Should KidneyBuzz.com Spotlight A Former Target Cashier Who Is Now A Dialysis Patient Care Technician?

 

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A KidneyBuzz.com viewer wrote, “I go to my clinic every treatment. While my Patient Care Technician gets me on and off of the machine, he does not do much else. I feel like I am a constant burden, getting a question answered seems like a hassle, it hurts when they stick me and during Dialysis as well. I do not feel like a priority at all, and it is getting harder and harder to go to treatments. It is just depressing, you know? Is this how Dialysis care is or is there an example of good care I should be looking for?"

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Similar to the above patient, KidneyBuzz.com is constantly asked by those on Dialysis, "How do I know I am getting adequate care from my Patient Care Technician." For many, asking for gentle, caring, and considerate Patient Care Technicians seems selfish and arrogant. Techs (as they are often called) are there to get a job done, not to be your friend, right? Well, not exactly. While, Patient Care Technicians are responsible for the technical management of Hemodialysis, Techs are also one fo the most intimate points of contact with Dialysis patients undergoing treatments, and are expected to "give comfort, guidance and quality care for these patients, making their visit to a Dialysis Center one of calmness and hope," according to Dialysis Technician's Training Inc. Ishmael Gilbert, once a Target Cashier, is now a Patient Care Technician at Fresenius Medical Care. His viral (when videos or pictures are shared all over the internet) example of customer care is quickly becoming the benchmark for Patient Care Technicians across the country.

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Ishmael Gilbert was working as a cashier at his local Target when an elderly woman entered his check-out line. As Gilbert rang up the women’s items, she pulled out a bunch of coins to pay for each item, separately, in change. Standing behind the woman was a busy working mom named Sarah Bigler, who admits that her initial reaction was irritation. "Realizing she was holding up the line, the older woman became flustered and embarrassed. But her cashier, Gilbert, immediately reassured her, dismissing the woman’s apologise and patiently helping her count her coins," Huffington Post Reported.

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Gilbert's explanation for his patience, “I just treated her, really, like she was my grandma, to be honest.” He continued, “She’s not the fastest, [but] I’m not going to huff and puff and make her feel even more frustrated. I just helped her out and actually seen a smile on her face. So, that was the best part about it.”

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The actions of the young employee exemplify the type of service that all Dialysis patients should expect from their Patient Care Technicians: Honest Care, Patience, Attentiveness, Empathy, and Good-spiritedness. KidneyBuzz.com is not alone in this assertion, when a Fresenius Medical Care, Dialysis Center Manager saw Ishmael take the same kind and caring approach with another customer she hired him as a full-time Patient Care Technician. The 20-year-old father now works at Fresenius Medical Care and is working toward becoming a certified Hemodialysis Technician. 

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If you like the example that Ishmael is setting for Patient Care Technicians across the country, then complete the below note. 

 

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