Patient Care Tech - Youth Candidates

This application is only open to Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) who are between the ages of 16–18 and currently enrolled in high school. Availability for these positions is limited and may fluctuate throughout the year. Candidates must be available to work a total of 24 hours in a 4-week schedule period.

About the Role

The Patient Care Tech is an unlicensed staff member who is accountable to and completes delegated tasks from the RN in a caring and culturally sensitive manner with excellent customer service at all times. Demonstrates competence in the areas of critical thinking, interpersonal relationships, and technical skills related to delegated tasks.

• Provides basic nursing skills, including but not limited to: vital signs and pulse oximetry; finger stick blood glucose; activities of daily living (ADLs); recording intake and output; collecting urine, stool, sputum specimens; applying/removing compression hose and sequential compression devices (SCDs); emptying drains, urinary catheters, nasogastric (NG) tubes, and ostomies; additional skills to meet unit needs.
• Documents in O2 all tasks, intake and output (I&O), percentage of meals eaten, etc.
• Maintains a neat, clutter-free, and clean patient room and work environment.
• Maintains a safe patient environment, including High Fall Risk interventions as appropriate (e.g., hourly rounds, promptly answering call lights for all patients on the unit).
• Demonstrates proper hand hygiene, standard precautions, and isolation principles.
• Cares for patients in restraints, including range of motion (ROM), fluids/toileting, reorienting confused patients, and reinforcing patient/family education regarding fall and safety precautions.
• Promptly notifies the RN of changes in vital signs from baseline, mental status, skin integrity, patient report of pain, or any other patient needs, concerns, or issues.
• Must complete other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities

• Performs all duties—both clinical and non-clinical—to prepare for admission, transfers, and discharges, including securing IV pumps, zeroing beds, and updating whiteboards with current information.
• Assists in maintaining a safe and clean environment by cleaning equipment, using infection control techniques, reporting damaged/malfunctioning equipment, changing sharps containers, keeping hallways clear, and wiping down desks/nurses stations.
• Upon discharge, cleans whiteboards, strips beds, removes equipment/supplies, and properly stores them.
• Maintains standards of care when completing and documenting daily duties, such as hygiene, vital signs, nutritional assistance, weight/height, ambulation, fingerstick blood sugar, and measuring intake and output.
• Accurately collects/labels all specimens and transports them to the lab as indicated.
• Makes rounds on patients and answers call lights immediately, using excellent customer service techniques.
• Promptly reports any unusual incidents and/or changes in patient condition or behavior to the appropriate staff while maintaining confidentiality.
• Introduces self to patient and family upon arrival to the room. Communicates appropriate information to nurses and/or shift coordinators in a timely manner (e.g., physician phone calls, stat orders, critical results, patient needs).
• Uses technology appropriately, including entering and securing data from the computer system. Accurately enters orders and charges into the computer system as needed.
• Manages own time and prioritizes tasks effectively. Self-motivated and able to make appropriate decisions regarding patient care.
• Contributes to the plan of care under the direction of the nurse by following patient safety goals for fall risk and skin monitoring. Reinforces patient teaching initiated by the nurse.
• For safety reasons, employees under the age of 18 are not allowed to operate or assist with power-driven hoisting apparatuses, including floor-based or ceiling-mounted vertical lifts and powered sit-to-stand lifts.
• For safety reasons, employees under the age of 18 are not allowed to provide care to patients with potential exposure to radioactive substances or ionizing radiation.
• Must be able to perform the professional, clinical, and/or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.

Requirements

• High School Graduate or GED or currently enrolled in a high school or GED program.
• Hold a CNA license.
• Basic Cardiac Life Support (BLS or BCLS) certification from the American Heart Association (AHA) within 14 days of hire.