Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Chesapeake, VA

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 environment, and following organizational policies, training, and applicable regulatory requirements. The PCT contributes to the Quality Enhancement Program and continuous quality improvement activities, including efforts to improve patient satisfaction and achieve quality goals. The PCT welcomes and monitors patients, performs and documents pre-, during-, and post-treatment assessments, obtains vital signs and weights, evaluates vascular access, and initiates and discontinues dialysis treatments according to prescribed orders and established procedures. The role involves responding to treatment issues as directed, reporting changes in patient condition, collecting and preparing laboratory specimens, maintaining accurate treatment records, and observing machine safety and infection-control procedures. The position may also support the Transitional Care Unit by assisting newly admitted patients during their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforcing education, coordinating care with facility staff, explaining home dialysis and treatment options, and helping patients transition to their chosen modality. The work includes direct patient care, frequent standing and bending, lifting and moving patients, and handling dialysis solutions and equipment. Travel between assigned facilities and other locations in the community is required; travel to regional, Business Unit, and Corporate meetings may also be required.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet applicable CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Hold any state licensure and complete any 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; continued employment depends on successful completion.
Successfully complete CPR certification; continued employment depends on successful completion.
Pass the Ishihara color blindness test as a condition of employment; failing the test does not preclude employment if reasonable accommodations can be made.
Ability to perform direct patient care involving frequent, prolonged standing, bending, and heavy lifting or moving of patients, with assistance or devices available where applicable.
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.
Ability to travel between assigned facilities and various locations in the community.

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 ask about their wellbeing since their previous treatment.
Evaluate vascular access, 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 evaluations.
Initiate dialysis according to prescribed orders, including blood-flow and dialysate-flow settings; calculate and enter prescribed machine programming for ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Monitor patients’ responses to dialysis, assess intradialytic problems, and provide interventions as prescribed or directed.
Perform pre-reinfusion checks and the functions needed to discontinue treatment; obtain hemostasis, apply dressings, and evaluate patients before discharge.
Monitor vascular access pressures during treatment, intervene as needed, and document and report unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Conduct machine safety checks and required pretreatment alarm testing, including Pressure Holding Testing, and ensure safety alarms are enabled.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, assessments, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly in required records and clinical applications.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, and unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; collect, label, prepare, store, and arrange for courier 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 registered nurse supervision.
Assist in training applicable direct patient care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices.
Maintain safe and clean work areas; clean and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments.
Complete and document participation in Continuous Quality Improvement activities; review treatment sheets for completeness and ensure omissions are corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and compile paperwork for placement in the chart; prepare and print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens.
Assist with infection-control audits, reinforce adherence to infection-control practices, and support patient and family infection-control education as directed and permitted by state law.
For the Transitional Care Unit, follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients, coordinate 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, demonstrate peritoneal dialysis setup, explain treatment options, and 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 its supply ordering and inventory.