Covenant Health

Certified Nursing Assistant,Transitional Care Unit

Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Night Shift

The Transitional Care Unit (9 North / TCU) is a short term care facility located on the 9^th floor of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. TCU is a 24 private bed unit providing extended physical or occupational therapy or skilled nursing care to patients transitioning from hospital to home.

The majority of patients stay in the TCU 14 to 20 days at most. Patients on our unit have varied diagnoses which include cardiac, respiratory and oncology comorbidities and most are over the age of 65. Some patients come to TCU to receive wound care, or after they have had and joint replacement procedures. All patients on our unit benefit from our Therapy Department and have full access to the medical doctors in our facility.

9 North has a registered nurse on duty around the clock. Skilled caregivers on this unit also include licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, case managers, therapists and activities coordinators. In addition to having excellent critical thinking skills, our ideal candidate will also possess outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

If you are passionate about the geriatric patient population and strive to always put your patients first, apply for our Transitional Care Unit today!

Position Summary: 

Functions as a direct patient caregiver performing tasks to assist LPNs and RNs.  Performs hands-on care, assistance with ADL’s and specified technical tasks for a group of residents under the supervision of the charge nurse. CNA’s are not allowed, by practice standards, to perform any invasive procedure or any application of topical medications.

Recruiter: Jennifer Gordon || jgordon2@covhlth.com || 865-374-8107

• Follows established hospital and departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance program and safety standards.
• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
• Encourage residents to turn, cough, and take deep breaths and to use incentive spirometry as specified by Plan of Care.
• Ambulate and assist residents in and out of bed, and into wheelchairs and transport when necessary.
• Attends to nutritional needs of residents which may include distributing meal trays, feeding, filling and passing out water pitchers.
• Provides morning or evening care, which may include bed bath, oral hygiene, combing hair, back care, dressing patient, changing bed linen, cleaning over-bed table and bedside stand, straightening room, and other supportive care as needed.
• Empty drains, canisters, urine bags, bedpans and emesis basins and record intake and output. Change disposable briefs.
• Assists in maintaining a safe environment, which may include reporting equipment that is out of order, appropriate handling of linen and storing of supplies.
• Provides general care such as positioning, lifting or turning residents; assisting in use of bedpan, urinal or commode; and application/removal TED hose stockings and sequential compression devices.
• Empty & clean ostomy bag, per procedure.
• Collect urine, stool and sputum specimen as ordered.
• Perform tasks such as ROM, assist with ambulatory devices as specified by the residents’ plan of care.
• Promptly answer resident call lights and respond to resident requests.
• Report significant changes in residents’ condition to LPN or RN.
• Maintain clean and orderly resident and work environment.
• Document/maintain resident record as appropriate.
• Gathers equipment for O2 set up. Checks O2 for connection and proper placement.
• Checks for proper functioning of equipment at resident bedside.
• Ambulate resident with oxygen.
• Set up suction equipment and check for proper function.
• Demonstrates knowledge and competency in providing for age-specific needs of the population served.
• Demonstrates ability to perform skills on CNA checklist.
• Participates in the plan of nursing care to meet the physical, emotional, socio-economic, and spiritual needs of the residents.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Perform other duties as assigned (not to exceed scope of practice).

Minimum Education:

None specified; however, must be sufficient to meet the standards for achievement of the below indicated license and/or certification as required by the issuing authority.

Minimum Experience: 

None.

Licensure Requirement:

CNA certification from state of Tennessee required (or can be transferred from another state within 4 months). CPR required.