It’s Never Been Just a Job for Patient Care Technician John Larsen

It’s Not Just a Job for Patient Care Technician John Larsen | FMCNA

John Larsen has run his own construction business and worked as a hospital orderly, but once he started with a dialysis unit in a local hospital, Patient Care Technician became his career.

“The doctors knew I was good with mechanical things and they sort of recruited me to work with them in the dialysis clinic,” Larsen said.

“It’s never been just a job for him,” Clinical Manager Amy Coffey said. “It’s his career and he’s proud of it, proud of the work he does, and he does it well every single day he’s here.”

“We could never have had the success that we’ve had without John,” said Coffey, who serves as Larsen’s supervisor.

Larsen is a Certified Hemodialysis Technician, Certified Hemodialysis Bio-medical Technician and a Preceptor at Fresenius Kidney Care Vigo County, just south of Terre Haute, Indiana. His commitment to his work is an example of how our Fresenius Medical Care teams apply their passion to support patients navigating their dialysis journey.

During National Hemodialysis Technician Week, we celebrate the contributions of more than 19,000 Fresenius Kidney Care Patient Care Technicians.

More than just a career, dialysis has also touched close to home for Larsen when his father suffered acute renal failure during a hospital procedure and required dialysis. He was in the room with his dad at the time.

“I’ve always had a passion for dialysis, but that experience only heightened my passion,” he said.

Several years ago, Larsen even wrote an article for the magazine Dialysis and Transplantation about the incident titled, “My Most Memorable Patient.”

Last Christmas, Larsen received a plaque recognizing his 25 years of service to Fresenius Kidney Care and its predecessor companies.

Larsen began working at the Terre Haute North clinic in 2006 and moved to Vigo County with Coffey after they were tasked with opening the new clinic a few years ago.

“When we were opening this new clinic, Amy and I talked about our goals and what kind of clinic we wanted,” Larsen said. “We didn’t want a good clinic, we wanted to be the best clinic in state. I said wanted to work with her and so we transferred to Vigo County.”

“He is the embodiment of our company’s policy and procedures,” Coffey said. “He lives it the exact way it is written and that’s how he teaches it too.”

“His patients love him,” Coffey said. “They look for him and feel very secure in his care.”

“I remember years ago how I felt when my first patient died,” Larsen said. “I just cried over it. It does affect you because in dialysis you develop a bond, like family, with your patients.”

As a preceptor, Larsen said his goal is to instill his passion in new employees.

“I tell them, ‘Anyone can be average, I’m training you to be the best,’” he said.

He said he can see it when a new employee has the same passion for their work that he still feels each day.

“He’s a very serious teacher,” Coffey said. “He wants things done the right way, but he also gives support all along the way.”

Larsen has served for three years on the Renal Network’s board of directors, an organization that he has been a member of for eight years. He has served on the network’s Medical Review Board and regularly attends professional conferences and seminars across the country usually at his own expense.