Under the direction of a registered nurse, the patient care technician is responsible for direct patient care considering age specific, developmental, cultural and spiritual needs. Demonstrates unit/area-designated competencies. Assists in establishing and maintaining a patient care environment that is clean, safe and conducive to patient/family well being including concepts of relationship based care.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Demonstrates excellent communication with team members:

• Takes initiative in reporting patient needs, abnormal findings and condition changes to RN
• Actively participates in structured and informal handoffs
• Performs purposeful hourly rounding
• Promptly responds to patient requests

Performs nursing care as delegated by the RN in an effort to identify/attain treatment goals such as:

• Records/calculates intake and output, obtains weights
• Applies support/orthopedic devices such as support hose and compression devices
• Obtains routine vital signs, pain score and temperature
• Assists the patient with: coughing, deep breathing, use of incentive spirometer, oral suctioning 
• Applies warm/cold therapies (heating pads, ice packs, cryocuff, hot ice machine and warm soaks)
• Provides care of the restrained patient including general care, application of the restraint and ongoing monitoring of the restrained patient
• Care and removal of Foley catheters
• Routine oxygen therapy, pulse oximetry
• Assist in preparing the body following death

Assists patient in completing ADLs including:

• Bathing, showering, toileting, positioning, turning, transferring & ambulation using assistive devices as needed and appropriate
• Assists with feeding and menu selection
• Distributes/collects nourishments and orders late trays
• Answers call lights

Demonstrates sterile or aseptic technique as appropriate when performing delegated activities such as:

• Collects and sends specimens including blood and blood cultures  
• Obtains blood specimens from intermittent infusion devices, flushes intermittent infusion devices
• Inserts and removes peripheral IV catheters (not to include regulating drip rate of infusion)
• Competency based point of care testing such as blood glucose

Records patient information and required data in appropriate areas in order to meet documentation and charging requirements.

Assists in establishing and maintaining a patient care environment that is clean, safe, and conducive to patient/family well being

• Documents all patient belongings upon admission
• Prepare patient room for arrival/ assists in transfers and or discharge of patients
• Orients patient/family/visitors to patient room, unit, waiting area and facilities
• Assists patient/family in the use of hospital equipment (telephone, lights television)
• Makes occupied and unoccupied beds
• Collects and disposes of soiled linen
• Cleans and maintains equipment according to procedures

Provides wound and exit site care as delegated:

• Applies simple dressing to clean wounds of stage I or stage II depth (partial thickness) following assessment of the RN (does not include dressings that require topical ointments, gels, creams, packing or ace wraps)
• Secures complex dressings that have been changed by other caregivers.
• Performs PEG care and dressing changes

Completes delegated unit specific activities such as:

• Gathers post procedural data after initial nursing assessment such as vital signs, circumcision checks
• Places patients on monitors/telemetry and maintains lead placement
• Clean intermittent urinary catheterization
• Checks/restocks unit emergency equipment/supplies and nurse servers
• Trach care and trach suctioning
• Performs other unit specific duties as delegated

• Bottle feeds infants.

• Assist new breastfeeding mother’s with latching and positioning of infant, set-up of breast pump and initiation of pumping
• Completes and documents newborn hearing screen

Demonstrates effective organizational and time management skills that support patient and unit goals. Demonstrates cost effective use of unit resources such as supplies and equipment.

Seeks ongoing learning experiences by attending appropriate inservices, continuing education and mandatory programs.

Maintains good rapport and cooperative relationships with staff, patients, visitors and other team members.  Approaches conflict in a constructive manner. Helps to identify problems, offer solutions, and participate in their resolution. Implements service recovery strategies as appropriate. Creates an environment that promotes customer satisfaction and the patient experience

Maintains the confidentiality of information acquired pertaining to patient, physicians, associates, and visitors to St. Joseph Mercy Health System.  Discusses patient and hospital information only among appropriate personnel in private places. Follows all HIPAA policies and procedures.

Behaves in accordance with the Mission, Vision and Values of Saint Joseph Mercy Hospital. Demonstrates all SJMHS “Performance Standards: Focus on Others”. Fully integrates Relationship Based Care into role.

Follows all SJMHS policies and procedures including infection control (use of body substance isolation and use of personal protective equipment when in contact with body fluids).

Assumes responsibility for performance of job duties in the safest possible manner, to assure personal safety and that of coworkers. Reports all preventable hazards and unsafe practices immediately including near misses and actual errors.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND LICENSURE

Education:           High school diploma or GED

Experience:         Minimum of one year of previous direct care experience (acute or long term) or successful completion of CENA, PCT, MA, or EMT course. Student nurses must have completed their nursing fundamentals class of a BSN program.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Interpersonal skills necessary to effectively communicate with patients, families, and other employees Ability to:

• Follow instructions and record patient information.
• Prioritize assigned tasks and organize work.
• Walk and stand for 90% of shift.
• Lift, turn, and position patients.

Concentrate and pay close attention to details for over 90% of time Able to work in area with potential exposure to infectious agents and/or contaminants. Basic computer skills such as use of e-mail and simple word processing Maintains  AHA Heartsaver certification

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Administrative supervision is provided by the Nurse Manager.

Functional supervision is provided by a Registered Nurse.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification.  They are not intended to be a complete list of all duties performed.