Patient Care Technician

About the role

Last year our HCA Healthcare colleagues invested over 156,000 hours volunteering in our communities. As a Patient Care Technician with Methodist Hospital Northeast you can be a part of an organization that is devoted to giving back! As a Patient Care Technician (PCT), you will be a vital part of our collaborative nursing team, supporting Registered Nurses in providing hands-on care and helping create a safe, welcoming environment for patients.

You'll assist with daily needs such as vital signs, mobility, and personal care, while helping RNs monitor conditions and carry out care plans. Your attention, empathy, and teamwork help restore comfort and dignity for every patient you serve and make our mission to improve lives a reality each day.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the RN, performs delegated patient care activities as directed and ordered in accordance with one’s training, competence and skill. Delegated tasks may include:

• Obtaining vital signs, height and weight, intake and output, calorie counts, and/or simple non-sterile dressing changes
• Safe patient handling: Turning and positioning, use of specialty beds, patient transfer and use of transfer devices, ambulation assistance and use of assistive devices, restraint alternatives, oxygen use and transport, suction use, pre-operative skin preparation and/or use of sequential compression devices (SCD)
• Specimen collection to include blood collection for bedside glucose testing
• Consistently assists with maintaining a safe patient environment to include: Addressing identified hazards in the physical environment of the patient room to prevent patient falls
• Hand hygiene and consistent use of standard precautions
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as appropriate following transmission-based precautions procedures

Communicates timely and accurate information for delegated patient care activities performed to include observed patient response to performed activities to the assigned RN in a written or verbal format following hand-off communication guidelines.

Assists the RN to collect data from patients on admission for patient processing and assists with patient transfer or discharge preparations as instructed. Assists patients with performing activities of daily living to include bathing, shaving, oral care, toileting, grooming, changing linens, providing water, assisting with meal delivery and feeding as directed.

Performs hourly rounding, consistently uses AIDET when interacting with patients and answers and responds to call lights timely.

Requirements

Minimum Education, Experience, Training, Required Knowledge, Skill, Abilities and Other Job-Related Characteristics:

• Education: High school graduate or equivalent education required.
• Experience: None
• Employee completes initial and ongoing training and competencies as defined by service line, facility and department/unit which are specific to the needs of the patient population served (if applicable).

Preferred: Previous PCT, Nurse aide, orderly experience in a healthcare setting OR ONE of the following:

• Completion of a CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant) training program AND CNA certification with the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services on hire.
• Completion of an EMS (Emergency Medical System) training program AND EMT certification with the Texas Department of State Health Services on hire.
• MHS employee in an LVN job description as of December 1, 2011.

Qualifications

Minimum License, Certificates, or Registrations Required: Required: Basic Life Support (BLS) within 30 – days of hire

Benefits

Methodist Hospital Northeast, offers a total rewards package that supports the health, life, career and retirement of our colleagues. The available plans and programs include:

• Comprehensive benefits for medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, behavioral health and telemedicine services
• Wellbeing support, including free counseling and referral services
• Time away from work programs for paid time off, paid family leave, long- and short-term disability coverage and leaves of absence
• Savings and retirement resources, including a 401(k) Plan with a 100% match on 3% to 9% of pay (based on years of service), Employee Stock Purchase Plan, flexible spending accounts, preferred banking partnerships, retirement readiness tools, rollover support and financial wellbeing counseling
• Education support through tuition assistance, student loan assistance, certification support, dependent scholarships and a partnership with Galen College of Nursing
• Additional benefits for fertility and family building, adoption assistance, life insurance, supplemental health protection plans, auto and home insurance, legal counseling, identity theft protection and consumer discounts