Patient Care Technician - PCT CCHT - Dialysis

Fresenius Medical Care•Glendale, CA

12d•$25 - $30•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician (PCT) works as part of a dialysis healthcare team to provide safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role follows organizational policies, procedures, and training, as well as applicable corporate, state, and federal regulations. The technician sets up and operates hemodialysis machines, helps maintain a safe and clean workplace, and supports the organization’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) and continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities, including efforts related to patient satisfaction and improvement of patient outcomes. The position provides direct patient care throughout dialysis treatment, including patient assessments, vascular access care, treatment initiation and discontinuation, monitoring and responding to patient conditions, documentation, laboratory specimen handling, and infection-control practices. It also includes support for transitional-care patients during their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforcing education, coordinating care and treatment options, and assisting with home dialysis orientation and supplies. The work includes desk and computer tasks and interaction with patients, facility staff, and physicians. Travel between assigned facilities and community locations is required; travel to regional, Business Unit, and Corporate meetings may also be required. The setting is a healthcare facility with controlled air temperature and moderate noise, with possible exposure to infectious or contagious diseases and materials. Direct patient care involves frequent and prolonged standing, bending, heavy lifting and moving of patients, and assisting with ambulation. The employee may occasionally push or pull equipment with up to 15 pounds of force, frequently lift or lower solutions weighing up to 30 pounds, and occasionally lift up to 40 pounds as high as 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; failing the test does not 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 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 and CPR certification; continued employment depends on successful completion.
CHT certification is required, as indicated in the posting.

Nice To Haves

Previous patient-care experience in a hospital or related facility is preferred.

Responsibilities

Assist healthcare team members in educating patients about adequacy measures, disease processes, and vascular access, as appropriate.
Welcome assigned patients and ask about their wellbeing since their previous treatment.
Assess vascular access patency, cannulate vascular access, and administer heparin when delegated or permitted by state law.
Obtain and document pre- and post-treatment weights and vital signs, and perform pre-treatment vascular access evaluations.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood and dialysate flow settings.
Evaluate and respond to intradialytic problems as prescribed or directed, monitor patients’ responses to therapy, and report significant changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; discontinue dialysis according to established procedures; assess patients before termination of venous access, including standing and sitting blood pressure; achieve hemostasis and apply dressings; and evaluate patients before discharge.
Calculate and enter prescribed individual dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goal, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure required machine safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits (NVL) 160, and conduct patient and machine safety checks according to facility policy.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, assessments, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly on treatment sheets and, when applicable, progress notes.
Monitor vascular access during treatment, including arterial and venous pressures; intervene as appropriate, document, and report unusual findings.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests and collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange courier collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills promptly with the appropriate disinfectant and prepare, organize, and use supplies and equipment efficiently to prevent waste.
Monitor patients performing self-care under registered nurse 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 incorporated into training.
Maintain a safe, clean, and orderly environment; clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis, document as appropriate, perform required pretreatment machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding Test (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, confirm nursing signatures, and ensure omitted entries are completed or corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and admission paperwork, and prepare or print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens.
Assist with infection-control audits, support staff and patient adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies and procedures, and reinforce infection-control education for patients and families under appropriate direction.
Follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients as permitted by state law; liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and ensure disciplines are scheduled according to the care plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products and benefits, treatment options, and how home dialysis may work for them, including demonstrating peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatments on all machines used in the Transitional Care Unit (TCU), assist with coordination of transitions to patients’ chosen modalities, and assist with TCU supply ordering and inventory.