Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Corpus Christi, TX

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 complying with organizational policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulations. The PCT also participates in quality enhancement and continuous quality improvement activities focused on patient satisfaction and treatment outcomes. The position provides direct patient care throughout dialysis treatments, including patient assessment, vascular access evaluation and cannulation, treatment initiation and discontinuation, monitoring, documentation, specimen collection, and reporting changes in patient condition to a registered nurse or supervisor. The PCT also assists with patient education, infection-control practices, staff training, and administrative and clinical recordkeeping. In the Transitional Care Unit, the PCT follows newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, coordinates care with appropriate staff, supports understanding of treatment and home-dialysis options, performs treatments on unit machines, and assists with supplies and inventory. The work includes desk and 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 typical of a health care facility, with controlled air temperature and moderate noise, and may involve exposure to infectious or contagious diseases or materials. Direct patient care regularly involves heavy lifting and moving patients and assisting with ambulation. The role requires frequent, prolonged standing and bending, and may involve pushing or pulling equipment with up to 15 pounds of force; frequently lifting and lowering solutions up to 30 pounds; and occasionally 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 automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the applicable state or CMS timeline.
Obtain any state licensure, education, and training required for the role.
Demonstrate commitment to the organization's 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 automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform the stated physical duties, including frequent prolonged standing, bending, patient lifting and movement, and lifting or lowering solutions.

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 as delegated or permitted by state law.
Obtain and record 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.
Evaluate intradialytic problems and provide interventions as prescribed or directed; monitor patients' responses to therapy.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; perform and document the tasks required to discontinue treatment, including standing and sitting blood pressure measurements and evaluation before venous-access termination.
Obtain hemostasis and apply appropriate dressings; evaluate patients before discharge.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis-machine programming, including ultrafiltration goal, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure required safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, evaluations, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly, including on the Hemodialysis Treatment Sheet and progress notes when applicable.
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; assess vascular access pressures during treatment and intervene, document, and report findings as needed.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange courier collection of 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 in 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 surroundings; clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, document preparation as required, perform pretreatment machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding Testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Participate in and document ongoing Continuous Quality Improvement activities.
Enter treatment data accurately and promptly into the designated clinical application; review treatment sheets for completeness and follow up on missing or incorrect entries with appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and admission paperwork; prepare and print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens.
Assist with infection-control audits, support staff and patient adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control procedures, and reinforce infection-control education for patients and families as permitted by state law.
Follow newly admitted Transitional Care Unit patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients as permitted by state law; liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and ensure disciplines are scheduled according to the care plan.
Help patients understand home-dialysis products and benefits, treatment options, and how home dialysis may work for them, including demonstration of peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatments on all machines used in the Transitional Care Unit; assist with coordination of transition to the patient's modality choice.
Assist with Transitional Care Unit supply ordering and inventory.