PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Patient Care Assistant, Cardiology Unit

Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned integrated healthcare delivery system and the area's largest employer. Parkwest is Covenant Health's and West Knoxville's premier medical facility and a top-performing heart hospital, offering our patients world-class treatment with all the convenience and warmth of home. In addition to providing the area's leading cardiac services, Parkwest has been nationally recognized for award-winning care throughout our facility. For 2020-21, Parkwest received recognition from U.S. News & World Report as one of the "Top 10" hospitals in Tennessee.

Knoxville located in East Tennessee is the third largest in the state, well-known for its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is the home of the University of Tennessee. Go Vols! Living in Knoxville means experiencing all four seasons. Best of all, each of them is pretty mild! Combine all that with the abundant natural beauty of the surrounding mountains, and you have a city that truly offers something for everyone. Knoxville has a vibrant arts culture, seasonal festivals, top-notch foodie and incredible outdoor recreation. It's a perfect blend of big-city amenities and Southern charm.

5 Riverstone, Acute-Renal, Pulmonary : Located in the "Penthouse of Parkwest" 5 Riverstone is a 44-bed unit located on the 5th floor with beautiful views of the sunrise and sunset. The 5 Riverstone family is a diverse group of hardworking, dedicated individuals who use humor and teamwork to navigate out day-to-day work environment. As a part of the 5 Riverstone Acute-Renal, Pulmonary team, you will see a large variety of patients including cardiac, pulmonary, and renal. Nurses on 5R have the opportunity to use their cardiac telemetry skills, operate various forms of oxygen delivery methods including tracheostomies (no ventilator patients), and care for pre / post hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients. The population on the unit is highly varied from self-care patients to total care patients. Nurses collaborate daily with case managers, social workers, pharmacists, and therapists to develop individual patient care plans. 5 Riverstone provides a professional and stimulating environment where critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork is both nurtured and expected. Our team includes high quality RNs, LPNs, Patient Care Assistants, and Health Unit Coordinators. Our staff rotates every other holiday and weekend. We utilize a preferred self-scheduling model that covers a six-week period to allow for flexibility. We welcome staff members of varying experiences, from new graduates to the experienced healthcare professional. Come join our amazing team on 5 Riverstone!

Position Summary

Functions as a direct patient caregiver performing tasks to assist registered nurses. Performs hands-on care, assistance with ADL's and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader.

Responsibilities

• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
• Encourage patients to turn, cough, and take deep breaths and to use incentive spirometry as specified by Plan of Care.
• Ambulate, and assist patients in and out of bed, into wheelchairs and transport when necessary.
• Attends to nutritional needs of patient which may include distributing meal trays, feeding, filling and passing out water pitchers.
• Provides morning or evening care, which may include bed bath, oral hygiene, combing hair, back care, dressing patient, changing bed linen, cleaning over-bed table and bedside stand, straightening room, and other supportive care as needed.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans and emesis basins and record intake and output.
• Assists in maintaining a safe environment, which may include reporting equipment that is out of order, appropriate handling of linen and storing of supplies.
• Provides general care such as positioning, lifting or turning patients; assisting in use of bedpan, urinal or commode; preoperative supportive care; and application / removal of abdominal binders or anti-embolism stockings and sequential compression devices.
• Empty & clean ostomy bag, per procedure.
• Collect urine, stool and sputum specimen as ordered.
• Perform tasks such as ROM, assist with ambulatory devices as specified by the patients' plan of care.
• Perform phlebotomy (requires additional training). To include correct labeling using two patient identifiers, maintenance of lab-draw supplies, rotating and restocking.
• Perform EKG (requires special training).
• Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
• Report significant changes in patients' condition to RN.
• Help to maintain clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Employ all established infection control policies including standard precautions, transmission-based isolation precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures and proper body mechanics in performance of job.
• Document / maintain patient record as appropriate.
• Gathers equipment for O2 set up. Checks O2 for connection and proper placement.
• Checks for proper functioning of equipment at patient bedside.
• Ambulate patients with oxygen.
• Set up suction equipment and check for proper function.
• Demonstrates knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
• Demonstrates ability to perform skills on the Nursing Assistant checklist.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education : None specified; will accept any combination of formal education and / or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job, typically such as would be equivalent to a high school diploma or GED. Preference may be given to individuals possessing a HS diploma or GED.

Minimum Experience : None.

Licensure Requirement : CPR required.