POSITION PURPOSE: 

The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a member of the MercyOne Dubuque/Dyersville Medical Center healthcare team and is under the direct supervision of a registered professional nurse.  CNAs provide holistic, compassionate, individualized, and effective patient care by assisting the patient with activities of daily living, as well as other physical, emotional, and spiritual needs consistent with the Mission of MercyOne and Trinity Health, Vision of Patient Care Services, evidence-based standards of care, and established policies and procedures.  

POSITION EXPECTATIONS: 

Adheres to the principles of caring and expected behaviors outlined in MercyOne Dubuque/Dyersville Medical Center's Model of Caring and Trinity Health's Code of Conduct, fostering a climate where all customers are treated in a manner consistent with MercyOne Dubuque/Dyersville Medical Center's Mission and Values. 

Maintains a working knowledge of applicable Federal, State and local laws and regulations, Trinity Health’s Organizational Integrity Program, Standards of Conduct, as well as other policies and procedures in order to ensure adherence in a manner that reflects honest, ethical and professional behavior. 

Maintains a professional, collaborative work environment so as to foster a positive public image for MercyOne Dubuque/Dyersville Medical Center.   

Knows and adheres to all laws and regulations pertaining to resident health, safety and medical information (i.e., HIPAA, Stark, etc.) 

Attends staff meetings and daily huddles. 

Function in an assistive role under the supervision of the Registered Nurse retaining accountability for one’s own actions and behaviors. 

Continuously seek out opportunities to improve the quality of resident care delivery through innovative and creative problem solving. 

Support and participate in shared leadership and interdisciplinary care. 

Demonstrate ethical conduct and practice consistent with the Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements (2001). 

Contribute to the positive image of the nursing profession and enhance the magnetic culture of the organization by modeling professional behavior both in the organization and in the community. 

Serve as a mentor to students, new nursing assistants, peers, other colleagues, and staff. 

Embrace change and lifelong learning, taking personal accountability to seek out experiences that enhance the ability to maintain skills and competence in clinical practice and role performance. 

Seek feedback concerning one’s own practice. 

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: 

MercyOne Dubuque/Dyersville Medical Center supports a shared leadership philosophy and encourages nursing staff to demonstrate accountability for their own practice. Therefore, the nursing organization reflects a flat structure. The Nursing Assistant reports to a Director, who in turn reports to the Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer.  

NURSING ASSISTANT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Supports the team in identifying resident needs and implementing the outcome/goal-based plan of care. 

• Knows expected outcomes for each resident and assists team to achieve. 

• Assists in monitoring resident condition – (i.e., temp, vitals, blood glucose monitoring, etc.) 

• Assists in educating residents and significant others (i.e., hygiene, positioning, ambulating, etc.) under the direction of the Licensed Nurse. 

• Demonstrate ability to impact change within your department and with other departments. 

• Participates in quality improvement initiatives. 

Assists the resident care team in the delivery of care following the resident care plan. 

• Sets up rooms to receive residents. Restock supplies as needed. 

• Assists in admitting residents and orienting them to the long-term care routine. 

• Makes resident call lights in facility a priority and responds promptly. 

• Provides bathing, showering, oral hygiene, toileting needs and assists with meals. 

• Provides restorative nursing following restorative care plan. 

• Assists with activities, parties, games and events. 

• Assists with prevention of skin breakdown by taking the initiative to reposition residents regularly and ambulate as directed. 

• Transports residents safely. 

• Demonstrates competency in unit specific tasks and seeks assistance when necessary. 

• Participates in “hourly round” process to assure resident safety and that residents needs are being met. 

• Adjusts to team/resident priorities as determined by team leader.  

• Assists others, outside immediate team, when own work assignment completed. 

Communicates relevant clinical information to others to optimize resident outcome/goals. 

• Communicate care effectively: both verbally and written. 

• Actively participates in team communication to modify outcome/goal-based plan of care and to keep the care plan information current. 

• Reports observations of resident(s) responses to care, (i.e., tolerance of ambulation, etc.) 

• Reports and documents accurate resident information such as vital signs, weights, I&O, blood glucose, specimens, calorie counts, etc. 

• Immediately communicates important information to the team leader/RN such as changes in the condition, abnormal vital signs, questions about care, family questions or concerns, etc. 

• Communicates with other departments when needed (i.e., therapies, dietary, etc.) 

• Documents completely, accurately and legibly and in accordance to policy. 

Provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care to the resident population with respect to age specific and culturally sensitive needs as described in the department’s scope of service. 

• Performs tasks/procedures, uses equipment in a cognitive manner. 

• Communicates and works with others in a cognitive manner. 

• Demonstrate a caring practice by respecting the rights of an individual or group. 

Performs unit-based functions as assigned. 

• Completes shift duties as assigned (i.e., cleaning lists, temperature checks, refrigerator temperatures, etc.). 

• Cleans equipment in dirty utility room before end of shift and returns to storage area. 

• Makes rounds in all assigned rooms to assure dirty linen removed, items stocked as needed, and room tidy. 

• Removes equipment/supplies from rooms upon discharge. 

Adheres to all safety, infection control and colleague health policies and procedures. 

• Attends required safety programs. 

• Appropriately and consistently uses the personal protective equipment required of the job. 

• Knows and can demonstrate departmental emergency procedures for fire, disaster and other emergency situations. 

• Actively participates in regularly scheduled drills (Code Red, Green, etc.) and regulatory safety standards. 

• Completes and appropriately routes incident reports in a timely manner. 

• Uses equipment safely and appropriately. 

• Reports and removes unsafe equipment/furniture. 

• Asks for assistance when needed to assure safety for all involved. 

• Maintains a safe working environment and practices safe working habits. 

Respect the confidentiality of an individual or group, unless obligated to disclose under proper authorization or legal compulsion. 

Meet core certified nursing assistant competency requirements and unit-specific competencies upon hire and annually, as appropriate to the practice area.  

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

Employee will work flexible hours. 

In an 8-hour day, the employee must sit for 2 hours, stand for 3 hours, and walk for 3 hours at a minimum. 

Must be able to work under fluctuating demands. 

Employee’s job requires frequent (21-50% of work time) squatting, crawling, crouching, kneeling, and balancing, frequent bending/stooping, and reaching above shoulder level, pushing/pulling. 

Job requires the use of hands for simple and firm grasping and also fine manipulating. 

Job requires lifting and carrying frequent (21-50% of work time) 11-24 lbs., and occasionally (6-10% of work time) up to 50 lbs. without assistance. 

If under age 18, we follow OSHA requirements for manual lift equipment.    

May be exposed to marked change in temperature and humidity, infectious diseases, hazardous waste, and chemicals. 

Must be able to see at a near visual acuity level. 

Must be able to speak. 

Must be able to hear speech. 

Must adhere to applicable organizational requirements on an annual basis for Employee Health Directives. 

MINIMUM EDUCATION, LICENSURE, CERTIFICATION, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: 

Must be 16 years of age.  

Certification in a 75-hour CNA certification program required. 

All Certified Nursing Assistants must be in good standing on the state of Iowa Nursing Aide Registry.    

Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter Training is required within 6 months of hire and every 3 years thereafter. 

Basic Life Support Certification (BLS) will be required within 30 days of hire and every 2 years thereafter. 

Require 12 hours of Continuing Education annually.