Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Westwood, KS

15d

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician functions as part of a dialysis health care team and provides safe, effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role includes setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, maintaining a safe and clean environment, and supporting quality improvement and patient satisfaction initiatives in accordance with organizational policies, training, and applicable regulations. The technician welcomes and monitors patients, obtains and documents vital signs and weights, evaluates and cannulates vascular access, initiates and discontinues dialysis treatments according to prescribed orders, monitors patient response, and reports changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor. The role also includes patient education support, treatment documentation, laboratory specimen handling, machine safety checks, infection-control practices, and assistance with staff training. In the Transitional Care Unit, the technician supports newly admitted patients during their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, coordinates care with staff, helps patients understand home dialysis and treatment options, and assists with transitions to the patient's chosen modality. The position requires travel between assigned facilities and community locations, direct patient care, and frequent standing, bending, and lifting.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Meet any applicable state licensure, education, and training requirements.
Successfully complete the organization's dialysis training program for continued employment.
Successfully complete CPR certification for continued employment.
Demonstrate commitment to the organization's culture, values, and customer service standards.
Be able to perform direct patient care involving regular heavy lifting and moving patients, assisting with ambulation, frequent and prolonged standing, and bending.
Be able 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.
Take the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations will be considered.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse and in accordance with organizational policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulations.
Set up and operate hemodialysis machines and perform required pretreatment machine alarm testing.
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 document pre- and post-treatment vital signs, weights, and vascular access evaluations.
Initiate, monitor, and discontinue dialysis treatment according to prescribed orders and established procedures.
Calculate and enter prescribed dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and UF modeling, and ensure required safety alarms are enabled.
Monitor patients' responses to dialysis, assess intradialytic problems, provide interventions as prescribed or directed, and document patients' responses.
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 findings.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean and disinfect blood spills, dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas according to facility policy.
Prepare and organize supplies and equipment and use them efficiently to prevent waste.
Monitor patients performing self-care under RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational business policies and ethical practices, maintain environmental safety and cleanliness, and participate in Continuous Quality Improvement activities.
Enter treatment data accurately and promptly, review treatment sheets for completeness, and ensure appropriate completion or correction of omitted entries.
Prepare initial patient charts and admission paperwork and prepare or print laboratory requisitions.
Assist with infection-control audits, reinforce infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies, and support 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 transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients and liaise with staff to support a coordinated patient experience.
Help patients understand home dialysis products, benefits, and treatment options, including demonstrating peritoneal dialysis setup.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit and assist with transitions to patients' chosen modalities.
Assist with Transitional Care Unit supply ordering and inventory.