Nursing Assistant 2, NS61 Med/Surg (Nights)

The Department of Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking a full‑time Nursing Assistant 2, NS61 Med/Surg.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Nursing Assistants provide care to individuals in hospitals and long‑term care facilities operated by New York State. Care ranges from attending to patients’ personal hygiene needs, to performing a limited number of simple treatments and therapies under direction of licensed clinical staff. Incumbents provide direct hands‑on care to individuals by assisting with bathing, dressing, perineal care, mobility, eating, and other daily living activities.

Illustrative Duties

Under direction of higher‑level treatment staff, performs duties similar to those of a Nursing Assistant 1, but with greater proficiency. Positions may assist with training new staff in assigned treatment areas.

• Changes simple dressings as directed, gives enemas, douches, and irrigations as directed.
• Applies abdominal “T” binders, hot water bottles, aqua “K” pads, ice bags, and coolers, and hot and cold compresses to patients as directed.
• Assists patients in collecting urine and stool specimens.
• Observes and records patients’ quantitative food and fluid intake and waste output.
• Takes temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and respiration rate.
• Gives therapeutic baths such as sitz and fever sponge baths.
• Measures and records height and weight.
• Inspects functioning oxygen therapy equipment including tents, masks, and cannulae to ensure appropriate functioning.
• Recognizes and reports abnormal signs and symptoms of common diseases and conditions to clinical staff.
• Applies splints, braces, slings and other self‑help devices.
• Operates a variety of specialized patient monitoring and treatment devices.
• Attends to patients’ hygiene and daily living needs in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to patient comfort and treatment. Examples include bathing and dressing patients, brushing teeth, and trimming nails.
• Collects and carries patients’ laundry and dry cleaning and delivers objects to appropriate locations in the health care facility.
• Receives patients’ belongings and transports objects to safe storage, keeping appropriate records.
• Feeds patients requiring assistance.
• As directed by clinical staff, moves, positions, lifts and transports patients using a variety of lifts and other aids in order to make patients comfortable, prepare patients for treatment, deliver patients to treatment areas, and to prevent contractures.
• Brings bedpans and urinals to patients requiring assistance and attends to incontinent patients.
• Talks and listens to patients and responds by encouraging patients to cooperate and participate in treatment activities.
• May transport patients and supplies on occasion.
• May perform a variety of limited housekeeping and cleaning duties related to direct patient care in order to ensure that treatment and patient areas are clean, sanitary, orderly, and properly supplied.