The purpose of the BirthCare Assistant is to assist the nursing and medical staff with day-to-day operations of the BirthCare Center.  They market the BirthCare Center through their efficiency, positive communication, and contribution to the family-centered care experience.

At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.  

Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in.  Here are just a few:      

• Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program.   

• Dental and health insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members.  

• Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family.   

With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together.   

And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience. 

Find a fulfilling career and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

Receptionist

• Answers the phone promptly and courteously.
• Relays messages accurately and timely.
• Maintains friendly and courteous interpersonal communication patterns.
• Respects patient confidentiality in all communication.
• Directs nursing and medical staff concerns to the appropriate Supervisor.
• Maintains patient/nurse data in the Composer nurse call system and updates information every shift; answers nurse call promptly and courteously.

Clerical Duties

• Accurately and thoroughly develops and maintains the daily worksheets, which is the primary data sheet used by nursing and physicians for the unit’s operations.
• Assembles medical record for scheduled Cesarean patients.  This includes applying patient ID stickers, completing the infant ID bands, and inserting the correct chart pieces.
• Assembles the medical record for every newborn admitted in the normal nursery.
• Notifies infant’s physician that the birth has occurred.
• Reassembles the mother’s medical record for the postpartum period.  This includes the addition of the postpartum routine orders.
• Performs order entry in CareCast for all physician orders.
• Places the CIMS patient charge cards in the supply room.

Labor and Delivery assistance

• Assures that emergency equipment (oxygen, PPE, suction, IV supplies, and resuscitation equipment) is present and in working order for all patient rooms.
• Assembles the equipment needed for a birth in the LDRP.
• Practices sterile technique in setting up the delivery carts.
• Serves as backup personnel for low risk deliveries.
  • Completes baby ID band information.
  • Helps position the patient for birth.
  • Pages personnel needed to attend the delivery.
  • Notes times of significant events to aid the RN in documentation.
• Follows guidelines for handling blood and body fluids when disassembling the delivery cart.
• Follows guidelines for placenta disposal/specimen retrieval and takes specimen to the lab.
• Participates in the LDRP room turn around to transform birthing room into the postpartum room according to turn around policy.

BirthCare Center Floor Supplies and Equipment

• Is responsible for stocking and rotating unit supplies.
• Checks supplies for outdates.
• Checks the LDRP rooms daily,  including refrigerator temps, and maintains a clean, tidy environment for the family.
• Rotates large equipment (fetal monitors, LDRP beds, infant warmer arms) from room to room as part of setting up birthing rooms for delivery and transforming them to postpartum care.
• Performs control testing on the Point of Care testing equipment.

Nursery assistance

• Assists nursing staff in observation and care of the infants in the newborn nursery.
• Performs basic infant care including feeding, diaper changes, bathing.
• Assists in the collection of specimens.
• Assists with circumcisions under the supervision of the nursery RN.
• Transports infants to the main hospital for tests, and to the patient’s rooms.
• Is responsible for maintaining infant security per unit policy, including participating in weekly door checks and periodic safety drills.

Triage assistance

• Greets the patients/families and escorts them to the triage room.
• Performs preliminary screening of the patient including obtaining urine sample, vital signs and weight.
• Performs point of care testing.
• Perform admission procedures, (applies ID bands, prints face sheet and stickers).
• Performs data entry of patient’s information into the WatchChild system.
• Communicates patient’s data to charge nurse.
• Provides ongoing comfort measures for the triage patients and their families.

Patient Care

• Performs vital signs assessments on the adults.
• Performs duties to keep patient’s environment clean and orderly.
• Assists patient in obtaining meals and snacks as needed.
• Ambulates patients.
• Performs car seat checks.
• Escorts families who are being discharged.
• Medications – May assist in transporting medications that are not controlled substances

Operating Room assistance

• Using sterile technique, prepare the operating room for a case.
  • Opens the sterile packs
  • Adds additional supplies to the sterile field that are needed for the case and the individual physician.
• Assists the circulating RN in positioning and supporting the patient during  regional anesthesia administration.
• Assists the circulating RN in inserting the foley,  positioning the patient for surgery and paging the personnel for the case.
• Assists the surgeons in tying sterile gown.
• Assists the cirulator in noting times for documentation.
• Assists circulator in correcting any breaks in the sterile field.
• Is accountable for obtaining additional equipment needed during the case.
• After the cased, performs appropriate tear down, clean up and preparation of the OR for the next case.
• In the recovery room, performs infant warmer clean up and restocking for the next case. 

Effective Communication

• Demonstrates good verbal and written communication skills with patients, families, healthcare team members and other customers. Verbal communication is clear and precise. Written communication is legible, if handwritten, and done in a timely manner using approved abbreviations.
• Verbally presents factual, concise, and timely information and/or patient care data to the RN, the healthcare team, patients and/or family members in a professional manner.
• Real-time EMR documentation is done in accordance with hospital and unit policies.
• Hand-offs will be done with attention to detail and with safety as a high priority. Hand-offs are utilized to communicate patient treatment and assessment information, patient education needs, goals of care and other quality care measures at each change of caregiver or setting of care.
• Collaborates with healthcare team to provide patient care.
  • Consults with RN and/or other healthcare team members, as appropriate.
  • Obtains instruction and supervision, as necessary, when implementing new or unfamiliar tasks or duties.
  • Complies with established department routines, policies and procedures.

• High School diploma or GED
• Maintain current BLS certification
• Writes, reads, speaks, and comprehends fluent English
• Be able to complete a basic computer course on the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) through in-hospital training
• Use of usual and customary equipment used to perform essential functions of the position.