Children's National Medical Center Washington , DC 20319
Posted 2 weeks ago
The 7 East Medical Care Unit, right after its recent merge with the 7 East IRU Unit is an exciting, innovative, dynamic, fast-paced, 50-bed, acute care unit, and the first-choice unit for patients with diabetes, metabolic and GI, pulmonary illnesses, as well as numerous other general medical disorders.
7 East is known for its teamwork and multidisciplinary approach to the delivery of quality patient care. We value life-long learning, which is evident in the caring and expert way in which we welcome and train new team member and in how we support continual learning for all our staff. We continuously reflect on our practices, staff development and patient outcomes to ensure that we unfailingly provide high quality and safe patient care. The 7 East team is known for its amazing teamwork and supportive work environment.
In collaboration with and under the supervision of a Registered Nurse the Unit Support Associate will assist in activities directly related to the care of patients and operation of the unit. This will include but is not limited to providing direct 1:1 observation of patients related to safety or behavioral issues. Support the unit function by assisting in the maintenance of supplies, operations
Minimum Education
High School Diploma or GED (Required)
Required Skills/Knowledge
Basic computer skills preferred
knowledge of child development preferred
Required Licenses and Certifications
Basic Life Support for Healthcare Provider (BLS) (Required)
Functional Accountabilities
Maintain Patient Safety
Maintain environmental safety through room sweep and checklist
Adhere to principles of pediatric safety through use of handrails, seat belts and direct observation.
Never leave patient unattended
Intervene quickly to calm, redirect, reorient patient, or guide patient to prevent harm to self or others.
Remain in patient room unless relieved by nurse or another Unit support associate
Accompany patient for any procedures off the unit
Meet/Satisfy Patient Needs
Engage patient in distracting, age appropriate goal oriented behavior, provide activities and conversations that are distracting and therapeutic (discuss with bedside RN)
Reinforces positive behavior
Assist with linen changes and room stocking
Assist in activities of daily living, including but not limited to washing, toileting, position changes and assistance with meals
Maintain universal precautions
Assist with providing breaks as directed by Charge Nurse
Maintain a Clean and Safe Environment
Keep room clean and tidy
Maintain a calm environment
When not responsible for direct patient observation stock unit, nurse servers, carts etc as directed by charge nurse.
Monitor common unit areas for cleanliness, stock par levels and supplies
Reports safety hazards to staff i.e. broken furniture/broken equipment
Assist in a variety of unit support activities as directed by Charge Nurse i.e. room set up, answer call bells, customer service activities.
Effective Communication with Other Staff
Reports pertinent patient information and call for assistance if the patient develops destructive behaviors i.e. pulling lines.
With RN establishes priorities for individual patient communicates with team members in establishing priority tasks.
Maintains regular communication with RN related to assigned duties and patient behavior; preforms activities within prescribed scope, seeks clarification when needed
Immediately report escalating behaviors to RN
Confers with RN when confronted with unfamiliar patient care issue.
Ensure information sharing when handing off to new Safety attendant
Organizational Accountabilities
Organizational Accountabilities (Staff)
Organizational Commitment/Identification
Teamwork/Communication
Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behavior
Partner with all team members to achieve goals
Receptive to others' ideas and opinions
Performance Improvement/Problem-solving
Contribute to a positive work environment
Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to change
Identify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processes
Make appropriate decisions, using sound judgment
Cost Management/Financial Responsibility
Use resources efficiently
Search for less costly ways of doing things
Safety
Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance
Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation
Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation
Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication
Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers
Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performance
Children's National Medical Center