Performs other duties, as assigned.
Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide equitable care appropriate to the age of the patients served on their assigned unit.
Demonstrates knowledge and related competencies of the principles of growth and development of the life span and possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interprets the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age, specific needs and to provide the equitable care needed as described in departmental policies and procedures.