Certified Nurse Assistant

ABOUT US

Channing House is a leading not-for-profit Life Plan Community in Palo Alto, founded in 1960. We believe that older adults thrive in a vibrant setting that supports active, engaged and healthy living. We provide a sustainable, innovative community that promotes this lifestyle, while embracing respect and dignity for all who live and work here. Our team of 200 staff members, from Front-Line to Leadership, drive the mission of Channing House, providing services to the 265 highly engaged residents who call Channing House their home.

POSITION SUMMARY

CNAs are responsible for providing basic patient care under the direction of the Charge Nurse/LN Supervisor. This position performs duties that promote and maintain the function of residents in their daily lives. CNAs follow established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance programs, safety, and environmental and infection control standards. The Certified Nurse Assistant demonstrates our Core Values: Do the right thing; Be a team player; Focus on quality; Adapt to change. Together with the entire team at Channing House, your role contributes to promoting a healthy and vibrant home for our residents.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position will be responsible for, but not limited to the following essential duties and responsibilities:


Resident Care

• Familiar with the overall plan of care for the residents assigned to them.
• Assist residents with activities of daily life (ADLs), including but not limited to eating, dressing, grooming and personal hygiene, toileting, and mobility. Encourage resident to independently complete ADLs if able to.
• Document ADLs performed accurately
• Take preventative measures to help residents avoid falls, skin tears and skin breakdown.
• Apply restorative nursing measures (ex: range of motion (ROM) exercises, use of assistive devices, ambulation and repositioning) to promote independence and to prevent contractures.
• Uses mechanical lifts as indicated in the care plan of the resident or as instructed by Charge Nurse/LN Supervisor.
• Assist at mealtime, which may include distributing meal trays, pouring beverages and feeding residents in need of assistance. Passes nourishments in a timely manner.
• Converse and engage with residents during provision of care. Accommodate their needs by responding appropriately to verbal and nonverbal expression. Communicates with residents to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
• Obtain vital signs and weights accurately as assigned and on a timely manner.
• Report to Licensed nurse when resident is not eating, refusing showers or other ADLs.
• Participate in and assist residents appropriately during group outings and activities.
• Accurately document the care provided to resident and the percentage of food eaten on the electronic health record.
• Apply slings, stockings, or supports bandages under the direction of the Charge Nurse/LN Supervisor.
• Change bed linens and make beds.
• Collect specimens, such as urine, feces or sputum as needed and under the direction of Charge Nurse/ LN Supervisor.
• Re-stocking supplies needed to perform ADLs
• Measure and record intake and output accurately when ordered.
• Report observations of resident behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
• Safeguard and maintain resident's personal property.
• Maintain resident's self-esteem, privacy, and confidentiality of personal information.
• Provide resident opportunities for independence and choice consistent with their care plans.
• Treats resident with respect and dignity.

Safety and Infection Control

• Uses gait belt when walking residents that need assistance.
• Practice universal safety and sanitary precautions at all times.
• Properly handle clean and dirty linens.
• Dispose of gloves, pads and any medical materials according to protocols.
• Maintain work area in neat, clean and safety-oriented order.

Upholding Company Standards:

Consistent commitment to:

• Establish and maintain effective team relationships with fellow staff; apply effective communication and listening skills.
• Manage with and demonstrate professionalism and compassion with all residents, colleagues, clients, vendors, and members of the public.
• Support staff in creating a caring environment that meets the needs of individuals and members of a shared community.
• Adhere to all company policies, procedures, safety, and compliance practices, and business ethics codes.

JOB REQUIREMENTS / QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, a person must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Years of Related Professional Experience :

• 1-2 years of related work experience in elderly care.

Educational/Position Requirements :

• Completed 160 hour Nurse Assistance Training Program

Computer/Software/Technical Applications:

• Ability to use a computer
• Ability to use electronic health record system
• Proficiency in Microsoft suite
• Ability to input and retrieve data

Languages :

• Ability to speak and comprehend English the primary language used in the workplace; ability to speak and/or comprehend other languages utilized by residents is a plus.

