Periop Nurse Assistant

Day Shift

At Houston Methodist, the Perioperative Nursing Assistant (PNA) position is responsible for applying basic knowledge and skills necessary to communicate appropriately and carry out delegated nursing assistant level tasks for an age‑specific, diverse patient population, assisting in the delivery of patient care and services under the supervision of a licensed nurse. This position assists with the physical preparation of the patient and physical environment prior to a surgical procedure and practices Relationship-Centered care in concert with the values of Houston Methodist.

Non-exempt

• Education
  :
  High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post‑secondary education, etc.)
• Experience
  :
  Previous experience in a healthcare role such as Patient Care Assistant, Transporter, Environmental Services Tech or basic Perioperative Nursing Assistant course preferred.
• Licenses and Certifications
  : BLS – Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) – American Heart Association required.
• Skills and Abilities
  :
  • Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations.
  • Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing English, particularly regarding activities impacting patient or employee safety or security.
  • Effectively communicates with patients, physicians, family members and co‑workers in a manner consistent with a customer‑service focus and positive language principles.
  • Exhibits strong interpersonal and team‑player skills with all levels of the healthcare team and assures delivery of excellent customer service to all patients, visitors, physicians and co‑workers.

• People Essential Functions
  :
  • Promotes a positive work environment with the interprofessional care team. Participates in teamwork by responding positively to requests for assistance and regularly checking in to determine if assistance is needed.
  • Interacts with peers, staff and physicians in a supportive and respectful manner, encouraging open communication to achieve mutual understanding and problem resolution.
  • Contributes toward improvement of department scores for turnover, retention and employee engagement on the unit‑based scorecard through peer‑to‑peer accountability.
• Service Essential Functions
  :
  • Provides assistant level care to Surgical Services patients within unit‑specific defined limits, including preparation of the physical environment prior to surgery, cleaning the room with prescribed sterile techniques, and ensuring a clean and organized environment.
  • Transports patients to and from assigned rooms and assists with positioning prior to surgery.
  • Maintains appropriate levels of surgical gowns, masks, cleaning supplies and other supplies for the department.
  • Transports specimens, cultures, blood products and body fluids to laboratory using universal precautions.
  • Contributes toward improving department scores for patient satisfaction on the unit‑based scorecard through peer‑to‑peer accountability.
• Quality/Safety Essential Functions
  :
  • Reports observations, conditions and problems of patients to licensed personnel to achieve desired patient outcomes and ensures the privacy of patients and families.
  • Reports near misses and inputs errors promptly into PSN to improve processes and identify trends.
  • Supports initiatives to prevent patient falls and hospital‑acquired infections and contributes toward improving quality and safety scores on the unit‑based scorecard.
• Finance Essential Functions
  :
  • Uses resources efficiently; conserves supplies and manages time effectively to minimize incidental overtime.
  • Assists other team members by utilizing workload periods efficiently.
• Growth/Innovation Essential Functions
  :
  • Seeks guidance and validation of knowledge base, skill level and decision making as necessary, completing and updating the individual development plan (IDP) on an ongoing basis.
  • Offers innovative solutions through participation in performance improvement projects and shared governance activities.

• Work Attire
  :
  • Uniform:
    No
  • Scrubs:
    Yes
  • Business professional:
    No
  • Other (department approved):
    No
• On‑Call
  :
  Yes
• Travel
  :
  • May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area:
    No
  • May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area:
    No