Tag Archives: Nephrology

Becoming a Dialysis Assistant

Leave a reply

Dialysis Assistants help patients with kidney failure or renal disease. These skilled professionals purify a patient’s blood through dialysis equipment, which is designed to filter waste or excess water from human body. Their responsibilities include taking blood pressure of patients, checking their weight, administering local anesthesia, maintaining patient records, calculating fluid removal rate, measuring blood flow rate, preparing the water solution, conducting water testing. maintaining dialysis equipment, reporting the findings to concerned nurses and physicians etc. In addition, they handle administrative tasks as well as act as a link between patients and the service providers during and after dialysis treatments.

Dialysis Assistants are employed at varieties of health care settings such as public and private hospitals, clinics, dialysis centers, kidney hospital, outpatient centers, home health care agencies, long-term care facilities etc. They work full time and may require working at night, weekend, or holiday schedules.

Educational Requirements

To qualify for the position of a Dialysis Assistant, the applicants need to hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Additionally, the students need to complete a state approved dialysis technician training program from a community college, technical school, or hospital. The training program can be completed in less than a year. The course work includes hemodialysis machine operation, vascular access, patient care, ethics, medical terminology, drug overdose, plasmaphoresis etc. Students may also acquire clinical training through job-training programs.

Certification and Licensure

Since a Dialysis Assistants requires to be licensed in many states, the aspiring candidates need to earn exam-based licensure. These professionals can obtain certification from the Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing and Technology (BONENT) or the National Nephrology Certification Organization (NNCO).

Skill Set

In addition to clinical knowledge, Dialysis Assistants possess various skills, such as ability to monitor a patient’s vital signs, and keeping an eye out for complications; high level of attention to detail; ability to work for long duration in standing position; empathy and compassion towards patients; ability to work under pressure situation; good at dexterity; ability to operate complex equipment; pleasant communication and interpersonal skills; computer skills etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Dialysis Assistant remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 29% during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of a Dialysis Assistant was $35,600 in 2014.

Becoming a Dialysis Nurse

Leave a reply

Dialysis Nurses are specially trained and educated to remove toxins and excess water of patients with kidney disease. They operate a hemodialysis machine that extracts blood from the patient, cleans it and return into the body. Their responsibilities include overseeing the dialysis treatment from start to finish, monitoring patient vital signs, communicating procedure details with patients and concerned doctors, reviewing the patients’ lab work, assessing the effectiveness of procedures, educating patients and the public about kidney problems, providing emotional support to patients and their family members etc.

Dialysis nurses work in varieties of settings, such as hospitals, nursing homes, dialysis centers, transplant facilities, outpatient treatment centers, long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, hospice and palliative care services so on so forth. Since dialysis patients need round-the-clock care, nurses in these settings usually work in rotating shifts, covering all 24 hours. They may also be on phone call.

Educational Requirements

Dialysis Nurses must be a licensed RN (registered nurse) in their state of employment. To qualify for this position, the aspiring candidates must earn a two-year associate or a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing. Common course includes human anatomy, nephrology, pharmacology, nutrition, microbiology, physiology and psychology. However, the employers often prefer the candidates with clinical experience of caring dialysis patients.

Certification and Licensure

Since the practice of a Dialysis Nurse must be licensed in USA, the aspiring candidates have to complete an approved nursing program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). These professionals can obtain exam-based certification from the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission.

Skill Set

Apart from clinical knowledge, Dialysis Nurses possess various traits, such as strong analytical skills, a good deal of patience, high medical ethics, detail oriented , sympathetic to patients, ability to remain calm under pressure, self-management skills, willingness to work as a part of team, pleasant communications and interpersonal skills , management and organization abilities, computer skills etc.

Job Outlook and Salary

The job outlook for a Dialysis Nurse remains excellent across the USA. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the growth rate for job opportunities in this profession may rise 19% during 2012-2022. The average annual salary of a Dialysis Nurse was $65,470 in May 2012.