Patient Support Assistant

OhioHealth•Pickerington, OH

About The Position

Assist licensed clinicians in providing direct and indirect patient care on an assigned unit. The role supports activities of daily living, maintains a clean and safe environment, assists patients, visitors, and nursing personnel, and helps create a respectful and compassionate patient experience. The position may include patient transport, errands, patient safety support, and telemetry monitoring with immediate communication of life-threatening arrhythmias to a licensed clinician. Under Registered Nurse direction, perform delegable basic nursing tasks that do not require nursing judgment, assessment, complex observations, or critical decisions. Duties include specified point-of-care tests and basic care, collecting and documenting patient information, using portable technology and electronic workflows, and reporting observations or concerns to the Registered Nurse. The role also assists visitors and staff with information needs, may support healthcare coordination technology or serve as a super user or preceptor, and maintains supplies and equipment for patient care. Associates are expected to perform other duties requested by a supervisor. As part of a High Reliability Organization, the position requires focus on safety, quality, and efficiency. The job profile may change and is not an exhaustive list of duties.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association.
CPR certification.
Basic PC skills to manage patient information and support clinical workflows and electronic medical record documentation.

Responsibilities

Assist patients with activities of daily living, including bathing, grooming, eating, and walking.
Maintain cleanliness and safety of patient rooms, the unit, and equipment.
Assist patients, visitors, and nursing personnel, and help other departments with patient care as needed.
Build respectful and compassionate relationships with patients and families to support the patient experience.
May promote adherence to patient safety guidelines as a patient safety champion.
May assist with telemetry cardiac monitoring, recognize life-threatening arrhythmias, and immediately notify an available licensed clinician.
May transport patients for the assigned nursing unit and run patient-care errands.
Perform delegable nursing tasks assigned by a Registered Nurse, within the described limits of the role.
Perform basic nursing care as directed by the Registered Nurse, including waived testing, non-sterile specimen collection, nasogastric tube care, 12-lead EKGs, and simple clean non-sterile dressing changes.
Collect and document data such as height, weight, vital signs, intake, and output.
Use portable wireless devices to measure and document intake and output, vital signs, and point-of-care testing results.
Report patient observations and concerns to the Registered Nurse.
Assist hospital visitors and staff with information needs.
May use wireless devices and technology for healthcare coordination, including scheduling, flowchart documentation, and nutrition service ordering.
May serve as a super user for nursing assistant information technology or as a preceptor for new nursing assistants.
Maintain supplies and equipment needed for patient care operations.
Secure and handle appropriate supplies, medications, and laboratory specimens transported to, from, and within the unit.
Perform other duties as requested by the supervisor, with attention to safety, quality, and efficiency.