Patient Care Assistant

Location: Parkland – 12th Floor, Block 600, Hospitalist Medicine – Full‑time, Night shift

Primary Purpose

Performs specified patient care activities under the direction of a Registered Nurse and is committed to the provision of patient‑centered/patient‑valued care.

Minimum Specifications

Education

• Completed or hold a formal nurse aide course
• Current certified nurse aide registry
• Medical assistant course
• Current medical assistant certificate
• Patient care technician course
• Current patient care technician certificate
• Currently enrolled in an accredited school of professional nursing with documentation of basic fundamentals of nursing
• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Experience

None.

Certification / Registration / Licensure

Current Heartsaver CPR course completion card (within 90 days of hire) from the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross.

Skills or Special Abilities

• Demonstrate basic patient care skills and use of supplies and assigned equipment
• Communicate effectively with departmental personnel, nurses, physicians, patients and families
• Exhibit patient‑centered/patient‑valued behaviors

Responsibilities

• Provide basic hygiene care, unsterile treatments, take vital signs, and perform range‑of‑motion exercises under RN direction
• Lift, ambulate, and feed patients while maintaining patient‑centered care
• Serve as a patient advocate by responding to needs and special requests
• Maintain open communication, honor patient rights and confidentiality
• Monitor patient status and notify nurses or health‑team members of changes
• Document activities such as vital signs, ambulation, feeding outcomes per unit standards
• Apply knowledge of sanitation, infection control, safety, supplies and equipment to optimize care
• Monitor patient environment and equipment (wheelchairs, bed rails, scales, floor conditions) and correct or report deficiencies
• Escort patients, clean designated areas, provide or request translation services, perform quality‑control checks, and deliver patient specimens as needed
• Identify and recommend improvements to work processes, procedures, or methods
• Participate in in‑service sessions, department meetings, workshops, and professional reading; integrate new knowledge into practice
• Maintain awareness of applicable rules, regulations, policies, laws, and guidelines; develop internal controls to ensure compliance with accreditation and health‑plan requirements
• Seek advice and guidance as necessary to ensure proper understanding

Job Accountabilities

• Identify ways to improve work processes and customer satisfaction; implement and monitor results
• Stay current with developments, advancements, and trends through seminars, workshops, professional journals, organizations, and certification maintenance
• Maintain knowledge of applicable rules, regulations, policies, laws, and guidelines impacting the area
• Develop effective internal controls to promote adherence to laws, accreditation requirements, and health‑plan standards
• Seek advice and guidance as needed to ensure proper understanding