Covenant Health

Certified Nursing Assistant, Float Pool

Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Fort Sanders Regional Overview:

Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center is an award-winning, certified, and accredited facility with 541 beds. As a Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center, Fort Sanders offers state-of-the art care that maximizes recovery from stroke.  We are also the region’s leader in technology in areas such as bariatric surgery, robotic surgery and minimally invasive spine surgery. Our door-to-balloon times for heart attack patients are below the national average, and our hip fracture center offers advanced diagnosis, surgery and recovery procedures for hip patients.

Department Description:

At Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, our nursing Float Pool consists of an amazing team of nurses with a wide skill set that are trained to staff all acute care units in our hospital including our:

• Neuroscience Unit
• Pulmonary / Complex Medical Unit
• Post-Surgical Unit
• Nephrology Unit
• Oncology Unit
• Orthopedic Unit
• Cardiology Unit

Our float pool exists to help out every unit throughout our facility during times of ever-changing patient census and staffing needs. We require at least one year of recent RN experience as a requirement to join our float pool. As an incentive for the flexible nature of our positions, we offer an additional shift differential to all float pool employees.

As an RN in our float pool, you will perform a variety of tasks. Because our RNs move from unit to unit, it is important that our staff have a positive patient centered attitude, can be flexible, and take initiative to deliver exceptional care. In addition to having excellent critical thinking skills, our ideal candidate will also possess outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

Our hospital nursing and support staff consists of RNs, LPNs, CNA/PCAs, and HUCs who work together to provide exceptional patient care. We have a supportive environment and an orientation tailored to your needs.

As an organization, we want to grow our employees by promoting a culture of excellence and professionalism. Because of this, our nurses are encouraged to become certified in their specialty area on nursing. If you choose to become certified, our organization can help with the cost of your testing, as well as pay you a yearly bonus for taking the next step in your career.

If you are passionate about putting patients first and you think variety is the spice of life, apply for our float pool 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; 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:         

Hospital experience preferred. Medical terminology a plus. Must be able to operate computer and possess excellent interpersonal skills. Must be able to read with comprehension, write legibly, and perform basic arithmetic computation. Must have understanding and knowledge of patient care which may be appropriately delegated to nursing assistants.

Licensure Requirement:         

CNA Licensure from the State of Tennessee is required upon hire.  Out of State hires must have the Tennessee CNA License “in process” as reflected on the state web site upon hire. CPR required.