Patient Care Technician - PCT - Training Provided

Fresenius Medical Care•Weymouth, MA

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 patients before, during, and after treatment, and maintaining a safe, clean environment in accordance with organization policies, training, and applicable regulations. The PCT also supports quality improvement and patient satisfaction activities. No prior dialysis experience is required. The organization provides 11 weeks of paid on-the-job training to prepare employees for national certification. Successful certification results in a pay increase and promotion. Continued employment depends on completing the dialysis training program and obtaining CPR certification. The position provides direct patient care and may include work in a transitional care unit, where the PCT supports newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis and helps coordinate education and care related to treatment options.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Meet CMS-approved state and/or national certification requirements within the required state or CMS timeline.
Meet applicable state licensure, education, and training requirements.
Successfully complete the organization’s dialysis training program.
Successfully complete CPR certification.
Demonstrate commitment to the organization’s culture, values, and customer service standards.
Ability to perform the role’s physical demands, including frequent prolonged standing, bending, assisting with patient movement and ambulation, and lifting or lowering solutions and equipment as described.

Nice To Haves

Previous patient care experience in a hospital or related facility.
Experience as a nursing assistant, CNA, or phlebotomist.

Responsibilities

Welcome assigned patients, ask about their wellbeing, and assist with patient-specific education regarding dialysis adequacy, disease processes, and vascular access.
Assess 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, monitor, and discontinue dialysis treatments according to prescribed orders and established procedures.
Calculate and enter dialysis machine programming, including ultrafiltration goals, treatment time, and ultrafiltration modeling; ensure required safety alarms are enabled.
Monitor patients’ responses to dialysis, assess intradialytic problems, provide interventions as directed, and report significant changes or unusual findings to a registered nurse or supervisor.
Document treatment parameters, evaluations, interventions, and patient responses accurately and promptly in required records and clinical applications.
Monitor vascular access pressures during treatment, intervene as needed, and report and document unusual findings.
Perform machine safety checks and required pre-treatment alarm testing, including Pressure Holding Testing, and initiate the Solution Delivery System.
Obtain prescribed laboratory tests; prepare, label, store, and coordinate collection of specimens according to laboratory requirements.
Clean blood spills and disinfect dialysis machines, chairs, equipment, and surrounding areas according to facility policy.
Prepare and manage supplies and equipment efficiently, and assist with supply ordering and inventory in the transitional care unit.
Monitor patients performing self-care under RN supervision and assist with training applicable direct patient care staff under nurse supervision.
Support infection-control practices, audits, and patient and family education under the direction of the care manager or designee.
Complete Continuous Quality Improvement activities, review treatment records for completeness, prepare initial patient charts, and prepare laboratory requisitions.
In the transitional care unit, follow newly admitted patients through their first four weeks of dialysis, coordinate care and education, support understanding of home dialysis and treatment options, and assist with transitions to patients’ chosen modalities.