Job Details

A.    Patient Care Duties

1.     Observation/Monitoring

• Assist with admissions, discharges and transfers
• Obtain and record vital signs including: temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and reports abnormal values to RN
• Respond to monitor alarms
• Assist with connecting to monitors and calibration
• Apply ECG electrodes and pulse ox probe; attach patient to travel monitor
• Doppler auscultation of pulses
• Obtain and record height and weight
• Measure and record intake and output
• Empty and record outputs from drains, urinary catheter, bedpan, urinal, etc.
• Label and secure patient belongings including sensory aides and assist devices

2.     Specimen Collection

• Perform point of care testing; maintain and calibrate equipment and supplies
• Collect specimens including urine and sputum
• Perform venipuncture to collect blood specimens

3.     Intravenous Lines

• Prime IV tubing; time and date bag per policy
• Prime central/pressure set ups (after bag spiked by RN); time and date bag per policy
• Discontinue peripheral IV, and radial arterial lines  - holds pressure to the site after RN removes suture (if applicable)

4.     Patient ADLs

• Provide toileting/bedpan/urinals
• Accompany, escort, ambulate, move, turn, dangle, lift, attend, hold, position patients
• Provide patient nourishment by providing snacks/beverages, assist with ordering meals/snacks, feed patients as needed
• Change gown, bed, linens as needed
• Assist to undress/dress as needed

5.     Urinary Catheters

• Perform intermittent and clean urinary catheterizations
• Connect, drains and disconnect urinary catheters
• Assemble intermittent and continuous bladder irrigation supplies
• Discontinue urinary catheters
• Determine bladder status with bladder scanner

6.     Wound/Skin Care

• Perform pre-operative skin prep/hair clipping as needed
• Provide skin care at the direction of the RN
• Cleanse and redress non-sterile wounds
• Perform simple sterile dressing changes, as in central line dressings
• Assist RN with complex dressing changes
• Care for permanent drain sites and apply appropriate collection device; i.e. ostomy, G-tube, etc
• Apply binders, ACE wraps, hot and cold applications

7.     Respiratory Care

• Connect oxygen delivery device and set oxygen flow rate as directed by RN
• Assist with trach care on stable tracheotomies including cleaning and redressing; assists with tape and tie changes
• Assist with endotracheal tube care and tape changes
• Set up Pleurevac
• Coaches and prompts patient to use incentive spirometer, and coughing/deep breathing
• Performs routine oral and nasal suctioning

8.     Other Interventions