Patient Care Assistant - Med/Surg Observation

Work Week: Three 12-hour shifts varying Monday through Sunday. Recent PCA experience in a hospital or sub-acute care setting strongly preferred.

At Houston Methodist, the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) position is responsible for functioning as novice to competent and demonstrates basic knowledge and skills necessary to communicate appropriately and carry out delegated nursing assistant level tasks for assigned age-specific, diverse patient population, assisting in the delivery of patient care and services under the supervision of a licensed nurse. This position conducts hourly rounding to ensure patient needs are met and records data established by policy and procedure, and reports observations and patient problems to the licensed nurse. The PCA position performs basic patient care activities of daily living (ADL's) within unit-specific defined limits and job scope, such as assistance with patient elimination, hygiene, comfort, safety, nutrition, and progress activity and practices Patient and Family Centered Care in concert with Houston Methodist ICARE values.

FLSA STATUS
Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• • Must complete one of the following: ◦ PCA externship ◦ PCA internal internship ◦ Six months of direct patient care experience ◦ Enrolled in a school of nursing program with a completed first clinical rotation

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Performs basic patient care activities of daily living (ADL’s) within unit specific defined limits and job scope, such as assistance with patient elimination, hygiene, comfort, safety, nutrition, and progress activity

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Promotes a positive work environment with the interprofessional care team. Participates in teamwork by responding positively to requests for assistance. Works well with others to make contributions to the work effort as a whole and facilitates problem resolution.
• Interacts with peers, staff, and physicians in a supportive and respectful manner. Encourages open communication to achieve mutual understanding. Communication to promote both work efforts and problem resolution is clear and professional. Collaborates with all members of the interprofessional team by actively communicating and reporting pertinent patient care information in a clear and timely manner.
• Provides contributions towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e., peer-to-peer accountability.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Follows the patient and family-centered care standards and provides direct patient care under the direction of a registered nurse. Documents, where applicable, care administered, diagnostic measurements, treatments and procedures in accordance with established policies and procedures. Responds to the call light system, contacting nursing personnel as appropriate, and follows through with meeting patient needs.
• Assists with maintaining, cleaning, and stocking of equipment and supplies as established on assigned unit. May serve as an in-house courier which may include retrieving blood, hand delivering labs, tele boxes, etc. Organizes the workflow, problem-solves basic and routine matters, and manages multiple ongoing priorities, seeking guidance and assistance from preceptor, licensed nurse, or management.
• Contributes towards improving department scores for patient satisfaction through peer-to-peer accountability, i.e., bedside shift handoff/report.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Reports observations, conditions and problems of patients to licensed personnel to achieve desired patient outcomes. Provides for the privacy of patients and families, keeping the safety of the patient in mind.
• Provides appropriate hand-off at change of shift at patient bedside to communicate and collaborate, promoting patient-centered care.
• Conducts hourly rounding to ensure patient needs are met (four P’s). Reports near misses and collaborates with the interprofessional health care team to improve patient safety.
• Contributes towards improving quality and safety scores, through peer-to-peer accountability. Supports initiatives to prevent conditions such as pressure injuries, patient falls, and hospital-acquired infections.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assists with patient and staffing needs (floats) across the service line or hospital as competencies allow. Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently.
• Utilizes resources with cost effectiveness and value creation in mind. Self-motivated to independently manage time effectively and prioritize daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime, assisting coworkers as needed.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Offers innovative solutions in performance improvement projects and shared governance activities.
• Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs on knowledge base, skill level and decision-making, as necessary, especially in areas of question, from preceptor and assigned licensed personnel and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: Yes
• Business professional: No
• Other (department approved): Yes

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• • Must complete one of the following: ◦ PCA externship ◦ PCA internal internship ◦ Six months of direct patient care experience ◦ Enrolled in a school of nursing program with a completed first clinical rotation

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required

• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association