Nursing Assistant

Why work for Nebraska Methodist Health System?

At Nebraska Methodist Health System, we focus on providing exceptional care to the communities we serve and people we employ. We call it The Meaning of Care – a culture that has and will continue to set us apart. It’s helping families grow by making each delivery special, conveying a difficult diagnosis with a compassionate touch, going above and beyond for a patient’s needs, or giving a high five when a patient beats a disease or conquers a personal health challenge. We offer competitive pay, excellent benefits and a great work environment where all employees are valued Most importantly, our employees are part of a team that makes a real difference in the communities we live and work in.

Job Summary:

Location: Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital

Address: 933 E Pierce St, Council Bluffs, IA

Work Schedule: Casual/PRN employees work on an ‘as needed’ basis to meet the needs of the business.

Helps patients by supporting personal hygiene and daily living needs; providing comfort, transportation, and vital sign monitoring. Helps patients by cleaning and preparing treatment space while ensuring patient safety.

Responsibilities:

1. Provides appropriate care specific to the age of the customer/patient, to ensure understanding and comfort level of treatment, as outlined in the Age Specific Criteria.

• Gives individualized customer service/patient care.
• Completes age specific competency assessment.

2. Exhibits excellent interpersonal relations with patients, co-workers, physicians, and guests to ensure effective communications.

• Responds to patient needs promptly and courteously.
• Obtains feedback from patients and visitors regarding their hospital experience.
• Communicates patient issues to the appropriate staff.
• Maintains a positive attitude while responding to requests in a timely and accurate manner.
• Communicates with other members of the health care team (food service, secretaries, housekeeping, etc.) as indicated.
• Actively participates in report process.

3. Completes clinical activities identified in the patient's plan of care to meet patients' comfort/activity/sleep needs and other clinical patient needs as delegated by professional staff.

• Reports patient comfort needs to nurse in a timely manner.
• Assures that skin is clean and dry.
• Reports any noticed skin changes.
• Provides personal care and assists with ADL (activities of daily living).
• Provides assistance with repositioning, turning and chair transfers.
• Assists as necessary with ambulation.
• Completes vital signs per patient's plan of care.
• Weighs patients per patient's plan of care.
• Reinforce patient education.
• Provides transportation assistance.
• Reports any variation from patient's plan of care to professional staff.
• Attends to patient amenities; e.g., newspaper, mail.

4. Documents all data collected, in Cerner and/or on worksheets, accurately, completely, and in a timely manner to provide an accurate record of patient activities and response to activities.

• Documentation is completed in an ongoing basis prior to end of shift.
• Documentation reflects patient's responses to activities according to patient's plan of care.
• Documentation reflects care delivered.

5. Provides housekeeping activities to contribute to a safe, efficient, effective and sanitary patient care environment.

• Completes daily room cleaning according to established procedures for high dusting, vacuuming, mopping hard surface floors, disinfecting vertical surfaces, and spot cleaning vertical surfaces.
• Keep rooms neat and tidy, free of clutter.
• Removes trash and soiled linen from room each shift and as needed.
• Maintains patient environment, such as spills and room temperature, or actively utilizes Integrated Services team to do so properly.
• Distributes linens to servitors per par levels.
• Straightens and restocks patient care areas per par levels.
• Attends to patient amenities; e.g., newspapers, mail, watering plants.

6. Consistently recognizes and utilizes measures to provide for safe, efficient, patient care and work environment.

• Answers Call Lights in a timely manner and response to the patient request and/or relays request to appropriate resource when necessary.
• Performs other duties as delegated/under the direction of the professional staff.
• Assures coverage of all duties when self or other staff are off the nursing unit.
• Assists other team members when own work is complete.
• Appropriately reports incidents.
• Utilizes Standard Precautions and Transmission-based Precautions infection control techniques correctly and consistently.

7. Directly responsible to the staff nurse and assists in the care of the patient by performing delegated activities utilizing the reciprocal process of the 4 Rights of Delegation.

• Right task (within the scope of practice, according to the job description, and based on the desired outcome, task routine, non-complex, low risk and predictable outcome).
• Right person (assess competency by certification/licensure, job description, skills checklist, demonstrated skill).
• Right communication (clear, concise, correct, complete).
• Right feedback: The Reciprocal Process (timely, specific, checkpoints).

