Patient Care Associate - High Risk Antepartum - PT Nights with Benefits

About the Role

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health, we help our patients live better, healthier lives—and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members who support one another and show up for our community.

Responsibilities

• Functions as a caregiver for a specific patient population to achieve desired outcomes, focusing on expanding knowledge and skills to provide effective direct and indirect care as part of the interdisciplinary team.
• Under the direction and supervision of the registered nurse, promotes patient satisfaction, comfort, and safety.
• Assists with a variety of patient, unit, and environment-related tasks, and participates in patient safety initiatives.
• Serves as Unit Services Representative, acting as a welcome ambassador to facilitate and maintain positive guest relations with patients, family members, visitors, and physicians.
• Performs clerical support for the unit and Nurse Manager.
• Provides patient care based on physical, psychosocial, educational, safety, and related criteria appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Ensures effective and safe patient outcomes through practice, judgment, and critical actions.
• Provides ongoing communication with patients, nurses, and other members of the healthcare team regarding patient status and care rendered.
• Takes self-directed initiative to ensure patient satisfaction.
• Participates in interdisciplinary collaboration for the patient’s plan of care from admission to discharge.
• Participates in unit and departmental quality and safety initiatives.
• Welcomes patients and checks for proper identification bracelets.
• Prepares patients for assessment, admission, physical examination, and procedures.
• Takes vital signs under the direction of the RN and documents electronically, reporting abnormal results immediately.
• Performs and documents glucose finger stick/heel stick and collects other specimens (stool, urine, sputum) when directed by the RN.
• Observes and documents patient intake and output.
• Provides hygiene and comfort care, including bathing, toileting, feeding, and bed making.
• Ensures a safe patient environment by answering call lights promptly and communicating changes in patient condition to the RN.
• Identifies delivering parent, significant other, and infant accurately.
• Obtains and documents patient weight, height/length, and head circumference as appropriate.
• Assists with meal preparation and feeding as needed.
• Downloads Glucometer and TcB information per established policies.
• Demonstrates knowledge and skill necessary to provide age-appropriate care.
• Recognizes and responds to opportunities to enhance patient satisfaction.
• Maintains BLS certification and initiates interventions in emergent situations.
• Assists with patient transport to and from the unit/department as needed.
• Acts as a patient sitter when needed.
• Assists patients and families with non-clinical questions, concerns, and personal needs (e.g., belongings, delays, support departments).
• Provides clerical support in completing Advance Directives, including documentation and collaboration with the Office of Patient Experience.
• Creates awareness of patient satisfaction by managing public displays (e.g., communication boards).
• Orients families to the unit and room, reviewing welcome information, visiting policies, and other non-clinical needs.
• Acts as a service recovery champion by handling and routing inquiries/issues to appropriate individuals.
• Ensures the environment is safe and free of concerns, reporting issues to the manager.
• Initiates help desk tickets to resolve IT and equipment issues.
• Monitors inventory, orders supplies and equipment, and procures items using established channels.
• Performs A/D/T functions, patient charge entries, bed assignments, and billing in Epic.
• Initiates and maintains patient medical records per established policies.
• Identifies the needs of the patient population served and assists in modifying care accordingly (e.g., age, culture, language, hearing, or visually impaired).
• Communicates with patients and caregivers at their level of understanding.
• Adheres to HMH organizational standards, competencies, and standards of behavior.
• Performs other appropriate duties or projects as assigned.

Requirements

• High School diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), and/or GED equivalent programs.
• Completion of one of the following:
  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), or
  • Medical Assistant (CMA), or
  • Patient Care Technician program (PCT), or
  • Fundamentals of Nursing program from an accredited school of nursing, or
  • HMH PCT Apprenticeship Program, or
  • Equivalent patient-facing healthcare experience.
• AHA Basic Health Care Life Support (HCP) Certification within 60 days of entering position.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in checking EKG, vital signs, and blood sugar.

Pay

Minimum starting rate of $19.63 per hour. The posted rate is a reasonable good-faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting. The base compensation determined at the time of the offer may vary based on factors such as labor market data, experience, education, certifications, skills, geographic location, internal equity, budget, and grant funding. Full-time and part-time (20+ hours/week) positions may be eligible for shift differentials, performance-based incentives, bonuses, or commissions. HMH offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits.