Under the direction of a registered/licensed nurse (RN), the Patient Care Associate (PCA) as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team assists in clinical support functions to promote a safe, compassionate patient care environment.
Essential Functions
- Assists with meeting direct patient care needs
- Consistently fosters a healing environment with respect and kindness demonstrating respect for all individuals with sensitivity to cultural diversity
- Contributes to the plan of care through ongoing communication with the RN
- Assists with patient data and specimen collection
- Assists with equipment preparation and set up
- Supports a Culture of Safety by providing a safe and comfortable patient/family experience where risks are reduced and/or eliminated, by performing the following:
- Completes hourly patient care rounds, anticipating patient needs proactively
- Maintains patient and family privacy and confidentiality
- Responds to patient and family requests, including answering patient call lights in a timely manner
- Seeks registered nurse assistance to meet patient/family needs when necessary.
- Communicates in a respectful manner with all members of the interdisciplinary team
- Monitors patient and environment for safety concerns and immediately reports changes to RN/licensed nurse
- Maintains a safe and clean patient care environment
- Follows Infection Prevention Practices:
- Proper hand washing demonstrated 100% of the time.
- Utilizes two patient identifiers for proper patient identification prior to all specimen collections
- Follows Safe Patient Handling principles to maintain safety for both patients and staff
- Documents aspects of care on approved forms or electronic medical record
- Participates as a member of the Interdisciplinary team to meet patient/family and unit/department needs
- Proactively provides assistance to others
- Performs delegated responsibilities and demonstrates willingness to adapt to changing unit demands
- Provides care appropriate to age group of patients on assigned unit(s) as described in the relevant unit profiles
- In collaboration with the Nursing Manager/Director and Clinical Nurse Specialist/Nursing Practice Specialist/Nursing Professional Development Specialist, identifies and meets learning needs, including:
- Completes annual required training
- Updates knowledge through periodic in-services
Direct Patient Care:
- Assists with activities of daily living (i.e. personal hygiene/grooming, bathing/showering, toileting, dressing, and functionality/mobility)
- Sets up food trays and assist patients with meals as indicated
- Performs preventative skin care
- Assists patients with positioning, turning, mobilization, ambulation, passive and active range of motion per plan of care
- Applies/removes pneumatic sequential compression sleeves
- Adheres to standard precautions
- Adheres to hand hygiene guidelines
- Assists with admission/discharge process
- Provides safe patient transportation
- Orients patients and families/visitors to surroundings
- Ensures safekeeping of patient valuables including packing and storing
- Checks patients for ID bands, and notifies nurse if replacement is needed
Patient Data and Specimen Collection:
- Utilizes 2 patient identifiers for proper patient identification prior to all specimen collections
- Obtains and records vital signs, pulse oximetry and non-invasive B/P and immediately reports changes to RN/licensed nurse
- Performs blood glucose testing
Equipment:
- Retrieves equipment from other areas
- Cleans equipment between patient use
- Follows equipment management protocols on assigned unit for patient use:
- Suction canister-liner system
- Patient lifting equipment
- Scales: Standing/Chair/Wheelchair
- Provides a Safe and Comfortable Patient/Family experience
- Adheres to service excellence standards during care provision with respectful, courteous, culturally sensitive care
- Responds to call lights in a timely manner and prioritizes call light response appropriately
- Participates in hourly rounding per unit protocol
- Provides constant observation for patients at risk for injury in person or virtually
- Reapplies soft restraints/roll belt per unit protocol
- Uses principles of Safe Patient Handling
Documentation on Approved Forms and in Medical Record:
- Records intake of fluids and food
- Records height and weight
- Records output of urine, stool, vomitus, and drain output
- Records vital signs, pulse oximetry and noninvasive BPs
- Records blood glucose results