Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Oshkosh, WI

12d

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician works 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, assisting with patient care and education, monitoring patients during treatment, documenting care, and maintaining a safe and clean clinical environment. The technician follows organizational policies and procedures and applicable regulations, and supports quality improvement and patient satisfaction activities. The position also supports transitional care for newly admitted dialysis patients during their first four weeks, reinforcing education, coordinating care with other staff, helping patients understand treatment options and home dialysis, and assisting with transition to the patient's chosen modality. The work takes place in a health care facility and involves interaction with patients, facility staff, and physicians. It includes direct patient care, travel between assigned facilities and community locations, frequent prolonged standing and bending, and regularly lifting or moving patients. The employee may encounter infectious materials and must complete an Ishihara color blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the applicable state or CMS timeline.
Meet any 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; continued employment is dependent on successful completion.
Successfully complete CPR certification; continued employment is dependent on successful completion.
Be able to perform direct patient care involving regular heavy lifting and moving of patients and assistance with ambulation, with equipment or coworker assistance available.
Be able to stand for frequent, prolonged periods and bend over.
Be able to occasionally push or pull equipment using up to 15 pounds of force; frequently lift and lower solutions up to 30 pounds; and occasionally lift up to 40 pounds as high as five feet.
Take the Ishihara color blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist in providing patient-specific education about adequacy measures, disease processes, and vascular access.
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-, during-, and post-treatment vital signs and weights, and evaluate patients before, during, and after treatment.
Initiate, monitor, and discontinue dialysis treatments according to prescribed orders and established procedures.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure appropriate machine safety alarms are enabled and perform machine safety checks and required pretreatment alarm testing.
Monitor patients' response to dialysis, assess and intervene in treatment problems as prescribed or directed, and report significant changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor.
Monitor vascular access pressures during treatment, intervene as needed, and document and report unusual findings.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly in required records and clinical systems.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; prepare, label, store, and arrange collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills promptly using the appropriate disinfectant and prepare, organize, and use supplies and equipment efficiently.
Monitor patients performing self-care under RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Maintain a safe, clean environment and clean and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Complete and document participation in Continuous Quality Improvement activities; review treatment sheets for completeness and help ensure omissions are corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and associated paperwork and prepare or print laboratory requisitions.
Support infection-control practices, audits, and patient and family education under the direction of the care manager or designee, as permitted by state law.
Follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Coordinate with appropriate staff so patients receive services and appointments according to their care plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products, benefits, treatment options, and peritoneal dialysis setup; assist with transition to the patient's chosen modality.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the transitional care unit and assist with its supply ordering and inventory.