Patient Care Technician - Medicine Specialty Unit

University of Iowa Health Care seeks patient care technicians to assist nursing teams on the Medicine Specialty Unit, where adults receive treatment for pulmonary disorders including respiratory infections. This unit addresses gastrointestinal issues like inflammatory bowel disease and renal problems such as acute kidney injury. Technicians focus on endocrine disorders stemming from diabetes and circulatory conditions including hypertension, as well as neurological ailments like strokes and infections spread through multidrug-resistant organisms such as MRSA.

University of Iowa Health Care serves as Iowa's only comprehensive academic medical center and a regional referral center. More than 12,000 employees, students, and volunteers deliver safe, quality health care daily. The Medicine Specialty Unit operates within the Medical Surgical Services Division, emphasizing teamwork among physicians, nursing staff, physical therapists, social workers, and consulting disciplines to provide holistic patient-centered care and support professional growth.

Technicians measure vital signs using thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and stethoscopes to record temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. They conduct medical asepsis during phlebotomy, peripheral IV removal, and Foley catheter removal, ensuring isolation for infected patients. Duties include performing enemas, preoperative skin preparation, dressing changes on wounds, urine specimen collection, and applying binders or braces. Under nurse supervision, they collect and process electrocardiograms, assist with patient admissions, transfers, and discharges. Technicians provide hygiene support with baths and oral care, turn patients to prevent bedsores using bed rails, ambulate patients with walkers or wheelchairs, and manage intake and output logging for foods like pureed diets and fluids. They participate in care conferences, clean patient rooms with disinfectants and approved cleaning products, stock supplies such as gowns and linens, and assemble equipment like infusion pumps for diagnostic procedures. In this fast-paced environment, a key challenge involves maintaining accurate records amidst high patient turnover and varied schedules including weekend and holiday rotations.

The role offers a 90% schedule amounting to 36 hours per week on day shifts from 7 am to 7:30 pm, with weekend and holiday rotations, at University of Iowa Health Care's University Campus. Compensation follows the Merit Pay Plan, featuring paid vacation, sick leave, health insurance including dental and life options, disability coverage, and employer contributions to retirement plans. Daily work involves interaction with patients, families, physicians, nurses, and administrative staff using hospital equipment and supplies.