PCT'S training nurses?

tyloo · Apr 9, 2011

No you should be receiving your training under a licensed nurse. When I was new to dialysis I learned stringing machines, chlorine checks, and trouble shooting machine alarms by experienced tech(s) but overall my experience was with a LPN. Does your facility not have any experienced nurses there? If they don't can't you orient at another location other than your primary clinic?

amazeRN · Apr 14, 2011

I was trained by my PCT for 5 weeks and I learned alot from her as I had no previous experience with dialysis. I learned the in's and out's of the machine, the patients, and when it was time for me to train with my nurse I felt completely confident. In an emergency situation when all the PCTs were busy I felt fine fixing the machine without any help and the nurse who was training me said she was glad I took care of it bc she wouldn't have known what to do bc she only trained w/ a PCT for a week. When its approprite I don't have a problem being taught by someone w/ less education than me and I still trained w/ my nurse for nursing situations and learned the nursing routine though her.

jdethman · Apr 17, 2011

Many chronic nurses barley touch the machine after training, you want a PCT to train you to use it. It really depends on your unit but I learned a lot about cannulation from PCT’s over the years. Some PCTs have been setting up machines, cannulating patients, and caring about the safety of their patients for 10 years plus. It is really a shame they don’t have a nursing education (I don’t mean the license, I mean the education) to back up their technical expertise. Now if your PCT trainer is an idot, or hates new nurses ask to switch trainers. Make no mistake they are working under a License it’s yours.

TXRN2 · Apr 18, 2011

at the clinic where i work, new nurses train under a PCT for 6 weeks to learn the technical part of the job, then train with a nurse for 2 weeks for the nursing aspect of the job. i think this is a pretty well balanced training, & would rather leart the tech portion from a tech who does it every day.

suela · Apr 20, 2011

I work at an outpatient clinic and generally new RN's orient with an RN for a week or so, then with a PCT mentor for 2-3 weeks, then with a RN mentor for about a month. Also, during orientation, they work 5- 8hour shifts instead of the 3-12's.

Minnie02 · May 15, 2011

Hi! I would like to ask about your location? Nurses who want go for dialysis, sometimes get trained by the company they work for. Dialysis tech's are licensed, they need to pass the State Exam for dialysis techs to work in a dialysis center.

If you need more information please PM me. I will able to help you with some information.

EMTLewis · May 16, 2011

In Ohio Daialysis Techs have their own license issued through the Board of Nursing and are required to pass a National Exam. I went through a 600+ Dialysis Technician course through a local Vocational School and if I am hired through one of the two larger companies, I will be required to go through their training program.

workingmomRN · May 18, 2011

When I started in dialysis, I trained with a PCT to learn about the machines, cannulation, how to troubleshoot the machine when alarms go off. I learned alot from the PCT's I worked with then, and still go to the experienced PCT's if I need to. They are working with patient accesses & machines every day & can show you pretty much anything you need to know.

The worst thing you can do is to feel like you should not be learning from a PCT because they are not nurses. When your PCT's figure out that this is how you feel, they will be less willing to help you when you have a problem.

Unfortunately, speed is a factor in dialysis & it is related to productivity which management pushes ALOT. It is all about keeping labor hours & costs down. The more patient treatments that are done each day with the least amount of labor hours is even more of a factor now because Medicare has tightened reimbursements alot.

ladieleak · Dec 2, 2011

Hi! I would like to ask about your location? Nurses who want go for dialysis, sometimes get trained by the company they work for. Dialysis tech's are licensed, they need to pass the State Exam for dialysis techs to work in a dialysis center.
If you need more information please PM me. I will able to help you with some information.

Hello could you please contact me via email ([email protected]) I would like to get some info about working at a dialysis clinic. Thank you...

FransBevy · Dec 3, 2011

I'm in the eighth week of a hideous training experience with a preceptor who wouldn't offer a positive word if you saved her life and I think I would have been better served if I had spent the first few weeks with a PCT just to learn the machines. I KNOW nursing, I've been one for years so spending valuable training time doling out the epogen, hectorol and veno-fer when I could actually be learning more about the actual dialysis process would have been so much more valuable.

The other thing I don't like is this mania for "speed", going faster, faster etc...

Hey, my mantra has always been, do you want it right or do you want it right now?

Minnie02 · Dec 4, 2011

Hey! Please let me know what kind of information you need. Or you could just email me on [email protected]