Required Licenses/ Certifications/ Background:

• Certificate issued by the California Department of Public Health to practice as a Certified Nursing Assistant

Travel Required :

• Not Applicable

Skills :

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional situations involving residents, resident families, and/or staff; responds promptly to needs of residents, resident families, and/or staff; responds to requests for service and assistance.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Professionalism - Presents self in a highly professional manner to others and communicate with co-workers and other departments with professionalism and respect. Maintains a professional relationship with all coworkers, vendor representatives, supervisors, managers, residents, and resident families.
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality.
• Safety and Security - Observes and ensures staff compliance with safety and security procedures; determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; reports potentially unsafe conditions; uses equipment and materials properly.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Cultural Awareness - Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; promotes a harassment-free environment.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Specialized Programs: Dementia and Culture Change (Nursing Care)
  • Dementia Care - understand dementia disorders and how to interact with residents that have this diagnosis; recognize how the care a person needs may be different depending on the primary cause or causes of dementia.
  • Identification of behavior triggers (based on observation and historical information) and work with teams to correct or minimize such behaviors.
  • Culture Change - understand and utilize person-centered values in the area of relationships, choice, dignity, respect, self-determination and purposeful living; assist with implementing programs or activities to focus on the needs of the person rather than efficiencies of the care provider.
  • Education and Training - maintain current educational knowledge in both Dementia Care and Culture Change using the The Best Friends approach.
• Equipment Operation - familiarity with the use and operation of the following equipment to provide safe and appropriate care:
  • Gait belts, back support
  • Shower or bath chairs, specialized bathing units like whirlpool if utilized in the facility
  • Wheelchairs, mechanical lifts, walkers
  • Electric beds, air mattress, bariatric bed
  • Weight scales
  • Blood pressure machines
  • Trapeze and transfer poles if utilized in the facility

Abilities :

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Learning - Willingness to be open to learning and growing.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Ethics - Treats people with respect; inspires the trust of others; works with integrity and ethically; upholds organizational values.
• Positivity - Ability to maintain a positive attitude.
• Presentability - Maintains high standards for work areas and appearance. Upholds dress code requirements.
• Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance.
• Attendance/Punctuality - Consistently at work and on time.
• Dependability - Follows instructions, responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments.
• Persuasion - The ability to work with others to change their minds or behavior.
• Negotiation -The ability to bring others together and try to reconcile differences.
• Empathy - the ability to understand and share feelings of another.
• Discretion - behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.
• Judgment - Displays willingness to make decisions; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; makes timely decisions.
• Initiative - Volunteers readily; undertakes self-development activities; seeks increased responsibilities; takes independent actions and calculated risks; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; asks for and offers help when needed.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment.
• Detail Orientation - Able to concentrate on the details of a project, assignment or task at hand. Often times, this means spotting errors or inconsistencies, such as grammatical mistakes, numerical issues, or the removal of unnecessary information.
• Multitasking - the performance of more than one task at the same time and ability to prioritize task completion accordingly.
• Relaxed presence - Remains calm under pressure and in stressful situations.

Reporting Relationships:

• Number of Direct Reports (if applicable): 0

Work Environment:

• Generally in an indoor setting.
• Assist activities and events outdoors. May be exposed to heat/cold during support of outside activities.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to:

• Stand on your feet throughout work period. Significant walking or other means of mobility.
• Possess multi-limb and eye-hand coordination.
• Able to reach, bend, stoop, push and/or pull, and frequently lift/move up to 50 pounds.
• Utilize specific vision abilities for viewing work related processes and materials handling.
• While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit and taste or smell. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Able to sit at a desk, working on computers and operating phones.

Channing House Diversity Statement:

Channing House is an equal opportunity employer. Channing House is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and disrespectful or other unprofessional conduct based on actual or perceived race (including traits historically associated with race, such as natural hair, hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles), color, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive health decision making, disability (including sensory disability and use of a service animal by a person with a disability), HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C status, a legally protected medical condition, genetic information or data credit history, genetic information, status as a victim or domestic or sexual violence (including harassment, sexual assault, or stalking), expunged juvenile record, arrest or conviction records (except as legally required), use or non-use of lawful products off of Company premises during non-working hours, performance of duty in a uniformed service military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by local, state and/or federal law. Channing House also prohibits discrimination, harassment, disrespectful, or unprofessional conduct based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.