PCA - PSH

Patient Care Assistant

Individuals perform a variety of delegated tasks under the supervision of the registered nurse (RN) in a complementary and assistive role through functioning in a combination of two or more of the following positions: Patient care assistant, Unit clerk and Cardiac monitor tech. Assists the nursing staff in providing patient care in accordance to the individuals training, competence and skill. Consistently assists the patient care team with maintaining a clean, well-organized, adequately stocked and safe patient environment.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Performs and/or assists patients with personal care functions including bathing, skin care, toileting, grooming, oral hygiene, and dressing and undressing.
• Performs and/or assists with feeding of patients.
• Measures and records intake and output.
• Weighs patients using upright, chair and bed scale.
• Coordinates with nursing to ensure hourly rounds including turning and positioning of patients.
• Proper transfer techniques.
• Demonstrates appropriate knowledge for safe use of medical equipment.
• Helps keep patients rooms clean and supplied.
• Makes and changes beds (unoccupied and occupied).
• Transports patients, supplies and equipment as needed.
• Assists nurses and other personnel as needed.
• Ambulates patients who require minimal assistance under direction of the Director of Rehab.
• Simple, non-sterile dressings.
• Performs skin assessment and notifies the nurse of any abnormalities in skin integrity.
• Applies heat or cold compresses as directed by a nurse.
• Answers patients calls and takes appropriate action in a timely fashion.
• Collects and labels specimens (urine, stool, sputum).
• Measures and records vital signs/weights and reports variations in vital signs to the nurse.
• Immediately reports any changes in patients condition or incidents to the Charge Nurse and/or Director of Nursing.
• Participates in staff huddles with other members of the healthcare team as appropriate.
• Maintains confidentiality in relation to all patients, healthcare staff and documentation.
• Meets annual in-service requirements in accordance with approved policies and state regulations.
• Maintains and enhances skill through attending appropriate staff development training.
• Appearance is professional and complies with approved dress code.
• Maintains a cooperative manner towards the patients/families and all members of the healthcare team.
• Answers the unit telephone and takes and relays messages as required.
• Receives visitors and directs them as appropriate.
• Provides assistance to the nursing personnel, medical staff, patients and visitors.
• Coordinates nursing unit and interdepartmental communications.
• Prepares and maintains patient information, records and files.
• Provides other clerical support, such as copying materials, obtaining medical records, ordering tests/procedures and transportation.
• Orders/manages supplies and equipment for the unit.
• Prioritizes daily work and makes adjustments.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
• Copies/scans information, such as temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressures, weights, into medical record.
• Arranges for the transfer of patients on the unit to other units.
• Processes resident admission and discharge forms.
• Completes Post-Admission and Discharge Audits under the direction of the departmental management.
• Completes census forms.
• Distributes mail, newspapers and delivers (flowers, etc.) to the patients.
• Assists with inventory of resident belongings, ensuring compliance at admission and upon discharge.
• Is knowledgeable of the Patients Bill of Rights/Governing Principles and endeavors to promote it.
• Places dietary orders for diet upon admission and ongoing.
• Must consistently display and model the hospitality behaviors.
• Monitors heart rhythm pattern of patients to detect abnormal pattern variances, using telemetry equipment.
• Observes screen of cardiac monitor and listens for alarm to identify abnormal variation in heart rhythm.
• Informs supervisor or nurse to initiate examination of patient.
• Records and posts information on telemetry log records.
• Wave testing for point of care.

Educational requirements include:

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Competency Evaluated Nursing Assistant (CENA) certification.
• Current BLS.

Experience required:

• At least one year of experience that is directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

Specific requirements include:

• Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, interpret and evaluate information. Ability to write clearly and cohesively and to present information effectively both orally and in writing.
• Reasoning Ability: Good organization skills and ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Physical Demands: Job requires regular sitting, standing, walking, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching, reaching, pushing, pulling, twisting, writing, and carrying charts, food, trays, etc. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, implements or office equipment; talk and hear; stand and walk, reach with hands and arms; stoop or kneel. Employee must occasionally lift up to 50 pounds and be able to assist an adult weighing 100-200 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance and color vision and the ability to adjust focus. Employee may be required to move chairs, beds, and medical equipment, move patients in bed (with or without assistance) and to change bed linens, help clients from floor to chair or bed, and assist with bathing.
• Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing 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 occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts, risk of electrical shock, exposure to infectious diseases, and transmission of airborne disease. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Job offer is contingent upon results of pre-employment drug screen and compliance with Annual Influenza vaccination and TB test requirements unless documentation of medically contraindications are provided. Pioneer Specialty Hospital is a drug-free workplace, and all employees are subject to random, as well as for cause, drug screening. Employees must show no evidence of misuse of alcohol or other drugs while employed.