PATIENT CARE ASSISTANT

Overview

Patient Care Assistant, Float Pool

Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shifts

Parkwest Overview:

Parkwest Medical Center , Covenant Health’s flagship facility in West Knoxville, combines world-class cardiac expertise with the warmth of home in serving a vibrant East Tennessee community. Since 1973, Parkwest has grown into the region’s largest hospital in the area, offering advanced services like an all-digital catheterization lab, comprehensive breast health, emergency, and critical care. It’s consistently ranked among Tennessee's top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and earns national recognition as a Top 100 Heart Hospital, as well as an “A” safety grade from Leapfrog. As part of Covenant Health, the region’s largest employer, Parkwest Medical Center, marries cutting-edge technology with compassionate, community-centered care, earning accolades for cardiology, stroke, surgical excellence, and patient safety.

To learn more about Parkwest Medical Center and our units, visit Covenant Health Parkwest Medical Center Opportunities .

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. May also function as a sitter for patients in need of full-time supervision in the hospital.

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. • Must be trained and willing to function in a Sitter capacity for patients who need full-time supervision in the hospital. • Performs other duties as assigned.