Patient Care Technician - PCT CCHT - Dialysis

Fresenius Medical Care•Philadelphia, PA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician functions as part of a dialysis health care team to provide safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role includes setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, maintaining a safe and clean environment, and supporting the organization’s Quality Enhancement Program and continuous quality improvement activities. The technician provides patient care in accordance with organizational policies and procedures, training, and applicable regulations. The position supports patients throughout dialysis treatment, including welcoming patients, assessing their wellbeing and vascular access, obtaining and documenting vital signs and weights, initiating and discontinuing treatments, monitoring patient responses, responding to treatment issues as directed, and reporting changes or unusual findings to a nurse or supervisor. Responsibilities also include laboratory specimen collection and preparation, accurate clinical documentation, machine and equipment checks, infection control, and assisting with patient education and staff training under nursing supervision. In the Transitional Care Unit, the technician follows newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and helps coordinate transitional care, reinforce education, support understanding of treatment and home dialysis options, and assist with modality transitions, equipment, supplies, and inventory. The work involves direct patient care in a healthcare facility, interaction with patients, staff, and physicians, and travel between assigned facilities and community locations. The role may involve exposure to infectious materials and requires frequent standing, bending, lifting, and moving patients or supplies. The employee must take the Ishihara color blindness test; failing the test does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
Must meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Must meet all applicable state licensure, education, and training requirements.
Demonstrated commitment to the organization’s culture, values, and customer service standards.
Continued employment depends on successful completion of the organization’s dialysis training program and CPR certification.
Must take the Ishihara color blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform direct patient care involving frequent, prolonged standing, bending, assisting with ambulation, and heavy lifting or moving of patients, with assistance or devices available.
Ability to occasionally push or pull equipment using up to 15 pounds of force; frequently lift and lower solutions weighing up to 30 pounds; and occasionally lift up to 40 pounds as high as five feet.
Ability to travel between assigned facilities and various community locations; travel to regional, Business Unit, and Corporate meetings may be required.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist 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 patency, perform cannulation, and administer heparin when delegated or permitted by state law.
Obtain and record pre- and post-treatment vital signs and weights, and perform pre-treatment vascular access evaluations.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood-flow and dialysate-flow settings.
Evaluate intradialytic problems and provide interventions as prescribed or directed; monitor patient responses to dialysis.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion and perform and document the functions necessary to discontinue treatment.
Discontinue dialysis according to established procedures, evaluate patients before termination of venous access, obtain standing and sitting blood pressure readings, achieve hemostasis, and apply dressings.
Evaluate patients before discharge and complete and record pre- and post-dialysis evaluations, weights, and vital signs with initial identification.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure appropriate safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits (NVL) 160.
Record treatment parameters and patient information accurately and promptly on treatment sheets and in clinical applications; complete applicable progress notes.
Report significant information, patient condition changes, unusual findings, and vascular access concerns to a registered nurse or supervisor.
Observe patients and conduct machine safety checks according to facility policy; perform, document, and report interventions for unusual patient status.
Monitor vascular access pressures during treatment and document, intervene, and report unusual findings as appropriate.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests and collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills promptly using the appropriate disinfectant and facility procedures.
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, training systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain a safe and clean environment; clean and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, document as appropriate, perform required pretreatment machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding (PHT), and initiate the Solution Delivery System (SDS).
Complete and document ongoing participation in Continuous Quality Improvement activities.
Review treatment sheets for completeness, confirm 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 and print lab requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens and ensure specimens are collected by the appropriate lab courier.
Assist with infection control audits, support 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 permitted by state law.
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 permitted by state law; coordinate with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and ensure disciplines are scheduled according to plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products, the benefits of home dialysis, treatment options, and peritoneal dialysis setup demonstrations.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit.
Assist with coordination of transitions to patients’ chosen modalities and with Transitional Care Unit supply ordering and inventory.