I dunno about you people, but I found chronic haemodialysis to be terribly routine and boring, after quite some time. It was tough when I first starting up - the anxiety and overwhelming flood of knowledge, things to master and not knowing anything!!!
But one and half years later on, I discovered that I will not learn much more beyond chronic dialysis if I kept on working here. I doubt I know all about renal nursing - but that's not the point. The only thing that is good is the sense of connection that you have with the patients, sometimes good and flexible working hours, moderate pace, and Sundays off. It's a drastic difference from what I did before - ER.
I miss doing IV starts, giving out medications, dressing changes... All those skills that I no longer use here. Well, at least not as much. Somehow I fear I will lose these skills if I don't practice.
So I resigned from my job in this dialysis centre and got an offer to work in a teaching hospital, also in the Dialysis unit. Not really sure if it is just the usual daily chronic dialysis clinic or one that caters to all sorts of dialysis cases in the hospital - whether in-patient, acute cases in ICU or PD. If yes, good. If not..... The do have a Renal Ward, but somehow I didn't get through.
Sometimes I wonder, how people can stay long in this field.
This is hard to tell because pays differs according to hospitals and overseas/local. I am moving out into an overseas setting, so the pay is definitely huge compared to what I am making now.
Dialysis nurse are greatly in demand, mostly by those small satellite centres or private run units. With the increase of patients with ESRD every year, it has become a GOOD business. Places are even hiring nurses fresh after graduation with on job training.
Hey everyone. What's wrong with Davita? I just applied there.
Also, I would LOVE to be bored. I work on a cardiac floor and have for a year. I feel like crying every time I have to go to work because I hate it so much. Someone is always going bad on you; too much to know and it is VERY stressful...
Hey everyone. What's wrong with Davita? I just applied there.
Also, I would LOVE to be bored. I work on a cardiac floor and have for a year. I feel like crying every time I have to go to work because I hate it so much. Someone is always going bad on you; too much to know and it is VERY stressful...
I just switched from chronic to acute and I LOVE it. I'm not bored at all. I bring things to do and stay busy the whole time.
Yesterday I went back and helped out at the chronic unit I used to work in and hated it the whole time. I kept thinking "I don't miss this one bit!"
The nurses there kept trying to find reasons that chronic was better than acute and none of their arguments held water with me. They argued "well, what about having to travel from one place to another? What about having to go out on call? Don't you hate having to go to different places all the time? I would think the time would pass so slowly." To me it's the difference between night and day and I hope to stay in acute for as long as I can. Not having to run around like a chicken with its head cut off, not feeling rushed by patients, not dealing with several crises at the same time more than makes up for being on call and having to work different places all the time. To me, it's more than a fair trade off.
My preceptor and I were working together the other day. The nurse on the unit came in all frazzled, saying she had 9 patients and no tech. After she left the room my preceptor looked at me and said "I wouldn't trade places with her for anything." I have to say I agree completely.
Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.
I'm extremely new (5 weeks!!) to chronic dialysis after 9 years of working in various hospitals, on various kinds of units. I am sooooo sick of hospital nursing right now, I was ready to go work in an office somewhere. So far I am having a great time at my new job. I absolutely love my co-workers and the atmosphere is really good. After the hospital, to me, their "chaos" is my "steady!"
However, I can see how someone could become "bored" over time. But the wonderful thing about our profession is: If your job becomes boring, dangerous, unhealthy, whatever - move on! Try something new.
I'm an LPN who works strictly with Peritoneal Dialysis patients. After two years here, I'm still learning something new almost every day. No boredom here. I teach new patients how to perform their treatments, draw labs, monitor labs, lots of phone triage, dressing changes for new PD caths, pre-ESRD counseling, clinic visits and the list goes on. Occasionally a patient will receive a kidney transplant ~ they come back to visit ~ they look and feel so well.... it's the best feeling in the world. Recently a PD patient regained function and no longer has to do PD. Good stuff. I really love my job. About the ONLY complaint I have is the pay, which is very, very low. If and when I ever decide to make a change from dialysis, the decision will be a financial one, not a job related one.
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But in a good way! 
I worked in Telemetry for years and don't miss running up and down the halls.
bluefabian
105 Posts
This is hard to tell because pays differs according to hospitals and overseas/local. I am moving out into an overseas setting, so the pay is definitely huge compared to what I am making now.
Dialysis nurse are greatly in demand, mostly by those small satellite centres or private run units. With the increase of patients with ESRD every year, it has become a GOOD business. Places are even hiring nurses fresh after graduation with on job training.