Patient Care Associate-Medicine/Surgery

About the Role

Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC) is the major tertiary care provider in the borough of Queens, comprised of 545 beds. It is a Level I Trauma Center, an Emergency Heart Care Station, and a 911 Receiving Hospital, serving key areas such as Surgery, Cardiology, Women's Health, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation Medicine, Renal, and Mental Health Services.

Key Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of a licensed Nurse or other professional medical staff, performs a variety of clerical and health-related duties associated with patient care.

• Checks vital signs, weighs and measures patients, obtains specimens, and records findings on the patient's chart.
• Instructs patients on specimen collection for laboratory testing and performs basic specimen screening (dipstick and hemoccult).
• Prepares collected specimens for pick-up by labeling and preparing required forms.
• Performs vision and hearing testing and simple urinalysis.
• Administers emergency first aid, including basic life support procedures.
• Performs simple first aid such as dressing changes, bandaging, wound cleansing, and ear irrigation/cleansing.
• Prepares patients for examination and assists medical providers during examinations.
• Prepares examination rooms, including cleaning and disinfecting instruments and equipment.
• Informs patients on proper preparation for medical testing.
• Interviews patients to obtain routine personal and medical information and health history.
• Maintains, completes, processes, and files patient charts, appropriate forms, and documents.
• Reports observations of patients to clinical staff.
• Answers routine patient inquiries and makes appropriate referrals.
• Provides information to patients and families regarding healthcare services and healthy living.
• Maintains inventory of unit equipment, stock, and supplies.
• Works effectively as a team member and assists in the orientation of new employees.
• Directs and escorts patients to other departments or healthcare settings.
• Coordinates scheduling and re-booking of appointments through manual and/or automated systems.
• Enters pertinent patient information into Electronic Medical Record systems.
• Obtains blood specimens for laboratory testing through venipuncture and/or fingerstick testing.
• Operates electrocardiograph (EKG) equipment to record electrical wave tracings of the heart.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• High school diploma or its educational equivalent.
• Successful completion of training courses including the performance of phlebotomy and electrocardiography (EKG), or completion of a training program covering these areas (e.g., Phlebotomy Technician, EKG Technician, Patient Care, or Medical Assistant training programs).
• Holds, or obtains through facility orientation, a valid and current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) through the American Heart Association (AHA).

Special Note: Assignment to a long-term care facility requires New York State Nurse’s Aide certification.