Acute Hemodialysis Nursing

Specialties Urology

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I'm a certified hemodialysis technician starting as one of the very first allowed to work at an inpatient acute unit. Anyone nursing in acutes have any advice for me? I am hoping to become an acute dialysis RN eventually, so this is a big open door for me.

I've worked in the chronic setting for years, but I am guessing that acutes is a whole different ballgame.

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I'm on orientation now to be an acute inpatient RN...the most I've heard is that the schedule can be unpredictable...

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Well keep me updated! I won't be officially starting until September, so I would love any insight you can give me.

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Specializes in diabetic education, dialysis.

You can always pop over to Nursing Specialties- dialysis and renal nursing :)

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I'm a certified hemodialysis technician starting as one of the very first allowed to work at an inpatient acute unit. Anyone nursing in acutes have any advice for me? I am hoping to become an acute dialysis RN in about a year and a half, so this is a big open door for me.

I've worked in the chronic setting for years, but I am guessing that acutes is a whole different ballgame.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
You can always pop over to Nursing Specialties- dialysis and renal nursing :)
Threads have been merged and moved to the Dialysis/Renal forum.
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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

Congrats on your new position! I was a clinical coordinator/charge nurse for an acute unit for a few years. I had a tech who was quite simply the finest tech I have ever worked with. If you could be half as good as her you would make an excellent tech. What made her so good was this: she had a calm, quiet, friendly demeanor. She was always on time, every time. She was meticulous with her work. The unit was always 100% stocked at all times thanks to her. She knew the status of every single machine at all times. She made sure every single machine was in perfect working order, or if it wasn't she called the biomed guy and followed up with him to make sure he was coming. She always knew the schedule better than anyone else, which patients were due and who was going where, and so she always anticipated that there would be a machine ready for each nurse. She was kind to the patients, but always remained professional. She never gossiped. She was 100% reliable. She almost never took sick time. She would come in extra if she was able. She was my rock and I'll never forget that lady. We ran a tight ship but I couldn't have done it without her. Be like that and you'll be a champion. Immerse yourself in the unit and care about its workings and be helpful. That's my advice! I miss acute dialysis. That was a great job.

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Maam is dialysis a 24hr shift ?i want to become a dialysis nurse and i cant sleep in morning so if i have a 11pm-7am shift its very stressfull for me ,

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Specializes in Dialysis -.

So , I know this maybe somewhat off topic but I was wondering if anyone could tell me the starting rate for a new grad in dialysis , i also have experience as a dialysis tech any info would be appreciated

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I'm a certified hemodialysis technician starting as one of the very first allowed to work at an inpatient acute unit. Anyone nursing in acutes have any advice for me? I am hoping to become an acute dialysis RN eventually, so this is a big open door for me.

I've worked in the chronic setting for years, but I am guessing that acutes is a whole different ballgame.

The hospitals I worked in acutes had techs only work in the acute HD rooms, not on the floors 1:1 or critical care. Having said that - acutes is different from chronic and requires eye for detail and follow policy and procedures to the dot. Especially all infection precautions and hepatitis protocols. Always make sure to figure out the pat hep status because in acutes pat come in and leave , sometimes you draw blood for a hep status and need to dedicate the machine until results are known.

In acutes it is really essential not to push it too much with taking off fluids. While an otherwise "healthy" pat tolerates outpatient chronic HD and can take off fluids, in acutes they sometimes do not tolerate or should not take off fluids... always be careful.

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