Covenant Health

Patient Care Assistant, Pulmonary-Complex Medical Unit

PRN/OCC, Variable Hours, Night Shift

In our Complex Medical Unit, we have 34 private patient rooms. We are located on the seventh floor in the North tower of the main hospital.

The Complex Medical Unit is comprised of a wide variety of medically complex patients. Many of our patients are acutely ill and require a higher level of care than your average medical floor, but do not meet the need to be in a stepdown/ICU unit. Patients can include:

• Respiratory (BiPAP, High-Flow oxygen, chest tubes)
• Sepsis
• Endocrine
• Cardiac (non-titrated cardiac drip, heparin drip)
• GI (Dubhoff tubes, NG tubes)
• GU (catheters, bladder irrigation)
• Nephrology and dialysis patients
• Post-operative and Wounds (wound vac, various wound dressing and management)
• Oncology (pleurx catheters, ports)

We have a supportive and close working relationship with our physicians. We encourage open communication and dialogue regarding individualized care to meet each one of our patient’s needs.

We follow a 12- hour shift, weekends/holidays on a six-week schedule. Team members utilize a self-scheduling software. In addition to having excellent critical thinking skills, our ideal candidate will also possess outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. We pride ourselves in fostering a culture of positivity and teamwork. Our team has a passion for patient care and each other.

As an organization, we want to grow our employees by promoting a culture of excellence and professionalism. If you are passionate about putting patients first and want to work alongside the best of the best, apply for our Complex Medical Unit today!

Position Summary:

Functions as a direct patient caregiver performing tasks to assist registered nurses.  Performs hands-on care, assistance with ADL’s and specified technical tasks for a group of patients under the supervision of the Team Leader.

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

• Take and record temperature, pulse, respiration rates, blood pressures, weights, heights, and intake-output measurements.
• Encourage patients to turn, cough, and take deep breaths and to use incentive spirometry as specified by Plan of Care.
• Ambulate, and assist patients in and out of bed, into wheelchairs and transport when necessary.
• Attends to nutritional needs of patient 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.
• 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 patients; assisting in use of bedpan, urinal or commode; preoperative supportive care; and application/removal of abdominal binders or anti-embolism 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 patients' plan of care.
• Perform phlebotomy (requires additional training). To include correct labeling using two patient identifiers, maintenance of lab-draw supplies, rotating and restocking.
• Perform EKG (requires special training).
• Promptly answer patient call lights and respond to patient requests.
• Report significant changes in patients' condition to RN.
• Help to maintain clean and orderly patient and work environment.
• Employ all established infection control policies including standard precautions, transmission-based isolation precautions, OSHA standards, safety measures and proper body mechanics in performance of job.
• Document/maintain patient record as appropriate.
• Gathers equipment for O2 set up. Checks O2 for connection and proper placement.
• Checks for proper functioning of equipment at patient bedside
• Ambulate patients 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 the Nursing Assistant checklist.
• 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.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:

None specified; will accept any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job, typically such as would be equivalent to a high school diploma or GED. Preference may be given to individuals possessing a HS diploma or GED.

Minimum Experience: 

None.

Licensure Requirement:

CPR required.