Patient Companion / Virtual Patient Observation Program

Patient Companion

Virtual Patient Observation program is looking for a Patient Companion. Is that you?

Work location: This position is onsite at Texas Health Dallas – 8200 Walnut Hill Lane, Dallas, Texas 75231

Work hours: Day shift (7a-7p), Full time position – 3 (12)s, rotating days, weekends and holidays

Department Highlights

• Strong teamwork and collaboration
• Professional advancement opportunities
• Opportunity to innovate healthcare

Here’s What You Need

• High School Diploma or Equivalent required
• Acute Care experience preferred
• 1 year experience in an patient care setting/role such as a Nurse Aide’s, Patient Care Tech, Monitor Tech, or other nursing support role required

Position Responsibilities

The Virtual Care Patient Companion is a member of the health care team working remotely from centralized location under the direct supervision of the Nurse Manager of the Virtual Care Center. The Virtual Care Companion provides continuous technology enabled monitoring and surveillance/observation with intervention steps and escalation paths to support patient safety and prevention of injury.

In addition to the required qualifications, a successful Virtual Care Patient Companion will

• Utilizes the technology required for virtual patient observation and interventions for safe patient care.

• Demonstrates competency in the set-up and ongoing use of virtual patient observation monitoring software, computer hardware, and communication devices.

• Collaborates with hospital unit nursing staff to set up camera to optimize patient visibility and conduct positive patient identification.

• Assures alarms are activated with appropriate settings and are sufficiently audible.

• Maintains continuous visual observation of multiple patients at one time on a monitor; assures a co-worker is monitoring assigned patients during breaks or other temporary situations when unable to maintain continuous observation (e.g., when engaged in two-way video call)

• Redirects patients promptly to maintain patient safety.

• Notifies patient’s RN and/or hospital unit staff promptly when in-person interventions are needed for patient safety by using available communication/software tools.

• Intervenes and/or seeks assistance immediately when patient appears to pose a threat to themselves or others. Prioritizes patient safety interventions over routine tasks.

• Participates in collaborative identification and reporting of patient safety issues. Escalates unresolved safety concerns to the appropriate party (e.g., hospital unit charge nurse, virtual patient observation supervisor, virtual care manager, and/or virtual care resource nurse).

• Communicates effectively with co-workers, patients, family members, and/or hospital staff; conducts self in a professional manner, using accountability in communication to resolve problems in an open, timely manner.

• Participates in hand-off of pertinent information/behavior about assigned patients at the start and upon completion of shift assignment.

• Maintains vigilance in observation of patients for safety by not engaging in any distractions, including but not limited to, the use of personal cell phones, computer access, reading material, or other visual material not directly involved with care of the patient.

• Documents patient monitoring status and interventions in the medical record timely and accurately.

• Troubleshoots monitoring difficulties; alerts vendor of any software problems.

• Serves as a resource to hospital staff for basic hardware troubleshooting and/or refers hospital staff to alert vendor or service desk.

• Processes admissions and dismissals promptly. Prepares monitoring software for admissions upon receipt of order.

• Always maintains patient confidentiality.

• Maintains appropriate monitoring, technology, communication, and documentation skills.

• Serves as a patient advocate.

• Actively participates in supporting and informally training peers.

• Accepts other duties as assigned.

Additional perks of being a Texas Health employee

• Strong Unit Based Council (UBC).
• A supportive, team environment with outstanding opportunities for growth.
• Explore our Texas Health careers site for info like Benefits, Job Listings by Category, recent Awards we’ve won and more.
• Benefits include 401k, PTO, medical, dental, Paid Parental Leave, flex spending, tuition reimbursement, Student Loan Repayment Program as well as several other benefits.

Do you still have questions or concerns? Feel free to email your questions to [email protected].