Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Louisburg, NC

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician functions as part of a dialysis health care team, providing safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role follows organization 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 work environment, and participates in the Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), and process improvement activities focused on patient satisfaction and quality goals. The position provides direct patient care throughout dialysis treatment, including patient assessment, vascular-access care, treatment setup and monitoring, documentation, and communication of significant changes to a registered nurse or supervisor. It also involves laboratory specimen collection and preparation, infection-control practices, equipment cleaning, and support for patients receiving transitional dialysis care. The technician may assist with training other direct patient-care staff under a nurse’s supervision. Work includes desk and personal-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 work environment is characteristic of a health care facility, with air temperature control and moderate noise levels, and may involve exposure to infectious or contagious diseases or materials. Direct care regularly involves heavy lifting and moving patients and assisting with ambulation. The role requires frequent, prolonged standing and bending, occasional pushing or pulling of equipment with up to 15 pounds of force, frequent lifting and lowering of solutions up to 30 pounds, and occasional lifting 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.
Must meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the applicable state or CMS timeline.
Must obtain any applicable state licensure, education, and training required for the role.
Demonstrated commitment to the organization’s culture, values, and customer service standards.
Successful completion of the organization’s dialysis training program is required for continued employment.
Successful completion of CPR certification is required for continued employment.
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.
Ability to perform the described physical duties, including frequent prolonged standing and bending, patient lifting and movement, and lifting solutions up to 30 pounds frequently and up to 40 pounds occasionally.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist healthcare team members with 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 perform pre-treatment vascular-access evaluation.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood-flow and dialysate-flow settings.
Calculate and enter prescribed patient machine programming for ultrafiltration goal, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure required safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits (NVL) 160.
Monitor patients’ responses to dialysis, evaluate intradialytic problems, and provide interventions as prescribed or directed.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion, discontinue treatment according to procedures, evaluate patients before termination of venous access, obtain standing and sitting blood pressure, achieve hemostasis, and apply dressings.
Evaluate patients before discharge and complete and document pre- and post-dialysis evaluations, weights, and vital signs with initial identification.
Record vital signs and treatment parameters accurately and promptly on the Hemodialysis Treatment Sheet; complete treatment documentation and progress notes when applicable.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, unusual findings, and vascular-access concerns to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Observe patients and conduct machine safety checks according to facility policy; perform and document interventions for unusual patient status and record patient responses.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests, prepare specimens for collection, and collect, label, prepare, store, and route 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 RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient-care staff on appropriate programs under a nurse’s supervision.
Follow organization business policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain safe and clean areas; clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, document preparation as appropriate, perform required pretreatment machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding (PHT), and initiate the Solution Delivery System (SDS).
Complete and document participation in CQI activities and enter treatment data accurately and promptly in the designated clinical application.
Review treatment sheets for completeness, verify nursing signatures, and ensure omitted entries are completed or corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and paperwork for admission and appropriate filing.
Prepare and print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens and ensure specimen collection by the appropriate laboratory courier.
Assist with infection-control audits, support staff and patient adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies and procedures, and reinforce patient and family infection-control education as directed and allowed by state law.
Follow newly admitted transitional-care patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate their transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care matters for new patients as allowed by state law and liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and coordinate visits 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 a treatment on all machines used in the transitional care unit.
Assist with coordination of the transition to the patient’s chosen modality and with transitional-care-unit supply ordering and inventory.