DIALYSIS! I am new in the field and feeling very discouraged

angelmp228 · Jul 11, 2016

I am an LVN and was in training for 7 weeks 2 in diastatic and 5 on the floor, non of which included catheters. I do both pre and post treatment assessments. It is very difficult for me to get everyone on and off at their scheduled times. As I said before the first shift is OK but the 2nd and 3rd is a crazy hustle! Our district manager said one of the five weeks of training should have been following another nurse doing catheters. That never happened. I really love what I'm doing and hope it works out for me. I find if I don't enter some of the information in right as im doing it that I end up spending extra time later trying to figure out start time, UFR based on weight, when heparin was given... Three months of training would have been amazing!

fragino · Jul 11, 2016

angelmp228, what state are you in where you can sign off the assessments?

angelmp228 · Jul 11, 2016

Fragino, I am in Texas. The RN finalizes her part of the documentation although I'm not exactly sure what that involves.

regionalmanager · Jul 11, 2016

As mention before you did not have proper training. Your district manager seems to pooh pooh this away to the fact you should have been trained earlier. Now the monkey is on your back because it was the trainer's duty to make sure you were check off and if he was not qualified to check you off on catheters, he should have notified his district manager. If he or she was your preceptor, they must have been very inapt and should not be training if all fields are not covered. Patient safety comes first, so slow down and go step by step. This will eliminate a lot of errors. And if patients continue to complain, go to your district manager and voice your concerns. She was ultimately in charge of your inadequate training, therefore she needs to resolve the problem. Good luck.

nutella, MSN, RN · Jul 11, 2016

The turnover is very rough for most staff. Especially if there is no downtime between the tx rounds.

It takes a long time to get up to speed and going from 2 to 4 patients was probably too much for you.

Catheters are much faster in the end because you do not have to hold sites and wait to clot. However, they requires diligence.

Chisca, RN · Jul 11, 2016

Yes adsmithrn, I'm not going anywhere I just hope they don't get impatient and fire me!ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½

And start over again training a new nurse? They will keep you as long as they see you are willing to keep trying. You will fire yourself if they frustrate you any further.

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Jul 20, 2016

Much of the procedure comes down to "muscle memory." Those that have been at this a while do those steps (like clamping the saline lines) without thinking. You're still in the "thinking" stage. Don't beat yourself up. Always remember to do your final checks before you turn the blood pump on to begin the treatment. This should help you.

idialyze, BSN, RN · Jul 20, 2016

Just slow down a little and think through what you are doing, speed will follow. When I started in Dialysis I wrote down every step to set up my machines on an index card and carried it in my pocket for 6 months to refer to every time I set up a machine, it solidified in my mind what I needed to do, step-by-step.

I've been doing this for 24 years now and love every minute of it! Hope you will too!

AnotherRNisnew · Jul 23, 2016

I am also new to dialysis. Turnover is always a bit hectic. The best you can do is to take care of one patient at a time. Just concentrate on that patient. While their site is clotting you can tear down the machine and string it for the next patient and finish all your computer unput. My training consisted of three months as a PCT ( with some nursing duties) followed by a 40 hour class off site with an exam I had to pass. The nursing was also a three month duration with a three day class for that. So I don't know what company you work for but in my geographic area this is the training mandated by DaVita. We all they to help each other during turnover so having a good staff goes a long way.

mommabean0608 · Aug 10, 2016

Have a phone interview this week for RN outpatient dialysis clinic. Do you mind telling me how long you have been with this company and if there are any questions that you would recommend asking the recruiter? Thank you for any help in advance!

AnotherRNisnew · Aug 10, 2016

I would ask to shadow a nurse for part of a day. It seems like Davita at least from my experience likes that idea and you can get to see what its like in that clinic and how staff interacts with each other. I would also ask about hours and shift times. For Davita 30 or more hours is considered full time.

I started in Nov 2015 and was new to dialysis but i have 20+ years of experience in varied settings.

channo92 · Apr 7, 2017

I know I am late to the party, but I am interested in how your trainign is going! I am a tech of almost 2 years and am going into my BSN program soon. I have lots of pointers, if you are interested! I am a preceptor now and have a system that I have to do EVERY time, or I WILL forget something, even with this much experience. It took me 6 months to not cry every day, so you are not alone!