Patient Care Technician PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Austin, TX

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician (PCT) is part of the dialysis health care team and provides safe, effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role includes setup and operation of hemodialysis machines, patient monitoring and care, and maintaining a safe and clean treatment environment in accordance with organizational policies, training, and applicable regulations. The PCT also supports quality improvement and patient satisfaction activities. The position performs and documents dialysis treatment procedures, monitors patient responses and vascular access, reports changes in patient condition to a registered nurse or supervisor, and assists with patient education. Additional duties include preparing and processing laboratory specimens, maintaining treatment records, supporting infection-control practices, and assisting with staff training under nursing supervision. In the Transitional Care Unit, the PCT supports newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis, reinforces education, coordinates care with facility staff, helps patients understand treatment and home-dialysis options, and assists with supplies and inventory. The work includes desk and computer tasks as well as direct patient care. It requires travel between assigned facilities and community locations, and may include travel to regional, business-unit, or corporate meetings. The setting is a healthcare facility with controlled air temperature and moderate noise, with possible exposure to infectious or contagious materials. Direct care regularly involves heavy lifting and moving patients and assisting with ambulation. The role also requires frequent, prolonged standing and bending, occasional pushing or pulling of equipment with up to 15 pounds of force, frequent lifting or 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 automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.

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 organizational 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.
Take the Ishihara Color Blindness test as a condition of employment; failing does not automatically preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform the described physical duties, including patient lifting and movement, assisting with ambulation, prolonged standing, bending, and lifting or lowering solutions.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Assist the health care team 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 for patency, cannulate access, 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 ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling.
Ensure appropriate machine safety alarms are enabled, including Narrow Venous Limits, and observe patients while conducting machine safety checks.
Evaluate and intervene in intradialytic problems according to physician orders or direction, monitor patient response, and report changes or unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; discontinue treatment according to established procedures; evaluate patients before termination and discharge; obtain hemostasis and apply dressings.
Document treatment parameters, vital signs, evaluations, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly in required treatment records and clinical applications.
Evaluate and monitor vascular access during treatment, including arterial and venous pressures; intervene as appropriate, document, and report unusual findings.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests and 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 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 according to facility policy.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, perform and document required machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Participate in and document Continuous Quality Improvement activities; review treatment sheets for completeness and ensure missing entries are corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and paperwork, and prepare or print laboratory requisitions for prescribed or stat specimens.
Assist with infection-control audits, support adherence to infection-control practices, follow infection-control policies, and reinforce patient and family education under appropriate direction and as allowed by state law.
Support newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients, liaise with facility staff to support the patient experience, and help ensure disciplines see patients according to plan.
Help patients understand home-dialysis products, benefits, and treatment options, including demonstrating peritoneal dialysis setup; assist with transitions to the selected modality.
Set up and perform treatments on machines used in the Transitional Care Unit and assist with supply ordering and inventory.