PACU Assistant

Overview

The PACU Assistant, under the supervision of the Registered Nurse, Director and/or Clinical Manager of Surgical Services is responsible for contributing to the patient plan of care, delivering care to the patient and the family, identifying and reporting variances, and supporting discharge plan. S/he seeks assistance and support when necessary, assists in data collection, organizes those aspects of patient care for which s/he is responsible, and maintains accountability for own practice. S/he has appropriate knowledge of transportation modes for all types of patients and isolation procedures following recommended CDC guidelines of care. S/he maintains responsibility for functioning equipment and supplies necessary for patient care, along with the cleaning of equipment and patient care areas as indicated.

Responsibilities

Patient Care* Assist nursing staff in Pre Op and PACU with the care of patients including obtaining vital signs, blood glucose checks and emptying drains.

• Provide safe transport of patients to and from Surgical Services Department.
• Ability to relate to and work with ill and disabled patients of all ages, bilingual patients, emotionally distressed patients, families, and with hospital personnel within the facility.
• Provides assistance to nursing staff upon patient arrival to the recovery room.
• Performs EKG''s in Pre-op and PACU as needed.

Operations* Responsible for stocking patient care supplies in Pre-op and PACU patient care areas.

• Responsible for pre-op clipper preparations and pre-op scrubs as ordered by the physician and per pre-op protocol.
• Assists with cleaning of patient care areas in the department before and after patient use.
• Determines bed needs for the day and ensures patient beds or gurneys are readily available in the pre-op, intraoperative and postoperative areas.

Equipment Management* Maintains cleanliness, monitors, and restocks equipment and supplies as assigned or as necessary in the Pre op and PACU environment/workroom.

• Works with Biomed to assure department equipment is functioning properly, placing work order requests as necessary.

Compliance/Safety* Responsible for reporting any safety-related incident in a timely fashion through the Midas/RDE tool; attends all safety-related training programs; performs work in a safe manner; monitors work environment for possible safety issues and ensures others are also performing work in a safe manner.

• Stays current and complies with state and federal regulations/statutes and company policies that impact the employee''s area of responsibility.
• If required for the position, ensures all certifications and/or licenses are up-to-date and valid prior to expiration dates.
• Completes all company mandatory modules and required job-specific training in the specified time frame.

Qualifications

EducationHigh School Diploma or GED- Required

Certification & Licensures

BLS (American Heart Association)- RequiredCertified Medical Assistant- PreferredEmployee will obtain and maintain appropriate clinical competencies for the roles assigned by their departmental leader.

ExperienceExperience in clinical setting- PreferredExperience with electronic health records- Preferred