Patient Care Technician - PCT

Fresenius Medical Care•Hereford, TX

11d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Care Technician (PCT) works as part of a dialysis health care team, providing safe and effective dialysis therapy under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse and in accordance with organizational policies, procedures, training, and applicable regulations. The role sets up and operates hemodialysis machines, helps maintain a safe and clean work environment, and participates in quality improvement activities related to patient satisfaction and organizational quality goals. The PCT provides direct patient care throughout dialysis treatment, including assessing patients and vascular access, initiating and discontinuing treatments, monitoring patient responses, recording treatment information, and reporting changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor. The role also supports patient education, laboratory specimen handling, infection control, staff training, and transitional dialysis care for newly admitted patients. Work includes desk and computer tasks, interaction with patients and clinical staff, and travel between assigned facilities and other locations in the community. The work environment is characteristic of a health care facility, with controlled air temperature and moderate noise; exposure to infectious or contagious diseases and materials may occur.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services (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; failure does not preclude employment, and reasonable accommodations may be considered.
Ability to perform direct patient care involving frequent, prolonged standing and bending; regularly lift and move patients and assist 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 heights as high as five feet. A two-person assist program and material-assist devices are available for heavier items.

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.
Assess vascular access patency, perform cannulation, and administer heparin when delegated or allowed 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 and dialysate flow settings; calculate and enter prescribed machine programming for ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and UF modeling.
Evaluate intradialytic problems, provide interventions as prescribed or directed, and monitor and document patients’ responses to therapy and interventions.
Obtain vital signs before reinfusion; discontinue treatment according to established procedures; assess patients before termination of venous access and before discharge; obtain hemostasis and apply dressings.
Record accurate and timely vital signs, treatment parameters, treatment data, and other required information in treatment sheets, clinical applications, and progress notes, as applicable.
Ensure appropriate machine safety alarms are enabled and conduct patient observation and machine safety checks according to facility policy.
Evaluate and monitor vascular access during treatment, including arterial and venous pressures; intervene as needed and report and document unusual findings.
Report significant information, changes in patient condition, and unusual findings to the registered nurse or supervisor.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; prepare, collect, label, store, and arrange courier collection of specimens according to laboratory specifications.
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 RN supervision.
Assist with training applicable direct patient care staff on appropriate programs under nurse supervision.
Follow organizational policies, procedures, systems, and ethical business practices; maintain a safe, clean, and orderly environment.
Clean and disinfect dialysis machine surfaces, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas between treatments according to facility policy.
Prepare for dialysis treatments, document as appropriate, perform required machine alarm testing including Pressure Holding (PHT), and initiate the Solution Delivery System (SDS).
Participate in and document Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities.
Review treatment sheets for completeness, confirm nursing signatures, and ensure omitted entries are completed or corrected by the appropriate staff.
Prepare initial patient charts and paperwork for admission and placement in the chart; 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 policies and procedures, 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.
Reinforce education and care information for new patients as allowed by state law; liaise with appropriate staff to support the patient experience and scheduled care plan.
Help patients understand home dialysis products, the benefits of home dialysis, treatment options, and peritoneal dialysis setup; assist with transition to the patient’s chosen modality.
Set and perform treatments on all machines used in the transitional care unit and assist with supply ordering and inventory for the unit.