Job Description

Work Shift

Day

Scheduled Weekly Hours

0This position supports Mercy’s philosophy of patient centered care by providing safe and effective patient care by performing tasks and support functions under the supervision of a Licensed Nurse. Patient Care Technicians may fulfill an expanded role by performing additional tasks and responsibilities as delegated by their department.

Job Duties

• Ensure that accurate and clinically relevant information is communicated with patients, their families, and co-workers at hand offs and other times as needed.
• Take all measures necessary to ensure that the appropriate and involved parties have communicated necessary information in order to allow for the best possible patient outcome
• Provide safe and effective patient care under the supervision of the licensed nurse by performing tasks and support functions as delegated by department
• Observe and communicate to the licensed nurse any changes in patient condition and pertinent information regarding the needs of the patient and/or significant others
• Demonstrate effective and age-appropriate communication as well as the ability to understand the needs of the patient including non-verbal communication, fears, anxieties and language/cultural barriers
• Maintains accurate and real time documentation of patient care provided
• Assures patient privacy by knocking on doors, closing curtains and protecting patient information
• Responds within scope of practice to emergencies and life-threatening conditions
• Demonstrates support for changes in practice designed to improve performance.
• Organize and prioritize daily work, taking into account the needs of patients, families and other health care workers
• Maintain cleanliness and organization of patient rooms and department work areas
• Assist in identifying quality improvement opportunities and demonstrate support for changes in practice designed to improve performance
• Ability to prioritize tasks, identify needs for changes in priorities and takes the initiative to recommend and implement changes in concert with their supervisor.
• Follows Mercy's safety guidelines, carries out job-specific safety duties and responsibilities, and promptly reports any unsafe conditions, situations, incidents and injuries.

Department Specific Duties

Birthplace:

• Receives and handles telephone communications accurately and in a timely manner
• Enters patients in the computer and log book upon arrival.
• Accurately enters state birth certificate information and submits information to the state in a timely manner
• Assists families with paternity papers, fees for registration, paperwork and notarizes documents
• Enter charges for Birthplace and NICU within guidelines
• Assists RN’s with basic nursing cares such as patient rounding, newborn hearing screens, etc.
• Rounds on patients to assure basic needs are met, pick up trays, refresh water, empty trash, sign HIPAA Consents, etc.
• Assists with Birthplace tours and classes as needed
• Facilitates the ordering of supplies through authorized Birthplace personnel
• Implements patient admission, discharge, transfer according to hospital policies and procedures.

Cardiovascular:

• Transports patients
• Provides patient care to include but not limited to rooming patients, taking vitals, patient transfer assists, and cleaning rooms/procedure room turnaround
• Schedules procedures via computer
• Orders supplies, stocks rooms, and monitors/tracks expiration dates

Digestive Health Center:

• Accurately performs vital signs and blood sugars
• Removes foleys and IV's per protocol
• Applies and removes telemetry to patients per protocol
• If cross trained to Monitor tech:
• Accurately completes documentation of telemetry strips on flowsheet
• Accurately reads and measures telemetry strips every 4 hours
• Acknowledges telemetry changes in a timely manner and notifies RN
• Completes inventory control log accurately

Emergency Department & Hiawatha ED:

• Performs department specific duties as outlined on the department specific developmental checklist.
• Attends departmental/hospital meetings, activities or special projects per departmental guidelines.
• Practices cost containment efforts on a shift-to-shift basis by efficient use of time and resources, i.e., man-hours, patient charges, equipment, supplies, etc.

Healing Center:

• Collects and records patient data within scope of practice (vital signs, IO, telephone calls, observation notes).
• Assists patients with activities of daily living and personal care/hygiene and responds to patient requests for assistance. Assists nursing staff with patient care needs.
• Provides support by answering the telephone, computer data entry, scheduling of patient appointments, greeting patients and visitors arriving in department, and communicating patient information and telephone messages as appropriate.
• Effectively communicate with team when requested needs cannot be immediately met.
• Assist Hyperbaric Nurse with patient needs (blood glucose, vital signs, dressing, bathroom needs, transfers) and cleans hyperbaric oxygen chambers with nurses' supervision and direction.
• Clean rooms after each patient use and stock rooms.
• Schedule patients for treatments based on referral work que and prepare schedule for the next day on white board(s).
• Help prepare clinic for anticipated needs. Utilize patient care tech template to help prioritize needs and duties.
• Settle patients in treatment rooms.
• Help close unit at the end of the shift if needed and available.

