Unit Technician - Observation Unit

Parkland Health•Parkland, FL

About The Position

The Unit Technician coordinates patient care, clerical, and administrative needs while serving as the unit’s primary contact and information resource. The role responds to requests from doctors, nurses, patients, families, employees, and others to support unit staff and provide effective service. Unit Technicians also perform phlebotomy, draw laboratory samples, and prepare them for testing. The position is expected to perform the functions of both a Patient Care Assistant and a Health Unit Coordinator, carrying out patient care activities under the direction of a Registered Nurse and maintaining accurate patient records and unit operations.

Requirements

Must have completed or hold 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; 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, or successful completion of Parkland’s job-specific training program as an equivalent.
Current Heartsaver CPR course completion card within 90 days of hire and/or placement, from the American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
Ability to demonstrate competence in a variety of patient care and clerical duties.
Ability to communicate effectively with personnel from other departments, nurses, physicians, patients, and families.
Ability to demonstrate flexible work habits and skill in setting priorities.
Enthusiasm and eagerness to perform a variety of assigned duties.
Ability to demonstrate patient-centered and patient-valued behaviors.
Computer skills, including data entry, report generation, printing, scanning, and faxing.

Responsibilities

Perform phlebotomy tasks and draw laboratory samples as needed.
Coordinate patient care and clerical needs as the unit’s primary contact and information resource.
Perform patient care activities under a Registered Nurse’s direction, including basic hygiene care, injections, venipunctures, sterile and unsterile treatments, taking vital signs, range-of-motion exercises, lifting, ambulating, and feeding patients.
Transport meal trays to patients when applicable.
Advocate for patients by responding to needs and special requests, maintaining communication, and protecting patient rights and confidentiality.
Prepare and process hardcopy 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.
Admit, transfer, and discharge patients by creating charts, checking rooms, and receiving, logging, and storing patient valuables and nonvaluables.
Maintain timely and accurate records of activities, including unit logs, vital signs, ambulation, feeding outcomes, quality control checks, and chaperoning.
Maintain the work environment 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, and guidelines, and seek guidance as needed to ensure understanding and compliance.
Order, pick up, and deliver supplies, laboratory requisitions, patient specimens, and other items; keep work areas stocked and rotate supplies to remove items before expiration.
Identify opportunities to improve work processes and customer satisfaction, make recommendations, implement changes, and monitor results as appropriate.
Stay current with developments and trends in the field through activities such as seminars, workshops, professional journals, professional organizations, or maintaining certification or licensure, and apply relevant knowledge to work practices.
Perform other duties as assigned by the manager or the manager’s designee.