Patient Care Technician I - Ortho/Medical

General Summary

Serves on the patient care team for an assigned area, providing direct patient care as an unlicensed professional under the direct supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN). Incorporates primary job functions of a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and other care-related duties dependent upon the work area and patient populations. Reports to Nurse Manager, Assistant Nurse Manager, Charge Nurse, Administrative Manager, or Staff RN. Employees holding nursing licensure must maintain licensure or an active Nebraska CNA.

Responsibilities

• Commits to the mission, vision, beliefs, and consistently demonstrates core values.
• Recognizes and reacts to emergency procedures per role and policies/procedures.
• Answers telephones and assigned communication devices; relays information as necessary; refers all physician telephone orders to a licensed professional.
• Assists in collecting patient information and contributes to admission, transfer, and dismissal processes when delegated by an RN; assures timely reporting and recording in the Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
• Assists with patient care consistent with standards, clinical priorities determined by the RN, unit policies, competencies, risk management, and infection control practices.
• Performs and documents routine direct nursing care tasks according to identified age-specific needs; obtains and records vitals, height, weight, and bedside glucose results; reports results to appropriate personnel.
• Performs Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) for assigned patients and documents in the EMR.
• Labels and secures patient care belongings; ensures patient room is safe and uncluttered.
• Distributes meals/water and assists with feeding, ambulation, lifting, and positioning according to procedure, including appropriate use of patient lift devices and good body mechanics; assists with transporting patients at transfer and/or dismissal.
• Assists with elimination needs and measures/records bodily elimination; bathes patients as directed by the RN.
• Participates in Hourly Patient Rounds to proactively address patient needs.
• Provides close observation or one-to-one care as directed by the RN to prevent wandering or potential injury.
• Collects, accurately labels, and transports specimens to lab.
• Assists with dressing changes, applying splints, setting up suturing and procedures, and wound care on closed wounds as directed by RN.
• Cleans, stocks, and cares for supplies and equipment in assigned work area.
• Performs other related projects and duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Maintains clinical competency as required for the unit of assignment, including population-specific competencies, and participates in annual skill competency verification.
• Knowledge of general hospital processes and procedures.
• Knowledge of computer equipment and software applications relevant to work functions.
• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment related to changing patient needs, including work with patients with acute, chronic, and complex disease processes, and those who are dying.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with health care team members and diverse populations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of patient information.
• Ability to practice proper body mechanics to ensure personal and customer/patient safety.
• Ability to prioritize work demands and work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to maintain regular and punctual attendance.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: Active Nebraska Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential required. Six (6) months CNA experience preferred.
• Other Credentials/Certifications: Basic Life Support (CPR) certification required (American Heart Association for healthcare professionals, American Red Cross for healthcare professionals, or Military Training Network accepted). If assigned to the Emergency Department, may have an EMT certification in place of CNA.
• Physical Requirements: Medium work requiring exertion of 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or a greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.