Patient Care Technician

Perinatal Care Technician Labor and Delivery

Elliot Hospital’s Women’s and Children’s Services are dedicated to addressing the specific health and wellness needs of women and their children. Delivering the most babies in the region, our specialty trained board-certified physicians and certified nurse midwives, along with our unparalleled nurses, are experts at providing new families with compassionate care and exceptional attention. Options for Labor and Delivery include nitrous oxide, epidural anesthesia, surgical safety compliant with World Health Organization guidelines for cesarean births and more. Our team at our labor and delivery center is committed to supporting parents throughout their birthing experience.

The Perinatal Care Technician is responsible for performing a range of self-directed support activities that contribute to the overall efficiency of the Labor and Delivery ORs, under the direction of the Clinical Nurse Manager and Resource Nurses. Responsibilities include inventorying, disassembling, cleaning, reassembling, and maintaining Labor and Delivery operating room equipment. Assisting in maintaining a clean, orderly Operating Room environment, and transporting patients as required. Functions as an integral member of the operating room team, and contributes to maintaining a safe, professional, respectful and effective patient care environment. Perform assigned patient care activities, including scrubbing functions for the L&D ORs and assisting the RN circulator, while maintaining high quality standards. Also coordinates the non-patient care activities, monitors and maintains equipment and supplies, and environmental duties.

In a professional manner, respecting the dignity and privacy of the patient, perform patient care activities/procedures in the OR

• Prepare sterile instruments for surgical cases including Cesarean section, cerclage placement, postpartum tubal, laceration repair, D&C, cystoscopy, able to begin transition to hysterectomy.
• Accurately uses surgical preference cards for selection of instrumentation and supplies:
• Opens surgical packs and instrumentation
• Inspects instruments and equipment for sterility, safety and function
• Evaluates surgical environment to ensure and maintain sterile field.

• Assists obstetrical team with verification process:

• Contributes to surgical team briefing and participates in the time-out process
• Assists team in intra-operative procedure
• Collaborates with team members and prioritizes patient needs
• Anticipates obstetrician’s needs during cesarean section.
• Maintains sterile field throughout the procedure.
• Practices safe handling of instruments.
• Identifies and communicates possible unexpected outcomes.
• Obtains, prepares and preserves specimen(s) for lab testing.

• Assists obstetrical team with case closure protocol:

• Performs sponge/sharps count ensuring accuracy.
• Reports inaccuracies in counts to the obstetrical team.
• Inventories instrumentation/equipment.
• Prepares instruments/equipment for decontamination.

• Responds appropriately to emergency situations:

• Remains calm
• Utilizes chain of command/communication
• Follows emergency protocols

• Under direct supervision of a Registered Nurse and within the scope of practice, provides age specific, individualized care that supports psychosocial functioning and facilitates lifestyle changes:

• Active listening- attends closely to and attaches significance to a patient’s verbal and nonverbal messages
• Emotional support- provides reassurance, acceptance and encouragement during times of stress.
• Anxiety reduction- minimizes apprehension, dread, foreboding, or uneasiness.
• Observes for non-verbal cues of pain or discomfort.

• Under supervision of a Registered Nurse assists with patient assessment and care provision:

• Measures/records patient information
• Provides assistance in the lifting, positioning, bathing, and dressing of patients.
• Stock labor/Operating rooms checking and replacing expired items.
• Specimen management- Obtains, prepares and preserves a specimen for a laboratory
• Identifies and reports deviation in vital signs or patient observations and patient needs to Registered Nurse.
• Bedside lab testing- Performs laboratory tests at the bedside or Point of Care Testing at the bedside.
• Performs the infant hearing test and documents results for the Infant Hearing Screening Program.
• Assists in the transfers of patients to another unit/department via bed, wheelchair or other assistive modality.
• Daily cart Hemorrhage, NICU, Malignant Hyperthermia carts.
• Complete daily Labor and Delivery Task Sheet

• Prepares room for recovery:

• Makes sure all equipment needed in room by nursing staff is available and ready for use.

• Assists in promoting patient safety and environmental cleanliness/order:

• Replenish/order supplies, case carts and instrumentation for unit and Operating Rooms.
• Maintain and clean Operating Room(s) in a safe and efficient manner to ensure readiness.
• Maintain and clean equipment as well as instrumentation ensuring that it is in working condition.
• Maintain the orderliness of work area, keeping hallways clear of excess equipment.
• Provides orientation to room/unit f. Assists patients with communications (i.e. nursing call system, phone, etc.).
• Environmental management- Manipulates the patient’s surroundings for therapeutic benefit, sensory appeal and psychological well-being.
• Makes beds

• Provide centralized support to the unit by facilitating communication and coordination of patient care with ancillary services, including being proficient with unit data bases and specialized computer programs:

• Greet all patients, physicians, visitors, and staff who arrive on the unit
• Answers phone by giving unit name and title.
• Screen and direct telephone calls to appropriate personnel.
• Retain and communicate detailed information to medical staff and families, maintaining confidentiality.
• Perform inpatient scheduling of ancillary services, appointments, etc.
• Receive admissions in accordance with the Admissions Department policies and procedures.
• Utilizing on-line information systems and reports, assist with admissions, discharges, coding, demographic information, verification and reconciliation of census reports, as well as policies and procedures.
• Uses paging system appropriately.
• Answers call bells promptly reporting patient’s needs as indicated
• Maintains Infant Security database
• Admits and discharges infants appropriately in system

• Demonstrates initiative in the identification and implementation of unit based process improvements.
• Demonstrates strong interpersonal skills to work harmoniously and effectively with others. Assists new co-workers in learning the work of the department.
• Demonstrates systems thinking as evidenced by the ability to prioritize multiple activities and work independently in the performance of these activities.
• Differentiate between activities that require supervisory approval and activities that can be managed independently.
• Participate in committees and special projects as assigned.
• Ensure the availability and preparedness of supplies and equipment needed to support and efficient and effective patient care processes.

• Cleans and disinfects patient care equipment including IV poles, IV pumps, fetal monitors, commodes, etc. upon patient discharge or discontinuation of use of equipment.
• Maintain established par levels of patient care supplies. Maintain par levels of dietary stock in unit kitchens/ nutrition stations.
• Maintain responsibility for monitoring location and routine retrieval of unit equipment including beds. Works collaboratively with Clinical Engineering and Facilities to ensure the proper functioning of all equipment and monitors any repairs which may be needed.
• Maintain current user manuals on all unit-based equipment and works in collaboration with Clinical Engineering to ensure its availability to staff.
• Responsible for ordering of all unit supplies, including the following:
• Secretarial supplies
• Sterile prep supplies
• MDS/Bulk store supplies
• Outside orders
• All forms and all other necessary supplies for unit functioning from print shop or bulk stores

Who You Are:

• High school graduate required
• State of NH Licensed Nursing