The Patient Care Attendant is responsible for observing patients to ensure safety and comfort while monitoring for behavioral issues or fall risks. They support the healthcare team by assisting with basic patient needs and reporting any changes in patient condition immediately.
Requirements summary
Candidates must possess a High School Diploma or GED. Less than one year of relevant work experience is required for this position.
high schoolPatient CareCollaborationOral CommunicationSafety AwarenessPatient ObservationBehavioral MonitoringClinical ReportingFall Risk Prevention
Job description
Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.
Organization
VUH
Patient
Care
Attendant
Job
Summary: Assigned to a patient under a healthcare provider’s orders within a hospital setting. Performs tasks that enables the client to feel personal comfort and safety as a key member of the health care team. Responsible for observing the client, monitoring for behavioral issues, fall risks, disorientation, etc., and reporting observations to the licensed healthcare team. . Position Hours 12-hour shifts 24 or 36 hours per week KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Remains close to the patient at all time, and calls for help immediately if any risk to the patient is identified.
Recognizes acute changes in patient safety conditions.
Contacts a member of the healthcare team to report any change in condition or observations made.
Supports patient care under the direction and direct observation of the healthcare team (such as assisting with linen changes, meal tray preparation, and filling of water pitchers).
The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned. TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES
Contract
Negotiating (Fundamental
Awareness): Displays the ability to equitably gain the favor of people from whom something is wanted. Within the context of the job, displays an attitude commensurate with being a good negotiator, including goodwill, collaboration and mutual satisfaction.
Patient
Observation (Fundamental
Awareness): Remains close to the bedside and calls for help immediately if any risk to the patient occurs. Prevents the patient from harming self or others and calls for assistance when necessary.
Safety
Awareness (Fundamental
Awareness): Understands and adheres to safety policies and procedures. Actively participates in ongoing training related to patient safety.
Oral
Communication (Fundamental
Awareness): Demonstrates fundamental command of language and grammar. Clearly and effectively transmits basic ideas and information to others. Listens carefully to others and respects their differences. Expresses technical information clearly. Requests for a patient report at the inception of care, provides patient report at the end of a shift to the clinical team, and provides a handover report, when appropriate. Our clinical and nursing support roles are at the center of all we do, helping us be the world leader in advancing personalized health. We support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at Vanderbilt Health for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose. We support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce.
Benefits
Disability Insurance
Health Insurance
Wellness Offerings
Retirement Offerings
Core
Accountabilities:
Organizational
Impact: Performs tasks that are typically routine that may impact team's performance with occasional guidance.
Problem
Solving/
Complexity of work: Utilizes some discretion and research to solve routine problems.
Breadth of
Knowledge: Applies knowledge of standards, established processes and procedure that apply to your own job.
Team
Interaction: Provides guidance to entry level co-workers.
Core
Capabilities :
Supporting
Colleagues :
Develops
Self and
Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.-
Builds and
Maintains
Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues' priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas.-
Communicates
Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner.
Delivering
Excellent
Services: -
Serves
Others with
Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service.-
Solves
Complex
Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns in a timely manner. -
Offers
Meaningful
Advice and
Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support.
Ensuring
High
Quality: -
Performs
Excellent
Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards. -
Fulfills
Safety and
Regulatory
Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department.
Managing
Resources
Effectively : -
Demonstrates
Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. -
Stewards
Organizational
Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. -
Makes
Data
Driven
Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error.
Fostering
Innovation : -
Generates
New
Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them. -
Applies
Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. -
Adapts to
Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.
Position
Qualifications:
Responsibilities:
Certifications:
Work
Experience:
Relevant
Work
Experience
Experience
Level:
Less than 1 year
Education: High School Diploma or GED This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth. Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled. PEOPLE ARE AT THE HEART OF ALL WE DO.
Our vision: The world leader in advancing personalized health.
Our mission: personalizing the patient experience through our caring spirit and distinctive capabilities. Making Health Care Personal. We’re looking for like-minded individuals driven to make a difference. We invite you to explore careers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At VUMC, we place a priority on designing with and for our patients and families. We value collaboration, embrace continuous learning and discovery, and seek to be a place where everyone has the chance to thrive. We’re the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with a growing team and expanding footprint in towns and communities across the region. We employ more than 28,000 people who work in inpatient and outpatient clinical care, research, and graduate medical education as well as critical supporting roles in administration, information technology and informatics, finance, legal and community affairs, communications and marketing, fund-raising, groundskeeping and facilities, and many more.
Our growing health system has more than 1,700 licensed hospital beds at: Vanderbilt University Hospital Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital It’s also home to hundreds of outpatient clinic and surgical locations throughout the region. We serve our community with many unique and specialized services including the Level 1 Trauma Center, a highly experienced Transplant Center that does the most heart transplants in the world, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Lung Institute, Burn Center and many more. World-leading academic departments and centers make scientific discoveries, advance clinical care and train the next generation of health care professionals. Our robust research enterprise consistently ranks among the highest in the country as measured by peer-reviewed grant funding from the National Institutes of Health. We’re honored to be consistently considered among the nation’s best hospitals, including being nationally ranked in multiple medical specialties for treating the most complex conditions in adults and children by US News and World Report. Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt ranked as the No. 1 children’s hospital in the southeast in 2024. We support each other and encourage excellence among all who are part of our workforce. High-achieving employees stay at VUMC for professional growth, appreciation of benefits, and a sense of community and purpose. Join us in Making Health Care Personal.
