PCA - Covenant Health

Patient Care Assistant, Medical Unit

Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Night Shift

LeConte Medical Center Overview:

LeConte Medical Center is a part of Covenant Health, our region’s top-performing healthcare network and is a 79-bed community hospital located in the heart of Sevier County. We’re a full-service, not-for-profit hospital delivering modern medicine and compassionate care to the growing Sevier County community.

Department Overview:

The Medical Unit at LeConte Medical Center is our largest with 42 spacious and modern rooms. In this unit, you will see both patients who are recovering from surgeries as well as those suffering from various illnesses, thus requiring a well-rounded knowledge base for caregivers. The culture of this unit is an energetic one with a warm and welcoming, team environment. Whether you are looking to start your career as an RN, CNA or HUC or have years of experience, our medical unit is a team you’d be proud to call your work family.

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: Alexa Robbins || arobbin2@covhlth.com || 865-374-8110

• 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 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 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. Not to exceed scope of practice.

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. Experience preferred. 

Licensure Requirement:         

CPR required.