Change from floor nurse to dialysis????

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I've had it. I've absolutely had it with floor nursing. I have over 3 years of acute care in the hospital setting, mostly in telemetry, and I'm also a traveler. I'm ready for a change. I am totally burned out on floor nursing. I was thinking of going into ICU, but I don't see that I would like it much better.

Any ex-floor nurses who've turned dialysis nurses and would never come back? Or DID come back? Please tell me your stories, give advice, what are the pros and cons of dialysis nursing. I'm no new grad, just a burned out floor nurse!

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Specializes in jack of all trades.

It's very individual, I've been an RN since 1978 and went directly into CCU/ICU. Then to Open hearts. I'm now in chronic dialysis and to be honest am seriously considering returning to CTU. Dialysis is a field you either love or hate. I'm one of those with the "inbetween" lol. I like the no nights and major holidays off (xmas/thanksgiving). I love the relationship with long term patients but I dont like the conveyor belt mentality of many clinics and administration. I have taken more verbal abuse from pts in this field then I ever encountered in ER/Trauma or any other area I have worked in a hospital. I'm in a small clinic so admin is so afraid of "loosing a pt" that we are told to just "toughen up". My feet and brain hurt at the end of day more than I ever did in CTU/ICU. It's very easy to get tunnel vision and not see the pts other medical issues in dialysis. I see it daily with most nurses and techs. Numerous clinics also let the PCT's run the show and make clinical decisions well beyond thier realm of practice. I have a major issue with this aspect. I suggest you shadow someone for at least 3 days in a clinic then pause for abit and seriously consider what and where you are best suited. Personally I loved open hearts. Also I worked in a Burn ICU and if there was a level 1 trauma center in my area with a burn unit I would be out the dialysis clinic door in a minute! Others absolutely love it, others end up hating it. It definitely has it's pros and cons like any other speciality in nursing. :twocents:

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Specializes in Critical Care, Acute Dialysis.

I transfered to acute dialysis almost 5 months ago now and absolutely love it! I too was fed up with my current situation ( I worked float pool ER,CCU, med/surg, tele) I considered a full time position in CCU but it would have been nights and that no longer appeals to me. I feel like I have much more autonomy as a dialysis nurse, the Neprologists that I work with are amazing and truly value our opinions....not saying it's like that everywhere. I feel like my experience with tele and ICU definitely make me a better dialysis nurse as I can pick up on changes in condition easily. Now for the cons....my unit is extremely understaffed at the moment and our hospital has a hiring freeze so I'm working way more hours than I care to. I have been on call 4 nights in a row and each night I have been called in b/c one of my PD pt's was alarming and the floor nurse didn't feel comfortable pushing a button for me! I say give it a try if you don't like it you can always go back to something else :wink2:

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Specializes in dialysis (mostly) some L&D, Rehab/LTC.
I transfered to acute dialysis almost 5 months ago now and absolutely love it! I too was fed up with my current situation ( I worked float pool ER,CCU, med/surg, tele) I considered a full time position in CCU but it would have been nights and that no longer appeals to me. I feel like I have much more autonomy as a dialysis nurse, the Neprologists that I work with are amazing and truly value our opinions....not saying it's like that everywhere. I feel like my experience with tele and ICU definitely make me a better dialysis nurse as I can pick up on changes in condition easily. Now for the cons....my unit is extremely understaffed at the moment and our hospital has a hiring freeze so I'm working way more hours than I care to. I have been on call 4 nights in a row and each night I have been called in b/c one of my PD pt's was alarming and the floor nurse didn't feel comfortable pushing a button for me! I say give it a try if you don't like it you can always go back to something else :wink2:
One of the reasons I got out of acutes was because those nurses wouldn't push that damn button...:bugeyes:
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Specializes in jack of all trades.

LOL, Even worse there are nurses in the chronic units that wont push those damn buttons!!! They wait for the magic fairy named "PCT" to do it and will let them beep beep beep to thier own musical tune. Nothing worse then to hear 10 alarms going off coming out of my office to see one nurse sitting at the computer while the poor tech is running machine to machine ready to pull out her own hair while thinking to herself she'd like to pull out the nurses hair behind that computer lol. Big pet peeve of mine with my nursing staff ugh.

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LOL, Even worse there are nurses in the chronic units that wont push those damn buttons!!! They wait for the magic fairy named "PCT" to do it and will let them beep beep beep to thier own musical tune. Nothing worse then to hear 10 alarms going off coming out of my office to see one nurse sitting at the computer while the poor tech is running machine to machine ready to pull out her own hair while thinking to herself she'd like to pull out the nurses hair behind that computer lol. Big pet peeve of mine with my nursing staff ugh.

There are plenty of chronic units where the nurse is running around like a chicken, and the PCTs are out smoking for the 20th time, been in the water room for an hour, or sitting at the nurse's station playing on the computer. PCTs get their breaks, nurse doesn't. PCTs go home on time, nurse has to stay over to chart. Some PCTs think they are docs and give out incorrect medical advice to pts, and increase goals the nurse has set, then accept no blame when pts crash. Seen it many times.

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