Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•East Hartford, CT

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician works as part of a dialysis health care team, providing safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse. The role includes setting up and operating hemodialysis machines, assisting with patient care and education, maintaining a safe and clean treatment environment, and following organizational policies and applicable regulations. The technician also supports quality enhancement and continuous quality improvement activities. The position provides direct patient care, including preparing patients for treatment, monitoring their condition and response to dialysis, documenting treatment information, collecting laboratory specimens, and reporting changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor. Duties also include infection-control support, equipment preparation and cleaning, and assisting with training and transitional care for newly admitted dialysis patients. The posting notes that after training is complete, the schedule is three days a week with no Sundays.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Have 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 to continue employment.
Successfully complete CPR certification to continue employment.
Ability to perform direct patient care involving frequent, prolonged standing and bending, and regular heavy lifting and moving of patients and assistance 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 to a height of five feet.

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, the disease process, and vascular access.
Welcome assigned patients and ask about their wellbeing since their last treatment.
Assess vascular access patency, 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, monitor, and discontinue dialysis according to prescribed orders and established procedures.
Calculate and enter dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling, as prescribed.
Ensure appropriate machine safety alarms are enabled and observe patients while conducting machine safety checks.
Monitor patient response to dialysis, evaluate intradialytic problems, provide prescribed interventions, and document patient responses.
Evaluate vascular access during treatment, monitor arterial and venous pressures, and document and report unusual findings.
Record accurate and timely treatment information, complete treatment sheets and applicable progress notes, and report significant changes in patient condition to a registered nurse or supervisor.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests, prepare specimens, and complete related collection, labeling, storage, requisition, and courier coordination tasks.
Clean blood spills promptly using the appropriate disinfectant and prepare, organize, and use supplies and equipment efficiently.
Monitor patients performing self-care under RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff 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.
Prepare machines and treatment areas, conduct required pretreatment alarm testing including Pressure Holding Testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Participate in and document Continuous Quality Improvement activities, enter treatment data, review treatment sheets for completeness, and help ensure missing or omitted entries are corrected by appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and paperwork for admission and placement in the chart.
Assist with infection-control audits, follow infection-control policies, support adherence to infection-control practices, and reinforce infection-control education under the direction of the CM or designee as allowed by state law.
Follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and coordinate transitional dialysis care.
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 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 supply ordering and inventory.