Patient Care Assistant/Unit Administrative Assistant - ICU

At Houston Methodist, the Patient Care Assistant/Unit Administrative Assistant (PCA/UAA) position is responsible for performing key functions that support the interprofessional team in delivering high quality, cost-effective care. This role demonstrates basic knowledge and skills necessary to communicate appropriately and carry out delegated nursing assistant level tasks for assigned patient populations, assisting in the delivery of patient care and services under the supervision of a licensed nurse.

About the role

The PCA/UAA performs basic patient care activities of daily living (ADLs) within unit-specific defined limits and job scope, such as assistance with patient elimination, hygiene, comfort, safety, nutrition, and progress activity. This position maintains competency requirements for computer medical terminology and other job-related functions while practicing Patient and Family Centered Care in concert with Houston Methodist ICARE values: Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence.

The PCA/UAA assists with calls to physicians and their offices, bed management, transfer services, and coordination with the Operations Administrator as needed. This role also answers incoming telephone calls for the unit and transfers them as appropriate.

Schedule: Full-Time Nights, 36 weekly hours, rotating weekends and holidays.

FLSA Status: Non-exempt

Responsibilities

People

• Answers incoming telephone calls for the unit and transfers as appropriate.
• Facilitates and supports effective throughput with timely communication.
• Greets patients and visitors to the unit, assisting with directions, information, and guidance.
• Works collaboratively with peers, staff, and physicians in a supportive and respectful manner.
• Encourages open communication to achieve mutual understanding and problem resolution.
• Collaborates with all members of the interprofessional team by actively communicating and reporting pertinent patient care information.
• Contributes to improving department scores for employee engagement through peer-to-peer accountability.

Service

• Follows patient and family-centered care standards and provides direct patient care under the direction of a registered nurse.
• Documents care administered, diagnostic measurements, treatments, and procedures in accordance with established policies.
• Responds to the call light system, contacting nursing personnel as appropriate, and follows through with meeting patient needs.
• Pulls/prints daily reports per unit standard, which may include daily shift reports, charge nurse reports, handoff reports, and/or My Daily Care Plan.
• Assists with calls to physicians and their offices, bed management, transfer services, or other floors, coordinating with the Operations Administrator as needed.
• Organizes unit workflow and paperwork, proactively problem-solving and managing multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
• Coordinates requests to Facilities Management and Biomed regarding department needs or broken equipment.
• Rounds through the unit to check for environmental or equipment needs and other assistance that may be required.
• Serves as an in-house courier, which may include retrieving blood, hand-delivering labs, tele boxes, etc.
• Contributes to improving department scores for patient satisfaction through peer-to-peer accountability, such as bedside shift handoff/report.

Quality/Safety

• Reports observations, conditions, and problems of patients to licensed personnel to achieve desired patient outcomes.
• Provides for the privacy of patients and families, keeping patient safety in mind.
• Provides appropriate hand-off at change of shift at the patient bedside to communicate and collaborate, promoting patient-centered care.
• Conducts hourly rounding to ensure patient needs are met (four P’s).
• Monitors and addresses noise levels on the unit to improve or impact patient satisfaction.
• Responds to patient calls promptly.
• Reports near misses and collaborates with the interprofessional health care team to improve patient safety.
• Contributes to improving quality and safety scores through peer-to-peer accountability.
• Supports initiatives to prevent conditions such as pressure injuries, patient falls, and hospital-acquired infections.

Finance

• Assists with patient and staffing needs (floats) across the service line or hospital as competencies allow.
• Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently.
• Utilizes resources with cost-effectiveness and value creation in mind.
• Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime and assisting coworkers as needed.

Growth/Innovation

• Offers innovative solutions in performance improvement projects and shared governance activities.
• Follows up on action items to ensure completion of assignments.
• Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs in knowledge base, skill level, and decision-making, taking appropriate action.
• Ensures career discussions occur with appropriate management.
• Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an ongoing basis.

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent (e.g., GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education).
• Eighteen months of Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), or Patient Care Assistant (PCA) experience.
• One year of secretarial/office experience, college/vocational training, or six months of internal cross-training within Houston Methodist.
• Prior healthcare experience and/or medical terminology preferred.

Qualifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS) or Instructor certification from the American Heart Association (AHA) required.
• Demonstrates skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills and competency assessments.
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English to perform essential job functions, especially activities impacting patient or employee safety.
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members, and coworkers in a customer service-focused manner.
• Proficient computer application skills.
• Ability to operate and troubleshoot equipment such as fax machines, PCs, printers, and telephones.

Supplemental Requirements

• Work Attire: Scrubs (department-approved).
• On-Call: Not required, but may be necessary during emergencies (e.g., disasters, severe weather events).
• Travel: No travel required within or outside the Houston Metropolitan area.