Unit Tech - Surgical ICU

Parkland Health•Parkland, FL

About The Position

The Unit Tech coordinates patient care, clerical, and administrative needs and serves as the primary contact and information resource for the unit. The role responds to information requests from physicians, nurses, patients, families, employees, and others. Unit Techs also perform phlebotomy, draw laboratory specimens, and prepare them for testing. The position combines Patient Care Assistant and Health Unit Coordinator duties. Under a Registered Nurse’s direction, the Unit Tech performs specified patient-care activities, maintains patient records and unit logs, supports admissions, transfers, and discharges, monitors patient status, and helps maintain a safe, orderly care environment. The role also coordinates supplies and routine requests and supports effective, patient-centered service.

Requirements

Must have completed or hold at least one of the following: a formal nurse aide course; current certified nurse aide registry; medical assistant course; current medical assistant certificate; patient care technician course; current patient care technician certificate; current enrollment in an accredited school of professional nursing with documentation of basic nursing fundamentals; graduation from an accredited school of nursing; or Parkland’s job-specific training program.
One year of acute-care hospital experience; successful completion of Parkland’s job-specific training program is considered equivalent to one year of experience.
Must obtain a current Heartsaver CPR course completion card within 90 days of hire and/or placement, from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
Must demonstrate competence in a variety of patient-care and clerical duties.
Must communicate effectively with personnel in other departments, nurses, physicians, patients, and families.
Must demonstrate flexible work habits and the ability to set priorities.
Must demonstrate enthusiasm and eagerness to perform a variety of assigned duties.
Must demonstrate patient-centered/patient-valued behaviors.
Must have computer skills, including data entry, report generation, printing, scanning, and faxing.

Responsibilities

Perform phlebotomy tasks and draw laboratory specimens as needed for the assigned unit.
Coordinate patient-care, clerical, and administrative needs and serve as a primary contact and information resource for the unit.
Perform specified patient-care activities under a Registered Nurse’s direction, including hygiene care, injections, venipunctures, sterile and unsterile treatments, vital signs, range-of-motion exercises, lifting, ambulation, and feeding.
Transport meal trays when applicable to support sanitary and timely delivery.
Advocate for patients by responding to their needs and special requests, maintaining open communication, and honoring patient rights and confidentiality.
Prepare and process paper and computerized patient files; enter, sort, and update information; and create reports summarizing patient information.
Monitor patient status and notify or assist nurses and other health-team members when a patient’s condition changes.
Support patient admissions, transfers, and discharges by creating charts, checking rooms, and receiving, logging, and storing patient valuables and nonvaluable items.
Maintain timely and accurate records of activities, including unit-specific logs, vital signs, ambulation, feeding outcomes, quality-control checks, and chaperoning.
Maintain work and patient-care areas according to infection-prevention and environment-of-care guidelines; arrange translation services when applicable; and perform quality-control checks.
Maintain knowledge of applicable rules, regulations, policies, laws, guidelines, and accreditation or health-plan requirements; develop effective internal controls and seek guidance as needed.
Order, pick up, and deliver medical and nonmedical supplies, laboratory requisitions, patient specimens, and other items; expedite routine requests; and keep work areas stocked, rotated, and free of expired supplies.
Perform other duties assigned by the manager or manager’s designee.
Identify opportunities to improve work processes and customer satisfaction, recommend improvements, implement them, and monitor results as appropriate.
Stay current with developments and trends in the field through professional learning and participation, and apply relevant knowledge to work practices.