Patient Care Assistant Unit Administrative Assistant - Post Partum

About the role

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. The PCA/UAA position 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. This position performs basic patient care activities of daily living (ADL’s) within unit-specific defined limits and job scope, such as assistance with patient elimination, hygiene, comfort, safety, nutrition, and progress activity and 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.

Responsibilities

• Assists with calls to physicians and their office, bed management, transfer services or other floors, coordinating with Operations Administrator as needed
• Answers incoming telephone calls for the unit and transfers as appropriate
• Performs basic patient care activities of daily living (ADL’s) within unit-specific defined limits and job scope, such as assistance with patient elimination, hygiene, comfort, safety, nutrition, and progress activity
• Documents care administered, diagnostic measurements, treatments and procedures in accordance with established policies and procedures
• 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 report, charge nurse reports, handoff reports and/or My Daily Care Plan
• Organizes the unit workflow, paperwork as needed, proactively problem-solves, anticipates needs, and manages multiple ongoing 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 needed
• Serves as an in-house courier which may include retrieving blood, hand-delivering labs, tele boxes, etc.
• Conducts hourly rounding to ensure patient needs are met (four P’s)
• Monitors and addresses noise level of unit to improve or impact patient satisfaction
• Reports near misses and collaborates with the interprofessional health care team to improve patient safety
• Assists with patient and staffing needs (floats) across the service line or hospital as competencies allow
• Utilizes resources with cost effectiveness and value creation in mind
• Offers innovative solutions in performance improvement projects and shared governance activities

Requirements

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

Licenses and certifications

• Required: BLS – Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) – American Heart Association

Skills and abilities

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Ability to operate and troubleshoot equipment (fax, PC, printers, telephones, etc.)
• Proficient computer application skills