Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Noblesville, IN

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician (PCT) 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 follows organization policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulatory requirements. The technician sets up and operates hemodialysis machines, helps maintain a safe and clean work environment, and participates in quality improvement activities focused on patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. The position includes preparing patients and equipment for treatment; monitoring patients and dialysis machines; documenting treatment information; responding to changes in patient condition; collecting laboratory specimens; and supporting infection control. The technician may also assist with patient education, staff training, and transitional dialysis care for newly admitted patients, including education about treatment options and home dialysis.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet applicable CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Hold any applicable state licensure and complete required education and training.
Successfully complete the organization's dialysis training program and CPR certification; continued employment depends on successful completion.
Demonstrate commitment to the organization's culture, values, and customer service standards.
Ability to perform direct patient care that regularly involves heavy lifting and moving patients and assisting with ambulation.
Ability to stand for frequent, prolonged periods and bend over.
Ability to push or pull equipment with 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.
Complete the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Previous patient care experience in a hospital or related facility.

Responsibilities

Welcome assigned patients, ask about their wellbeing since the previous treatment, and provide or reinforce patient-specific education as appropriate.
Assess vascular access, perform cannulation, administer heparin when delegated or permitted by state law, and monitor access during treatment.
Obtain and document pre- and post-treatment weights and vital signs, and perform pre-treatment and post-treatment evaluations.
Initiate, monitor, and discontinue dialysis treatments according to prescribed orders and established procedures.
Calculate and enter dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling; ensure required safety alarms are enabled.
Monitor patient responses and machine safety, identify treatment problems or unusual findings, provide interventions as directed, and report significant changes to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly, including completing treatment sheets and applicable progress notes.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange pickup of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas according to facility policies.
Prepare and organize supplies and equipment, perform required machine alarm testing, initiate the Solution Delivery System, and help prevent supply waste.
Monitor patients performing self-care under registered nurse supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff under the supervision of a nurse.
Follow organizational policies and procedures, maintain a safe and clean environment, and participate in Continuous Quality Improvement activities.
Enter treatment data into the designated clinical application, review treatment sheets for completeness, and help prepare and maintain patient charts and laboratory requisitions.
Support infection-control audits, follow infection-control procedures, and reinforce infection-control education for patients and families under the direction of the center manager or designee, as allowed by state law.
For transitional care patients, coordinate care through the first four weeks of dialysis, reinforce education, coordinate staff visits, explain home dialysis products and treatment options, demonstrate peritoneal dialysis setup, assist with modality transitions, and help manage supplies and inventory.