Nursing Assistant I - (Per Diem) Medical Surgical / Outpatient / Cardiac Recovery

About the Role

Join more than 56,000 teammates at UNC Health working to improve the health and well-being of communities across North Carolina. This position is within the 2nd Brightleaf/Cardiac Recovery Department at UNC Health Johnston, which includes 18 inpatient and observation beds, 6 outpatient rooms, and 11 Cardiac Recovery rooms.

The department provides acute routine care for patients with cardiac and respiratory diseases, as well as other diagnoses. Outpatient services include blood transfusions, IV antibiotics, wound dressing changes, and IV fluids. The Cardiac Recovery department delivers high-quality care for post-procedure patients, including those recovering from left and right heart catheterizations, arteriograms, pacemakers, carotid stenting, and other cardiovascular procedures. The 2nd Brightleaf department serves as the Stroke and Chest Pain Unit for the organization, and UNC Johnston is a Joint Commission-accredited facility for Stroke, Chest Pain, and STEMI.

The team consists of Registered Nurses and Patient Care Assistants committed to providing excellent, compassionate, and innovative care for the growing community.

Responsibilities

• Assist physicians and other health care providers with routine examinations and procedures, as well as procurement of equipment and supplies during emergency situations.
• In psychiatric settings, aid patients in reality orientation, participate in behavior modification plans/therapy, provide informal support therapy to patients/families, offer verbal de-escalation for potentially aggressive patients, assist in physical management of aggressive/out-of-control patients, facilitate age-appropriate play for children, and monitor therapeutic milieu activities to ensure emotional and safety needs are met.
• Observe, collect, and document patient information obtained while providing care, and promptly report significant changes in the patient's condition to a registered nurse or physician.
• Provide assistance to patients and their families during admission, orientation to the hospital/clinic/home health experience, and discharge.
• Provide care and treatments to patients as outlined in the plan of care, including but not limited to:
  • Measurement of vital signs, height, and weight
  • Specimen collection
  • Skin preps/scrubs
  • Catheter care
  • Capillary blood glucose checks
  • Simple wound care
  • Range of motion exercises
  • Postural drainage
  • Supportive patient and family interactions
• Provide direct personal care for routine activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and assisting with ambulation.
• Provide indirect care, including cleaning the work area, changing linens, restocking supplies, cleaning/sterilizing instruments, transporting patients/supplies/specimens, assisting in the orientation of new employees and students, and performing routine clerical functions.
• Reinforce routine teaching given to patients by the registered nurse or physician and document patient understanding of instructions.
• Distribute patient education materials at the request of patients and/or health care providers.

Requirements

• Listed as Nursing Assistant I with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Fluent in verbal and written English and able to develop basic computer skills.

Qualifications

• Prefer six (6) months of nursing assistant experience.

Pay

Salary Range: $18.00 - $24.66 per hour (Hiring Range). Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity.

Schedule

• Work Type: Per Diem
• Standard Hours Per Week: 4.00
• Work Assignment Type: Onsite
• Work Schedule: Variable
• Location: Smithfield, NC
• Exempt From Overtime: No