Nursing Assistant (Inpatient Care)

Quick Facts

• Role: Nursing Assistant (Inpatient Care)

• Setting: Inpatient hospital unit; supports diagnostic and nursing care under RN/LPN direction

• Schedule: Three 12-hour shifts weekly (7:30am–8:00pm) plus one 8-hour shift every other week; rotating weekends and holidays

Description

The Nursing Assistant provides direct patient care and supports nursing treatments and diagnostic procedures as part of the treatment team. The role includes hygiene and mobility assistance, specimen collection, vital signs and documentation, maintaining medical supplies, and communication with patients and families. The assistant also performs selected procedures with documented competency and training and reports patient changes to the supervising RN/Charge Nurse.

Responsibilities

• Answer call lights promptly and take appropriate actions

• Assist with occupied/empty bed making; therapeutic baths and soaks

• Provide personal care: bathing, dressing, feeding, turning, toileting

• Collect specimens (including sputum and urine) and perform specimen-related tasks as instructed

• Enter required information into the medical record; report changes and progress notes

• Take and record vital signs; maintain and store medical supplies

• Support nursing treatments and patient teaching reinforcement

• Support isolation care and teach visitors protective procedures and PPE use

• Set up/administer oxygen and postural drainage as instructed

• Perform urinary catheter care and apply external urinary devices; assist with straight cath and catheter insertion following CAUTI procedures

• Assist with enemas and suppositories with supervision (with competency and training)

• Provide emergency assistance (CPR, seizure response, Heimlich maneuver, hemorrhage response) and support post-mortem care

• Assist with colostomy/urostomy care after nurse instruction

• Assist with patient admissions; perform oral suctioning

• Complete hourly observation rounds and maintain constant observation during off-unit escorts

• Attend required training for disturbed behavior management and participate as part of the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT)

• Perform unit-based testing per protocol (e.g., breathalyzer, blood glucose testing)

• Provide emotional support to seriously ill/terminal patients and families

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases

• Paid time off: 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year (annual leave, sick leave, and federal holidays)

• Parental leave (after 12 months of employment)

• Child care subsidy (after 60 days of employment for eligible full-time employees)

• Retirement: traditional federal pension and federal 401K with up to 5% employer contribution

• Insurance: federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care options (many may be carried into retirement)