8. Prepares exam rooms and equipment to facilitate treatment and examination of patients by setting up instruments/equipment and supplies.

• Prepares exam rooms and medical equipment according to provider protocol 95% of the time.
• Rooms are cleaned and prepped in a timely manner.
• Independently manages all sterilization needs for department by working with sterile processing and ensures all equipment is retuned to the appropriate room/are within acceptable times.

9. Maintains work areas to ensure healthy environment conditions by cleaning and organizing equipment, rooms and work spaces.

• Organizes and maintains all clinical care stock.
• Organizes, cleans, and restocks clinical care areas independently.
• Keeps supplies up to date.

10. Covers the front reception area as directed.

• Serves as back up office assistant.
• Answers phone professionally and utilizes message center as appropriate and accurately transcribes messages for providers from patients.
• Assist with intake, scheduling, and other duties as assigned.

Schedule:

Casual/PRN employees work on an ‘as needed’ basis to meet the needs of the business.

Job Description:

Education

• High School diploma or General Educational Development (GED) preferred.
• Completion of first clinical rotation as Nursing Assistant preferred.
• Successful completion of the 75-hour state approved Nurse Assistant course or 6 months Nurse Assistant experience required.
• Will consider high school students 16 years or older who have completed the above requirements.

Experience

• Previous customer service, cleaning, food service and/or patient related experience preferred.
• One to three months on the job experience to learn hospital. procedures and work routines preferred.
• Previous experience in patient care setting such as hospital, clinic or nursing home preferred.
• Previous experience with direct patient contact preferred.
• Orientation and on the job experience will be provided to learn hospital procedures and work routines.

License/Certifications

• Current American Heart Association or American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) strongly preferred at time of hire, required within 3 months of hire.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities

• Require the ability to understand and carry out instructions, follow schedules, communicate information, read simple and clear instructions and complete reports.
• Must be able to collect, record, and report patient needs to the appropriate caregiver.
• Requires ability to demonstrate critical thinking skills commensurate with job description.
• Participate in mandatory in-services and continuing education programs as mandated by policies and procedures/external agencies and as directed by supervisor.

Weight Demands

• Medium Work - Exerting up to 50 pounds of force.

Physical Activity

• Occasionally Performed (1%-33%):
• Climbing
• Crawling
• Kneeling
• Sitting
• Frequently Performed (34%-66%):
• Balancing
• Carrying
• Crouching
• Distinguish colors
• Keyboarding/typing
• Lifting
• Pulling/Pushing
• Repetitive Motions
• Stooping/bending
• Twisting
• Constantly Performed (67%-100%):
• Grasping
• Hearing
• Reaching
• Seeing/Visual
• Speaking/talking
• Standing
• Walking

Job Hazards

Not Related:

• Electrical Shock/Static
• Radiation Non-Ionizing (Ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwaves that causes injuries to tissue or thermal or photochemical means)

Rare (1-33%):

• Radiation Alpha, Beta and Gamma (particles such as X-Ray, Cat Scan, Gamma Knife, etc)
• Radiation Non-Ionizing (Ultraviolet, visible light, infrared and microwaves that causes injuries to tissue or thermal or photochemical means) - NICU only

Occasionally (34%-66%):

• Physical hazards (noise, temperature, lighting, wet floors, outdoors, sharps) (more than ordinary office environment)
• Equipment/Machinery/Tools
• Explosives (pressurized gas)
• Hazardous Drugs (exposure risks, protective personal equipment required)

Frequent (67%-100%):

• Chemical agents (Toxic, Corrosive, Flammable, Latex)
• Biological agents (primary air born and blood born viruses) (Jobs with Patient contact) (BBF)
• Mechanical moving parts/vibrations

About Methodist:

Nebraska Methodist Health System is made up of four hospitals in Nebraska and southwest Iowa, more than 30 clinic locations, a nursing and allied health college, and a medical supply distributorship and central laundry facility. From the day Methodist Hospital was chartered in 1891, service to our communities has been a top priority. Financial assistance, health education, outreach to our diverse communities and populations, and other community benefit activities have always been central to our mission.

Nebraska Methodist Health System is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other classification protected by Federal, state or local law.