Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Natchitoches, LA

4d•Onsite

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 includes setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, supporting a safe and clean work environment, and participating in quality enhancement and continuous quality improvement activities aimed at improving patient satisfaction and outcomes. The PCT welcomes and monitors patients throughout treatment, evaluates vascular access, obtains and records vital signs and weights, initiates and discontinues dialysis according to prescribed orders and established procedures, and responds to treatment issues as directed. The position also includes treatment documentation, machine safety checks, laboratory specimen collection and preparation, infection-control practices, and support for patients receiving transitional dialysis care. The technician may assist with staff training under nurse supervision and reinforce patient and family education as allowed by state law. The work involves direct patient care in a health care facility, with travel between assigned facilities and community locations. It includes frequent standing and bending, and regularly involves lifting and moving patients and handling solutions and equipment. Employees must take an Ishihara color blindness test as a condition of employment; failure does not automatically preclude employment, as reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services-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 as a condition of continued employment.
Successfully complete CPR certification as a condition of continued employment.
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 and bending, and regularly lifting and moving patients and assisting with ambulation.
Ability to occasionally push or pull equipment with 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. Assistance and material-handling devices are available for heavier items.
Ability to travel between assigned facilities and locations within the community; travel to regional, Business Unit, and Corporate meetings may be required.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist health care team members with patient-specific education about adequacy measures, disease processes, and vascular access, as appropriate.
Welcome assigned patients and inquire 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 perform vascular access evaluations.
Initiate dialysis treatment according to prescribed orders, including blood flow and dialysate flow settings.
Evaluate and respond to intradialytic problems as prescribed by physician order or as directed, and monitor patient responses to therapy.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; discontinue treatment according to established procedures; assess patients before termination of venous access; obtain hemostasis; apply dressings; and evaluate patients before discharge.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goal, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure appropriate machine safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits, and conduct machine safety checks according to facility policy.
Record accurate and timely treatment parameters, vital signs, evaluations, and interventions in the required treatment records and clinical applications.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, and unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Evaluate vascular access during treatment, monitor arterial and venous pressures, intervene as needed, and document and report unusual findings.
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 with training applicable direct patient care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational business policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain safe and clean work areas; clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatment, perform and document required machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding Testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Participate in and document 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 admission paperwork; prepare and 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 allowed by state law.
In the Transitional Care Unit, 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 allowed by state law, and coordinate with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and scheduled care.
Help patients understand home dialysis products and benefits and treatment options, including demonstrating peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit, assist with transitions to the patient's modality choice, and help coordinate supply ordering and inventory.