Advice for Renal Preceptorship

[erint91DC]

I'm nearing the deadline for my preceptorship application and I'm struggling with what to put! We have to choose 3 options for preceptorship: medicine, emergency, general surgery, maternity, prevention, orthopedics, mental health, neurosciences, or pediatrics.

I've been curious about renal nursing for a while now, I like renal pathophysiology, and the concept of dialysis fascinates me. I have a passion for providing care for clients that I see for an extended period. I would also enjoy a setting in which I need more specific/specialized knowledge (e.g., dialysis). I've had suggestions to consider geriatric, dialysis, palliative, or some other long-term care. My school's nursing staff is split on the "get med-surg experience first" debate and I feel the same. I have taken a nursing elective course on high-acuity nursing. I am considering taking a nephrology nursing elective.

I am thinking medicine would be the best choice for preceptorship. I would love to gain more general experience, but I would also love being exposed to a renal setting.

Questions:

What would be the best choices to put for my preceptorship, considering my interests in longer-term care and nephrology?

Can anyone offer a description of a typical day in renal nursing?

Any other advice? I feel like I am struggling with choosing a placement.

[idodialysis]

You can look under the specialties area on this site under dialysis nursing. Many descriptive threads. You will definitely use all of your assessment skills working in dialysis as well as do a lot of teaching and learning some cool technology!