Are you looking to take your career to new heights with a leader in healthcare? SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is one of the nation's leading metropolitan medical centers. As the only academic medical center in Brooklyn, we serve a large population that is among the most diverse in the world. We are also highly-ranked by Castle Connolly Medical, a healthcare rating company for consumers, among the top 5 leading U.S. medical schools for training doctors.

Bargaining Unit:

CSEA

Job Summary:

The Department of Nursing at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is seeking an hourly/per diem Nursing Assistant 1, Float Team. 

Nursing Assistants provide care to individuals in hospitals and long-term care facilities operated by New York State. Care ranges from attending to patients’ personal hygiene needs, to performing a limited number of simple treatments and therapies under direction of licensed clinical staff. Incumbents provide direct hands-on care to individuals by assisting with bathing, dressing, perineal care, mobility, eating, and other daily living activities.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Nursing Assistant 1: entry level; performs basic patient care duties under direction of a nurse, physician, or other clinician; may assist Nursing Assistants 2, physicians, and nurses in the performance of care functions. Incumbents at this level receive in-service training in a limited number of care procedures, leading to eligibility to qualify for appointment to Nursing Assistant 2. 

Nursing Assistants have frequent face-to-face communication with patients and visitors for the purposes of conveying treatment procedure and visitor information. Incumbents attempt to encourage and support patients who may be despondent or apprehensive, and regularly communicate with clinical staff to convey information on patients’ physical conditions and responses to treatment. This information includes items such as observable physical behavioral changes, fatigue levels, and general behaviors and responses to routine treatments, such as foot soaks. 

Illustrative Duties

Nursing Assistant 1 - Under direct clinical supervision, performs the following duties:

• Changes simple dressings as directed, gives enemas, douches, and irrigations as directed.
• Applies abdominal “T” binders, hot water bottles, aqua “K” pads, ice bags, and coolers, and hot and cold compresses to patients as directed.
• Assists patients in collecting urine and stool specimens.
• Observes and records patients’ quantitative food and fluid intake and waste output. 
• Takes temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and respiration rate.
• Gives therapeutic baths such as sitz and fever sponge baths.
• Measures and records height and weight.
• Inspects functioning oxygen therapy equipment including tents, masks, and cannulae to ensure appropriate functioning. 
• Recognizes and reports abnormal signs and symptoms of common diseases and conditions to clinical staff.
• Applies splints, braces, slings and other self-help devices.
• Operates a variety of specialized patient monitoring and treatment devices.
• Attends to patients’ hygiene and daily living needs in order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to patient comfort and treatment. Examples include bathing and dressing patients, brushing teeth, and trimming nails. 
• Collects and carries patients’ laundry and dry cleaning and delivers objects to appropriate locations in the health care facility. 
• Receives patients’ belongings and transports objects to safe storage, keeping appropriate records.
• Feeds patients requiring assistance.
• As directed by clinical staff, moves, positions, lifts and transports patients using a variety of lifts and other aids in order to make patients comfortable, prepare patients for treatment, deliver patients to treatment areas, and to prevent contractures. 
• Brings bedpans and urinals to patients requiring assistance and attends to incontinent patients. 
• Talks and listens to patients and responds by encouraging patients to cooperate and participate in treatment activities. 
• May transport patients and supplies on occasion. 
• May perform a variety of limited housekeeping and cleaning duties related to direct patient care in order to ensure that treatment and patient areas are clean, sanitary, orderly, and properly supplied.

Required Qualifications:

• Non-Competitive: possession of or ability to acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities during the probationary period.

Preferred Qualifications:

55 B/C Qualifications: 

• Individuals certified eligible for the 55 B/C program under the Governor's Program to Hire Persons/Veterans with Disabilities pursuant to Section 55 B/C of the Civil Service Law will also be considered. To be considered, you must provide a copy of your letter of eligibility with your response.
• It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications above may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

Work Schedule:

Salary Grade/Rank:

Salary Range:

As per civil service guidelines

• Hiring Rate: $17.35 per hour

Executive Order:

Pursuant to Executive Order 161, no State entity, as defined by the Executive Order, is permitted to ask, or mandate, in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current compensation, or any prior compensation history, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation.  If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at info@goer.ny.gov.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction, and all other protected classes under federal or state laws.

Women, minorities, veterans, individuals with disabilities and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, or in order to perform the essential functions of a position, please contact Human Resources at ada@downstate.edu