Patient Care Technician - Progressive Care Unit * Nights - 12hrs/wk

University of Michigan Health-West; Wyoming (MI); Hybrid; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Michigan Health-West seeks a Patient Care Technician (PCT) to provide basic nursing care under the supervision of an RN. Responsibilities include activities of daily living, hygiene, nutrition, and documentation within a high-demand unit.

The role requires a high school diploma or GED, current CENA or enrollment in a health-science program, BLS/CPR, and preferred acute/extended care experience. Flexibility for nights is expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum High School Diploma or GED required.
• Current Certified Nurse Aide (CENA) certification, or enrollment in health science program with nursing fundamentals/clinical rotation preferred.
• Equivalent healthcare experience considered (Medical Assistant, Paramedic, EMT, Nurse Tech, etc.).
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) required.
• Experience in acute care or extended care facility preferred.
• Able to complete unit-specific core competencies as defined by orientation.

Responsibilities

• Assist patients with activities of daily living and provide comfort, including beds, transfers, and ROM exercises.
• Assist with hygiene activities.
• Provide catheter care, dressings, and ostomy care.
• Assist with postmortem care.
• Assist with nutrition, meal delivery, and recording intake.
• Assist with elimination and drain management.
• Collect sputum, urine, and stool samples and perform basic tests.
• Measure and record vital signs and weights accurately.
• Use equipment safely and prepare oxygen, suction, and compression devices.
• Practice infection control and standard precautions.
• Document care as directed by the RN and communicate observations.
• Support efficiency: learn processes, participate in committees, and pursue education opportunities.

Skills

Certified Nurse Aide (CENA)

Health science program enrollment

Equivalent healthcare experience

BLS/CPR certification

Acute/extended care experience

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Job description

General Summary

Under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), the Patient Care Technician (PCT) provides basic nursing care to patients and performs related tasks necessary to support the unit.

Requisition #: req12563 Shift: Nights FTE status: 0.3 On-call: No Weekends: Yes

General Summary

Under the direction of a Registered Nurse (RN), the Patient Care Technician (PCT) provides basic nursing care to patients and performs related tasks necessary to support the unit.

Requirements

• Minimum High School Diploma or GED required.
• Must meet one of the following requirements:
• Current Certified Nurse Aide (CENA) certification, or
• Current enrollment (and continued progression) in a health science program required with completion of nursing fundamentals course and/or one clinical rotation preferred. Equivalent enrollment considered will include but is not limited to: Nursing School, Pre-PA School, Medical School, or closely related health science program, or
• Equivalent experience. Equivalent experience considered will include but is not limited to: Medical Assistant, Paramedic, Medical First Responder, EMT, Nurse Tech, Resident Aid/Assistant, or LPN.
• Basic understanding of Medical Terminology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Patient Confidentiality is preferred.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) provider required.
• Experience in acute care or extended care facility preferred.
• Able to successfully complete unit-specific core competencies as defined in the orientation check-list.

Essential Functions And Responsibilities

• ACTIVITY / COMFORT: Assist patients with activity of daily living and provides for patient comfort. This responsibility includes making occupied and unoccupied beds; turning and positioning patients in bed; ambulating and dangling patients; transfers patients; performs passive and assisting with active range-of-motion exercises.
• HYGIENE: Assist patients with hygiene activities.
• PROCEDURES: Indwelling urinary catheter care (excluding insertion, removal and irrigation); changing non-sterile dressings; providing ileostomy/colostomy care.
• Assisting with postmortem care.
• NUTRITION: Assist patients with nutrition including passing trays, snacks and drinking water; feeding patients; and measuring and recording intake from dietary trays.
• ELIMINATION: Assist patients with elimination needs recording accurate input and output. Empties other drains as designated by the RN.
• SPECIMEN COLLECTION: Collects and labels sputum, urine, and stool specimens for laboratory testing; testing urine for sugar, acetone, blood or pH; straining urine for kidney stones; and using the glucometer to test blood glucose levels.
• VITAL SIGNS / MEASUREMENT: Measures and record accurate vital signs and weight including oral and tympanic temperature, radial and apical pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate; and using standing, chair, sling and bed scales to measure weight.
• EQUIPMENT: Uses equipment and supplies safely and appropriately. This includes assisting patients with incentive spirometry; setting up oxygen flow meters; setting up suction equipment and disposing of suction canisters; and applying and removing ice bags, moist or dry heat, ace bandages, arm slings, binders, supports, anti-embolism stockings, sequential compression devices (SCDs), restraints.
• INFECTION CONTROL: Assists with controlling the spread of infection by using aseptic technique; adhering to universal/standard precautions; caring appropriately for patients with special isolation precautions; passing clean linen and bagging and disposing of soiled linen; replacing full sharps containers; cleaning equipment between patients’ use; and cleaning equipment prior to return to Central Processing Department (CPD).
• DOCUMENTATION: Document care given as directed by the RN.
• COMMUNICATION: Communicates effectively using Vocera, unit paging system, telephone system and pneumatic tube system; answering patient call lights; reporting observations to the RN; keeping the RN informed of care delivered; maintaining patient confidentiality.
• Performs other duties as assigned. These may include but are not limited to: Performing tasks assigned by the Registered Nurse in charge to facilitate department efficiency. Maintaining a current knowledge base of department processes and procedures for patient care, pursuing self-directed learning and continuing education opportunities, and participating on committees, task forces, and work groups as determined by management.