Patient Care Assistant, Mary and Elizabeth Hospital, 5BC Cardiac PCU, 7a-7p

The essential functions of this position are to:

• Delivers successful service to our internal and external customers by adhering to critical success standards: demonstrating accountability and commitment to quality and safety standards; providing exceptional customer service; and exerting effort to ensure a positive work environment that demonstrates dedication to the hospital’s mission, vision and values

• Performs delegated and ancillary basic nursing skills, including activities of daily living, monitoring of patient condition, body mechanics, providing nutritional support and other activities as appropriate to clinical service, in accordance with hospital standards, nursing standards of care, and policies and procedures.

• May perform skills, within scope of practice for unlicensed assistive personnel, and communicate performance of these skills to the patient’s Nurse and other members of the healthcare team.  These skills include, but are not limited to:

  • The collection of specimens,

  • Effective use of specialized equipment such as bladder scanners,

  • Electronic vital signs machines,

  • Restraint monitoring and patient elimination procedures. 

  • Collection, documentation, and reporting of data (e.g., vital signs, oxygen saturation using pulse oximeter equipment, height, weight, intake and output, and blood glucose testing when sample is obtained from a capillary site).

• Performs delegated tasks of a routine nature, including but not limited to:

  • simple non-sterile dressing changes,

  • external care to urinary catheters, 

  • enema administration (when not contraindicated by patient’s skin integrity and condition),

  • bowel and bladder program care including intermittent urinary catheterization and digital rectal stimulation,

  • colostomy appliance changes on mature stoma sites with sustained skin integrity.

  • administration of feedings via a gastrostomy tube when the tube is in a mature stoma site with sustained skin integrity, and only when it is delegated by and performed under the supervision of a nurse.

• Performs functional assignments per unit standards of care, including such activities as patient admission and discharge procedures, unit environmental organizational tasks, and others as appropriate to service.

• Performs and documents point-of-care testing, patient mobility and exercise, comfort, rest, sleep and care needs, patient hygiene, grooming, dressing, skincare, dietary, toileting and elimination needs. 

• Transport patients and specimens as needed

This position also:

• Performs clerical duties for the unit

• Participates in training, development, and continuing education activities to improve role functioning and to maintain competence in required elements of the job.

• Demonstrates appropriate emergency and patient safety procedures, including management of safety devices, and equipment.  Maintains a safe, comfortable, and therapeutic environment for patients/families in accordance with hospital standards.

• Responsible for knowing and demonstrating National Patient Safety Goals.  Participates in department-based activities and initiatives to improve and ensure a safe environment.

• Participates in performance improvement activities; quality improvement and patient safety activities; assists in maintaining compliance with The Joint Commission accreditation and other internal and external regulatory standard including laboratory regulations and standards and congruence with the code of conduct.

• Communicates effectively with members of the health care team, patients and families, often under stress or emergency situations.

• Performs other duties as assigned.