Patient Care Assistant; PCA - Flex

POSITION SUMMARY

At Houston Methodist, the Patient Care Assistant (PCA) Flex Option position is responsible for functioning as competent and demonstrates basic knowledge and skills necessary to communicate appropriately and carry out delegated nursing assistant level tasks for an age‑specific, diverse patient population. The role assists in the delivery of patient care and services under the supervision of a licensed nurse, conducts hourly rounding to ensure patient needs are met, records data established by policy and procedure, and reports observations and patient problems to the licensed nurse.

Non‑exempt

• Education: High School diploma or equivalent education (eg. GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post‑secondary education).
• Experience: Two years of experience as a Patient Care Assistant/Nursing Assistant.
• Licenses &
  
  Certifications:
  
  
  • BLS – Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) – American Heart Association.
  • NVCRISIS – Nonviolent Crisis Intervention or Instructor (CPI) – Crisis Prevention Institute, completion within 6 months.

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing 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.

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.
• 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 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.
• Ensures 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…