Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Oregon City, OR

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician (PCT) works as part of a dialysis health care team, providing 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 includes setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, maintaining a safe and clean work environment, and supporting quality improvement activities aimed at enhancing patient outcomes and satisfaction. The PCT welcomes and monitors patients, assesses vascular access, performs cannulation and other delegated tasks, initiates and discontinues dialysis treatments, monitors patients’ responses, takes and records vital signs and weights, and documents treatment information. The role also includes responding to changes in patient condition, collecting laboratory specimens, maintaining equipment and supplies, and following infection-control practices. In the Transitional Care Unit, the PCT supports newly admitted patients during their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, helps coordinate care and transitions to the patient’s chosen treatment modality, and assists with supplies and inventory. The position involves direct patient care, travel between assigned facilities and community locations, and physical activity including frequent standing, bending, lifting, and moving patients or equipment.

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 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.
Pass the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failure does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform direct patient care involving frequent, prolonged standing, bending, heavy lifting and moving of patients, and assisting with ambulation.
Ability to occasionally push or pull equipment using 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, with assistance or material-assist devices available for heavier items.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide patient-specific education on dialysis adequacy measures, disease processes, and vascular access as appropriate and within applicable state law.
Welcome assigned patients and ask about their wellbeing since their last treatment.
Assess 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, including initial patient identification and pre-treatment vascular access evaluation.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood flow and dialysate flow settings.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and UF modeling.
Ensure required machine safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits.
Monitor patients’ responses to therapy, evaluate intradialytic problems, and provide interventions as prescribed or directed.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; discontinue treatment according to established procedures; assess the patient before termination of venous access and before discharge; obtain hemostasis and apply dressings.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, interventions, patient responses, and other required information accurately and promptly, including treatment sheets and applicable progress notes.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, and unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Observe patients and conduct machine safety checks according to facility policy; evaluate vascular access and monitor arterial and venous pressures during treatment.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests, prepare specimens, and collect, label, store, and arrange pickup of samples according to laboratory specifications.
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 a safe and clean environment; clean and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, document tasks as appropriate, perform required machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding Testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Participate in and document Continuous Quality Improvement 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 paperwork, print laboratory requisitions, and ensure laboratory specimens are collected by the appropriate courier.
Assist with infection-control audits, support adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies and procedures, and reinforce patient and family infection-control education under appropriate direction.
Follow newly admitted Transitional Care Unit patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care matters for new patients, liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience, and help ensure disciplines are scheduled according to the care plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products and benefits, treatment options, and peritoneal dialysis setup; assist with transition to the patient’s chosen modality.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit and assist with TCU supply ordering and inventory.