Purpose of your Job Position
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The primary purpose of your position is to provide your assigned residents with routine daily nursing care in accordance with our established nursing care procedures, and as may be directed by your supervisors.
Delegation of Authority
As a Resident Care Assistant you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties.
Job Functions
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Every effort has been made to make your job description as complete as possible. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is a logical assignment to the position.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Administrative Functions
Record all entries Matrix, etc, in an informative and descriptive manner.
Report all accidents and incidents on the shift that they occur.
Report all changes in the resident’s condition to the Charge/Staff Nurse
Admission, Transfer, and Discharge Functions
Greet and escort residents to their room.
Introduce residents to his/her roommate, if any, and other residents and personnel as appropriate.
Make resident comfortable (i.e., put to bed, get water, etc.)
Inventory and mark the resident’s personal possessions as instructed.
Store resident’s clothing.
Assist residents with packing their personal possessions when they are being transferred to a new room, or when being discharged.
Transport residents to new rooms.
Assist residents with packing/unpacking as needed.
Personnel Functions
Assist in the orientation of newly assigned personnel as directed.
Follow work assignments, and/or work schedules in completing and performing your assigned tasks.
Perform all assigned tasks in accordance with resident centered care, and as instructed by your supervisors.
Notify the facility when you will be late or absent from work.
Report all complaints and grievances made by the resident.
Cooperate with inter\-departmental personnel, to ensure quality of care is provided.
Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the shift.
Collaborate with your Charge Nurse to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or the improvement of services.
Demonstrate H3W leadership behaviors.
Personal nursing care functions
Participate in and receive nursing report at start of shift including walking rounds and daily huddle.
When working on RCH, assist residents with medications. (Must be Med Certified).
Assist residents with daily dental and mouth care (i.e., brushing teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, special mouth care, etc.).
Assist residents with bath functions (i.e., bed bath, tub or shower bath, etc.) according to care plan.
Assist resident with dressing/undressing as necessary.
Assist resident with hair care (i.e., combing, brushing, shampooing, etc.)
Assist residents with nail care (i.e., clipping, trimming, and cleaning the fingernails.
Shave male residents and keep facial hair on female residents well groomed.
Provide incontinent care.
Make beds \& change linens (occupied and unoccupied).
Position residents according to positioning wheel.
Assist resident with bowel and bladder needs (i.e., take to bathroom, offer bedpan/urinal, portable commode, etc.).
Maintain intake and output as indicated.
Document bowel movements every shift.
Collect specimens as instructed (i.e., urine, stools, etc.).
Assist residents in preparing for activity and social programs (i.e., church services, parties, visitors, etc.).
Assist in transporting residents to/from appointments, activity and social programs, etc., as necessary.
Assist with lifting, turning, moving, positioning, and transporting residents into and out of beds, chairs, bathtubs, wheelchairs, lifts, etc.
Answer resident call bells and alarms promptly.
Assist residents in preparing for medical tests and/or physical examinations i.e., lab work, x\-ray, therapy, dental, etc.).
Assist resident to ambulate according to resident’s care plan.
Perform restorative and rehabilitative procedures as instructed.
Document temperatures, pulse, respirations (TPRs) and BP, as indicated.
Assist with the care of the dying resident.
Provide post\-mortem care as instructed.
Check residents routinely to assure that their personal care needs are being met.
Perform COCOAA rounds.
Special Nursing Care Functions
Observe and report the presence of pressure areas and skin breakdowns to prevent pressure areas.
Provide daily indwelling catheter care.
Provide daily perineal care.
Assist with application of slings. Elastic bandages, binders, etc.
Give tepid sponge baths.
Provide daily Range of Motion Exercises.
Turn bedfast residents at least every two (2\) hours.
Observe disoriented and comatose residents. Record and report data as instructed.
Watch for and report any change in room temperature, ventilation, lighting, etc.
Turn all medications found in the resident’s room/possession over to the Charge Nurse.
Food Service Functions
Prepare residents for meals (i.e., take to bathroom, wash hands, comb hair, raise bed, position tables, place clothing protectors, take to/from dining room, etc.)
Serve food trays. Assist with feeding as indicated (i.e., cutting foods, feeding, assist in dining room supervision, etc.
Record the resident’s food /fluid intake. Report changes in the resident’s eating habits.
