Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Pflugerville, TX

12d

About The Position

Functions as part of the dialysis health care team to provide safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse and in accordance with organizational policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulations. The role is responsible for setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, maintaining a safe and clean working environment, and supporting the organization’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) and continuous quality improvement activities. The position also supports patient satisfaction and process improvements intended to help patients achieve quality goals. The technician welcomes and monitors patients throughout dialysis treatment, checks vascular access, obtains vital signs and weights, initiates and discontinues treatment according to orders and procedures, monitors responses, documents treatment information, and reports significant changes to a registered nurse or supervisor. Other duties include collecting laboratory specimens, maintaining infection-control practices, cleaning and testing equipment, and completing required records and quality-improvement activities. In the Transitional Care Unit, the technician follows newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, coordinates care with appropriate staff, supports patients in understanding treatment and home-dialysis options, and assists with treatment-option transitions and supply management. The work includes desk and computer tasks as well as direct patient care. It requires travel between assigned facilities and community locations; travel to regional, business-unit, and corporate meetings may also be required. The healthcare-facility environment has controlled air temperature and moderate noise, with possible exposure to infectious or contagious diseases and materials. The position involves frequent, prolonged standing, bending, heavy lifting and moving of patients, and assisting with ambulation. Employees 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; failing it does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet applicable 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 organizational culture, values, and customer-service standards.
Successfully complete the organization’s dialysis training program for continued employment.
Successfully complete CPR certification for continued employment.
Take the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failure does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform the described physical duties, including frequent and prolonged standing, bending, lifting and moving patients, and assisting with ambulation.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist healthcare team members in providing 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 for patency, perform cannulation, and administer heparin when delegated or permitted by state law.
Obtain and document pre- and post-treatment vital signs and weights, and evaluate vascular access before treatment.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood-flow and dialysate-flow settings.
Calculate and enter prescribed machine programming, including ultrafiltration goal, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling; ensure required safety alarms are enabled.
Monitor patients’ responses to dialysis, evaluate intradialytic problems, and intervene as prescribed or directed.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; perform functions necessary to discontinue treatment, evaluate patients before termination, obtain hemostasis, and apply appropriate dressings.
Evaluate patients before discharge and complete and document pre- and post-dialysis assessments.
Record accurate, timely vital signs, treatment parameters, treatment documentation, and progress notes where applicable.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, unusual findings, and vascular-access concerns to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Observe patients and perform machine safety checks according to facility policy; document interventions and patient responses.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange 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 in training applicable direct patient-care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational business policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain a safe, clean environment and clean and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatment, document preparation as appropriate, perform required machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding Test, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Complete and document participation in Continuous Quality Improvement activities and enter treatment data accurately and promptly in the designated clinical application.
Review treatment sheets for completeness, check for nursing signatures, and ensure omitted entries are completed or corrected by the appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and admission paperwork, prepare or print laboratory requisitions, and ensure specimens are collected by the appropriate courier.
Assist with infection-control audits, support staff and patient adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies, 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 their transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients as permitted by state law, and liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and scheduled discipline visits.
Help patients understand home-dialysis products, benefits, and feasibility; support understanding of treatment options, including demonstration of peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatment on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit, assist with coordination of transition to the patient’s chosen modality, and help manage TCU supply ordering and inventory.