Hematology/Oncology:

• Transports patients
• Provides patient care to include but not limited to rooming patients, taking vitals, patient transfer assists, and cleaning rooms/procedure room turnaround
• Schedules procedures via computer
• Orders supplies, stocks rooms, and monitors/tracks expiration dates

Hiawatha OSC:

• Completes skin prep and hair removal per department protocol
• Restocks patient rooms per department protocol
• Transports patients safely to their destination
• Assists with the turnover and cleaning of patient rooms

Hospice Community:

• Maintains professional boundaries while providing compassionate care and emotional support in the end-of-life care setting
• Demonstrates accountability in time management, flexibility in scheduling and good
  organizational skills to meet the ever-changing needs of patients and families at end of life
• Follows the patient plan of care and communicates to the supervising RN and / or IDT with changes in patient condition or when changes to the plan of care are deemed necessary
• (Community) In addition to personal care services will provide light household services and minor meal preparation as outlined in the patient plan of care
• (Oldorf Hospice Hospice) Assists with meal preparation for Hospice House patients –additionally responsible for maintaining pertinent kitchen regulatory practices (i.e. temperatures, cleaning)

Hospice House:

• Provide emotional support and education to patient and family regarding the end-of-life process, in a kind and compassionate manner.
• Work independently as well as within an interdisciplinary team and demonstrate ability to adapt and maintain flexibility in schedule.
• Utilize critical thinking skills and good communication skills.

OR:

• Performs transfer of patients safely to/from ED or the inpatient units.
• Assists with turnover of operating rooms after procedures.
• Prioritizes tasks within the individual's scope of responsibility.
• Demonstrates knowledge of setting rooms, stocking supplies and proper handling and logging of surgical specimens.

PACU:

• Transports surgical patients.
• Assists with ordering supplies for the department.
• Assists with data collection for the department.

Pain Management:

• Accurately file medical records.
• Accurately obtain documentation from referral offices.
• Accurately order tests per physician orders.
• Accurately communicate phone messages to fellow staff or physicians.
• Independently and accurately send 6-month surveys.
• Accurately enters 1 week and 6-month survey data.
• Independently orders stock for department.
• Independently sets up monthly physician schedules in SCI.

Pulmonary Medicine Center:

• Assist with turning patients, skin and fall risk assessments and interventions
• Answer phones, make follow-up appointments for discharging patients
• Ambulate patients with the use of a gait belt

Short Stay Observation Unit:

• Obtains equipment and CPMs needed for patients, with correct set up and removal as per physician orders and/or delegated to.
• Prepares rooms and pre-operative beds for surgery as trained and delegated to.
• Participates in regular stocking of supplies in patient rooms and alcoves as required by dept. standards.
• Demonstrates competency in computer navigation to access and find needed information effectively and efficiently as evidenced in hand-offs and documentation.

Surgery Center:

• Taking vital signs, charting, and reporting results to the nurse.

• Complete skin prep and hair removal per department protocol, if departmentally appropriate.

• Restock patient rooms per department protocol.

• Transport patients and families safely to their destination.

Surgical & Perrine Oncology IP Center:

• Obtain and document vital signs including blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and respirations.

Women & Children Float Pool:

• Performs Surgical Assistant duties as needed.

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Medical Surgical Float Pool

• Complete orientation and maintain skills/competencies from each of the following departments: Z31 SSOU, Z41 SIC, Z51 PMC, Z81 AIM and Z91 CSC.
• Demonstrates ability to observe, communicate and document patient activities.
• Promptly communicates patient needs significate events to health care.
• Professionally collaborates with the healthcare team regarding patient safety.
• Monitor patient safety by viewing patient through bedside camera.
• Monitor multiple patients at one time and redirecting through camera when necessary.
• Communicating to healthcare team if there are patient needs and urgent concerns.

Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Gynecologic Oncology Clinics

• Provides patient care to include but not limited to rooming patients, taking vitals, patient transfer assists, and cleaning rooms/assisting with procedure room turnaround.
• Provides support by answering the telephone, computer data entry, scheduling of patient appointments, and greeting patients and visitors arriving in the department.
• Schedules patients based on referral work queue(s) and provider availability.
• Accurate and timely communication of phone messages to staff and providers.
• Orders supplies, stocks rooms, and monitors/tracks expiration dates.
• Transports patients.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Role Models exemplary customer service skills including verbal and non-verbal skills and proper phone etiquette
• Creates a welcoming environment for all healthcare team members.
• Demonstrates the ability to provide safe and effective patient care
• Must have the ability to remain focused in stressful situations and perform multiple tasks quickly.

Professional Experience

• Previous Patient Care Tech or Certified Nursing Assistant experience preferred

Education

• High School diploma or equivalent preferred
• In addition, ONE of the following is preferred:
  • completion of a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) or Health Support Professional program ­
  • a minimum of 2 years in a baccalaureate program ­
  • one year in an Associate's Degree in Nursing program
  • comparable education, training and experience in the absence of successful completion of a CNA or Health Support Professional program
• Hospice House & Community- Education sufficient to obtain CNA certification required.

Licensure, Certification, Registration

• Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support, in accordance with the American Heart Association required.
• Iowa Dependent Adult Abuse and Iowa Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter training required. Employee must submit certification of completed training to Human Resources prior to start or transfer date.​
• Hospice House & Community - Current CNA certification required.
• Hospice House & Community - Current valid driver's license, valid auto insurance and have own transportation required. As of 1/1/2012 any incumbent has been grandfathered.

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Mercy is an independent, community-based organization supporting the Cedar Rapids area for over 120 years.

Mercy is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion and therefore evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, civil union status, parental status, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.