Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Savannah, GA

About The Position

Functions as part of the dialysis health care team, providing safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse and in accordance with organizational policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulations. Sets up and operates hemodialysis machines and helps maintain a safe, clean work environment. Supports the Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities, including patient satisfaction and process-improvement efforts. Provides patient education support and dialysis treatment assistance, including welcoming patients, assessing their wellbeing and vascular access, obtaining weights and vital signs, initiating and discontinuing treatments, monitoring patients and machine safety, documenting treatment information, and reporting significant changes to a registered nurse or supervisor. Collects and prepares prescribed laboratory specimens and helps ensure accurate clinical records. Assists with staff training under nurse supervision and maintains environmental cleanliness and infection-control practices. In the Transitional Care Unit, supports newly admitted patients during their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, coordinates care and treatment-option discussions, assists with transitions to the patient’s chosen modality, and helps manage supplies and inventory. The role involves work in a health care facility and travel between assigned facilities and community locations; travel to regional, Business Unit, and Corporate meetings may be required. Work includes computer and desk tasks and direct patient care. Employees may be exposed to infectious or contagious diseases or materials. Physical duties include frequent, prolonged standing, bending, heavy lifting and moving patients, assisting with ambulation, and occasionally pushing or pulling equipment. Solutions may need to be lifted frequently up to 30 pounds and occasionally up to 40 pounds to a height of five feet; assistance and material-handling devices are available for heavier items. Employees must take the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment, but failing it does not preclude employment; reasonable accommodations will be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Meet all applicable state licensure, education, and training requirements.
Demonstrate commitment to the organization’s culture, values, and customer-service standards.
Successfully complete the organization’s dialysis training program to remain employed.
Successfully complete CPR certification to remain employed.
Take the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations will be considered.
Ability to perform the physical duties described, including prolonged standing, bending, lifting and moving patients, assisting with ambulation, and lifting solutions and equipment.

Nice To Haves

Previous patient care experience in a hospital setting or related facility.

Responsibilities

Assist health care team members with patient-specific education about adequacy measures, disease processes, and vascular access, as appropriate.
Welcome assigned patients and ask about their wellbeing since their last treatment.
Evaluate vascular access, perform cannulation, and administer heparin when delegated or permitted by state law.
Obtain and document pre- and post-treatment weights and vital signs, including initial identification and required vascular-access evaluations.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood-flow and dialysate-flow settings.
Calculate and enter prescribed patient-specific dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and UF modeling.
Ensure required safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits (NVL) 160.
Monitor patients’ responses to therapy, evaluate intradialytic problems, and provide prescribed or directed interventions; document interventions and responses.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion, perform required treatment-discontinuation functions, and document them.
Discontinue treatment according to established procedures, assess patients before venous-access termination, obtain standing and sitting blood pressures, achieve hemostasis, and apply appropriate dressings.
Evaluate patients before discharge and report significant information, changes in condition, unusual findings, or access concerns to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Observe patients and conduct machine safety checks according to facility policy.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange courier collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills promptly with appropriate disinfectant and prepare, organize, and use supplies and equipment efficiently to prevent waste.
Monitor patients performing self-care under RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational business policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain safe, clean, and orderly areas; clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, complete required documentation, perform pretreatment machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding (PHT), and initiate the Solution Delivery System (SDS).
Participate in and document ongoing CQI activities; enter treatment data accurately and promptly in the designated clinical application.
Review treatment sheets for completeness and nursing signatures, and ensure omitted entries are completed or corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and paperwork for admission and placement in the chart.
Prepare or print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens according to laboratory destination.
Assist with infection-control audits, support staff and patient adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies and procedures, and reinforce patient and family education under the direction of the CM or designee as allowed by state law.
In the Transitional Care Unit, follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care matters for new patients as allowed by state law; liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and ensure disciplines are scheduled according to the plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products and benefits and how home dialysis may work for them; explain treatment options, including demonstrating peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatments on all machines used in the Transitional Care Unit.
Assist with coordinating the transition to the patient’s chosen modality and with Transitional Care Unit supply ordering and inventory.