Patient Support Assistant

Job Description Summary

Aid Registered Nurses in providing direct patient care on a designated nursing unit.

Responsibilities And Duties

• Performs and/or assists patients with activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, eating, walking, etc.
• Maintains environmental cleanliness and safety of patient rooms, unit, and equipment.
• Assists patients, visitors, and nursing personnel in assigned unit and helps other departments as needed.
• Develops respectful and compassionate relationships with patients and families.
• Serves as a patient safety champion, promoting adherence to safety guidelines.
• May assist in telemetry cardiac monitoring, recognizing life-threatening arrhythmias, and communicating immediately to licensed clinicians.
• Acts as a transporter for the nursing unit assigned.
• Runs errands for patient care, picking up or delivering items as needed.

Additional Nursing Tasks

• Delegates and performs nursing tasks based on RN direction, such as waived testing, specimen collection, EKGs, and dressing changes.
• Accurately collects and documents data such as height, weight, vital signs, intake and output.
• Uses portable technology for measurement and documentation of intake and output, vital signs, and point-of-care testing.
• Reports patient observations and concerns to the Registered Nurse.

Supporting Functions

• Assists hospital visitors and staff with information needs.
• Serves as a super user for nursing assistant information technology or preceptor for new nursing assistants.
• Maintains supplies and equipment necessary for patient care operations.
• Secures and handles appropriate supplies, medications, and lab specimens transported within the unit.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School or GED equivalent.
• Valid work permit for 16- and 17-year-olds.
• Enrollment in high school for 18-year-olds.

Work Shift

Day shift, scheduled weekly hours as needed.

Department

Med Surg Unit 1