Keep residents water pitchers clean and filled with fresh water (on each shift), and within easy reach of the resident,.
Serve between meal and bedtime snacks.
Check rooms for food articles (i.e., remove food in proper container, unauthorized food items, etc.)
Perform after meal care (i.e., remove trays, clean resident’s hands, face, clothing, take to bathroom, brush teeth, clean dentures, etc.)
Staff Development
Attend and participate in scheduled training and educational classes.
Attend and participate in scheduled orientation programs and activities.
Safety and Sanitation
Notify the charge/Staff Nurse of any resident leaving/missing from the facility.
Keep floors dry. Wipe spills immediately.
Store supplies and equipment in designated areas.
Keep the nurses’ call system within easy reach of the resident.
Report all hazardous conditions and equipment to the Charge Nurse immediately.
Follow established safety precautions in the performance of all duties.
Report all safety violations.
Store all equipment and supplies before leaving work area for breaks or at the end of the work day.
Wash hands before and after performing any service for the resident.
Clean, disinfect, and return all resident care equipment to its designated storage area after each use.
Clean overbed tables prn.
Keep rooms clean and tidy (i.e., clean bedrails, overbed table, night stand, etc., that relate to nursing care procedures).
Report any communicable or infectious disease that your contract to the Director of Nursing and/or to the Infection Control Coordinator.
Follow established standard precautions procedures.
Follow established isolation precautions and procedures.
Follow blood borne pathogens and use PPE as indicated.
Equipment and Supply Functions
Use only the equipment you have been trained to use.
Operate all equipment in a safe manner.
Use only the equipment and supplies necessary to do the job. Do not be wasteful.
Correctly use all necessary equipment for your position (i.e., electronic and manual machines, sara/maxi lifts, whirlpool tubs, recliners, wheelchairs, etc.).
Correctly use facility equipment (i.e., nurse call system, telephone system paging system, etc.)
Report defective equipment to the Charge Nurse.
Inform the Charge Nurse of your equipment and supply needs.
Care Plan Functions
Inform the Charge Nurse of any changes in the resident’s condition so that appropriate information can be entered on the resident’s care plan.
Resident’s Rights
Maintain the confidentiality of all resident care information.
Ensure that you treat all residents fairly, and with kindness, dignity, and respect.
Ensure that all nursing care is provided in privacy.
Knock before entering the resident’s room.
Report all grievances and complaints made by the resident to the Charge Nurse.
Report any suspected abuse or neglect of a resident to supervisor immediately.
Know and adhere to all aspects of the Resident’s Bill of Rights.
Working Conditions
Works throughout the nursing service area (i.e., nurses’ stations, resident rooms, etc.)
Sits, stands, bends, lifts and moves intermittently during working hours.
Is subject to frequent interruptions.
Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, governmental agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.
Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors.
Communicates with nursing personnel and other department personnel.
Works beyond normal working hours and on weekends and holidays, and other positions temporarily, when necessary.
Attends and participates in continuing educational programs (minimum of 12 hours per year).
Is subject to common workplace hazards.
May be exposed to infectious waste, blood borne pathogens, and other disease conditions.
May be subjected to prejudice from residents.
Education
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Must possess, as a minimum, a certification and registration from the State of Connecticut.
Experience
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Must be a licensed Certified Nurse Aide and registered in accordance with laws of this state.
Specific Requirements
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Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language.
Must possess the ability to make independent decisions when circumstances warrant such action.
Must possess the ability to deal tactfully with personnel, residents, family members, visitors, government agencies/personnel, and the general public.
Must possess the ability and willingness to work harmoniously with professional and non\-professional personnel.
Must have patience, tact, a cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.
Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices.
Must be able to relate information concerning a resident’s condition.
Physical and Sensory Requirements
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(With or Without the Aid of Mechanical Devices)
Must be able to move intermittently throughout the workday.
Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner.
Must be able to cope with the mental and emotional stress of the position.
Must be able to see and hear or use prosthetics that will enable these senses to function adequately to ensure that the requirements of this position can be full met.
Must function independently, and have flexibility personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with residents, personnel, and support agencies.
Must be in good general health and demonstrate emotional stability.
Must be able to work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and, at times, hostile people within the facility.
Must be able to lift, push, pull, and move a minimum of 50 pounds.
Must be able to assist in the evacuation of residents during emergency situations.