PCA / Unit Secretary - Surgical ICU

About the Role

This is a combination role of a Unit Secretary and a Patient Care Associate (PCA), working under the supervision of the nursing Director, RN, or physician. The role administers quality patient care according to established standards and may require working in other areas based on staff skills and patient acuity. This team member provides exceptional service to patients and customers while performing tasks related to patient information management and acting as the receptionist for the nursing unit.

Responsibilities

• Creates paper charts for new patients and reviews patient charts for accuracy and completeness.
• Receives and relays information to nursing staff, physicians, patients, family members, and visitors by acting as a communication liaison.
• Copies, prints, scans, and faxes documents as needed.
• Orders miscellaneous supplies for assigned units.
• Bathes, dresses, and undresses patients; may perform simple dressing changes, non-diabetic nail care, skin care, and hair care.
• Changes bed linens daily as needed.
• Passes dietary snacks between meals, serves and collects food trays, and feeds patients requiring help.
• Assists with transporting patients.
• Lifts, turns, and repositions patients, alone or with assistance.
• Cleans equipment and documents care.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

High School Diploma or equivalent is required. Additionally, one of the following PCA education requirements must be met:

• Completion of an Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP) training program in the last three years, or
• Completion of a fundamentals of nursing course, or
• Completion of a certified nursing assistant program with obtainment of certification (C.N.A.), or
• Graduation from a professional or practical nursing program who did not pass the state licensure examination in the past three years, or
• Graduation from a professional or practical nursing program outside the United States and awaiting licensure in this country.

In lieu of the above education requirements, documented experience as a nurse assistant, emergency medical technician, or surgical technician in the past five years is required.

One year of experience as a nurse assistant in an inpatient setting is preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

• Basic Life Support (BLS) – Required within 90 days.
• CPI: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention – Required within 90 days.
• Any other required training by the organization – Required within 90 days.

Travel Requirements

Must be able to travel between various system facilities and off-site locations as needed.

Skills and Abilities

Essential Technical/Motor Skills

• Fine motor skills, eye/hand coordination.
• Ability to walk, speak clearly, hear and answer phone, and perform data entry.

Interpersonal Skills

• Must build rapport with patient families, visitors, peers, physicians, and other departments.
• Display a friendly, positive attitude and communicate professionally with patients, families, physicians, and co-workers.

Essential Physical Requirements

• Ability to move between patient locations to administer care.
• Occasionally turn and ambulate bedridden patients who require assistance.
• Move, kneel, crouch, stoop, reach, stand, push, pull, and lift.
• Follow good body mechanics.

Essential Mental Abilities

• Collect thorough information regarding a patient's condition and evaluate effects of care.
• Visually inspect patient's condition.
• Problem-solve, manipulate numbers, adapt, interpret data, calculate, comprehend, understand, explain, assess, and evaluate.

Essential Sensory Requirements

• Visually assess condition.
• Communicate with patients to assess condition and evaluate effects of care.
• Use visual, hearing, feeling, and smell senses.

Exposure to Hazards

• Needles, cuts, back injury, chemotherapy, blood and body fluids.
• Physical injury from combative patients, radiation exposure.
• Infection/disease exposure from patients, visitors, and co-workers.