Resident Care Assistant

Reports To:  Nurse Supervisor or Charge Nurse                             

QUALIFICATION STANDARDS:

1. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  Must be knowledgeable in and demonstrate the ability to provide a safe environmental, emotional, physical and psychological support to residents.
    
   Typical physical demand:  Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting residents, manual and dexterity and eye-hand coordination.  Requires standing and walking for extensive periods of time.  Occasionally lifts and carries items weighing up to 75 pounds.  Requires corrected vision and hearing to normal range.  Requires working under stressful conditions or working irregular hours.  Ability is required in English grammar, reading and writing.
2. Education:  High school graduate or GED preferred.  Certified geriatric nurses aide ideal.  Home health aide certificate ideal
3. Experience:  Previous work experience in the health care of the older adult preferred.
4. Certificate/Licenses:  (1) Home health certificate (2) certified nurses aide (3) CPR or first aide certificates ideal and (4) valid driver’s license ideal.

EQUIPMENT TO OPERATE TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Blood pressure cuff and sphygmomanometer
2. Thermometer
3. Wheelchair
4. Telephone
5. CPR mask/ambu bag
6. Emergency oxygen equipment
7. Thermometer
8. Sphygmomanometer

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:  The employee must be able to perform these essential functions with or without a reasonable accommodation by the employer, without posing a direct threat to himself/herself or to others.  (This list may not include all of the duties.)

• Interacts with all residents, families, visitors, and fellow employees in a mature, responsible manner to ensure a positive professional living and working environment.
• Displays ability to appropriately express one’s own opinion and ideas relating to daily resident operations and to responsibilities assigned.  Supports the final decision of the Shift Supervisor.  Avoids involvement in conflict situations with others.
• Conducts all work activities in resident areas with respect for the rights and wishes of residents, other employees and visitors, including the maintenance of a pleasant quiet environment.
• Consistently remains calm during stressful situations and vents emotions and frustrations appropriately.
• Maintains confidentiality of all resident and facility information as required by facility policy.  Discourages gossip.
• Consistently uses proper body mechanics and identifies potentially unsafe practices and notifies supervisor.
• Completes all employee/resident incident documentation in a thorough and timely manner.  Anticipates unsafe conditions and proactively notifies supervisor to assist in avoiding employee and/or resident incidents.
• Demonstrates complete understanding of emergency procedures for department and the facility.
• Consistently and appropriately follows personnel policies and the facility’s administrative policies.
• Presents a clean, professional appearance to include the wearing of a nametag.
• Uses, cleans and maintains all company equipment properly to safeguard the facility’s investment.
• Practices infection control and universal precautions as instructed and trained.  Initiates reminders to co-workers and discusses lapses with supervisor.
• Incurs no more than three (3) episodes of unscheduled absences in a review year as noted in the attendance record.  Incurs no more than three (3) episodes of unscheduled tardiness in a review year as noted in the attendance record.  Requests scheduled time off and notification of unscheduled absences or tardiness in accordance with departmental procedures as noted by supervisor.
• Maintains resident rooms, utility rooms and storage areas in a neat, clean, orderly manner.  Disposes of soiled linen in designated areas and distributes clean linen to residents.
• Completes laundry services as scheduled.  Laundered clothing is returned clean, neatly folded and put away.  Demonstrates proper use of all laundry facilities and understands laundry procedures.  (As applies in this facility.)
• Attends 75% of unit based staff meetings and demonstrates review of minutes for others.
• Administers resident’s personal hygiene regimen as indicated by facility policy and procedures.  These include:  A.M. and P.M. care, showers, skin care and inspection, oral hygiene, proper dressing with clean clothing, hair and nail care, foley care, etc.
• Answers call lights and communicates needs to appropriate person when unable to independently meet the request.  Demonstrates ability to prioritize call light requests and to make certain all are taken care of in a timely fashion.
• Changes bed liner, make beds and straightens room for assigned residents.  Load and push clean and soiled laundry carts.
• Assist with toileting needs of the individual resident by providing assistance with transfer to the toilet or changing briefs and cleaning resident as needed.
• Provides assistance to meet residents’ nutritional needs.  This includes helping to serve meals and snacks, cutting up resident’s food if needed, ensuring that special need diets are given the appropriate meals, monitoring intake and assisting with feeding when needed.  Recognizes and corrects deviations from resident’s normal response to nutritional plan.
• Prepares and transports residents for timely arrival in dining room, recreation areas and activities.  Assists residents in transfer to and from wheelchair, assists in walking or assists in lifting residents as needed.  Returns resident in a timely manner when function is over.
• Completes the following according to facility policies and procedures:  Vital Signs, Height and Weight, Urine and stool specimen collection, skin survey sheets, and resident information forms.  Ensures all data is collected and recorded and alerts charge nurse to changes in a resident’s norm.
• Bus dining room tables as required (clear tables, scrape dishes, load service/utility cart with dirty dishes.)
• Stand and wait around facility for extensive records of time.
• Provide a timely record of resident activities in nursing station log book.  Receives and gives daily reports on residents’ status and needs.
• Reviews information on all new residents to insure that proper assistance is given.  Orients new resident and family to new environment, activities and dining routines and introduces to roommates and table mates.
• Completes admission requirements in a timely manner (vital signs, skin survey sheets, explanation and reinforcement of call bell system, etc.).
• Follows all guidelines of the Department of Welfare as they apply to the nursing department.
• Performs any other duties as assigned by Resident Care Director and/or Administrator.
• Launder resident personal laundry and facility linens as indicated.
• Performs daily housekeeping duties in the resident’s room (i.e., pick up trash, straighten up the room, organize bedside tables, wipe up spills).