Dialysis nursing - what is the cringe about?

Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN · Jul 19, 2020

I did inpatient dialysis for several years. There is nothing wrong with doing that. I enjoyed it. I know several nurses that will never work anyplace else but dialysis. f you want to do that, go for it.

Sour Lemon · Jul 19, 2020

1 hour ago, klance said:
Why do nurses and everyone cringe when I say I want to be a dialysis nurse and then a dialysis nurse practitioner. They all say that I don’t want to do dialysis. But I do. I absolutely loved my time there in nursing school. I have family that have been on dialysis. I absolutely want to be a dialysis nurse. But why does everyone cringe and tell me not to do it?

You could ask them? I don't know why "everybody" cringes. It doesn't make me cringe.

**CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jul 20, 2020

Dialysis nursing is it's own specialty. The same things that would make some people cringe are some of the things that people would like about it.

I figure dialysis centers, the same people are scheduled for the same times 3 days/week. That's a lot of time. From the hospital perspective, I kinda like a fresh batch of patients every few days. But, clinic/dialysis work is different. You can build "relationships" with the patients.

Dialysis patients are sick. They usually have high blood pressure (really high and labile) and diabetes. Makes them more complex, but in the same kinda ways. Inpatient that means they get meds at least 3 times/day, plus meals. So, lots of busy work.

As a med-surg nurse, I sometimes get worn out by them. They are frequently hospitalized, so in some ways get "institutionalized". They know the 'drill'. They can be demanding and cranky. (Yes, any patient can be demanding, but I find this patient population to be rougher) I try to empathize, because I can't imagine life from their perspective. They are hooked up to a machine that makes them feel terrible/better for hours every week. Work may not be possible due to all of the circumstances like insurance and scheduling and being medically ill.

I think the patients themselves get sick of being sick, sick of taking pills all day, sick of being told how much frigging water they can have. I mean.. Diabetics have a hard time with sugar/carbohydrates.. I can't imagine being thirsty but having to limit water (too!). They want sleep. They don't want their blood pressure taken every frigging 4 hours (our hospital policy). I mean, they are human, living in what I'd imagine being a nightmarish life.

I figure it takes a 'special' kind of nurse to be able to do that. (My aunt was a dialysis nurse, and honestly the reason I was never going to be a nurse because she hated it - she's in a nursing home now and much prefers that).

I'm sure from a dialysis nurse that enjoys it, the perspective is way different than mine as an inpatient med-surg nurse.

klance · Jul 20, 2020

14 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:
Dialysis nursing is it's own specialty. The same things that would make some people cringe are some of the things that people would like about it.

I figure dialysis centers, the same people are scheduled for the same times 3 days/week. That's a lot of time. From the hospital perspective, I kinda like a fresh batch of patients every few days. But, clinic/dialysis work is different. You can build "relationships" with the patients.

Dialysis patients are sick. They usually have high blood pressure (really high and labile) and diabetes. Makes them more complex, but in the same kinda ways. Inpatient that means they get meds at least 3 times/day, plus meals. So, lots of busy work.

As a med-surg nurse, I sometimes get worn out by them. They are frequently hospitalized, so in some ways get "institutionalized". They know the 'drill'. They can be demanding and cranky. (Yes, any patient can be demanding, but I find this patient population to be rougher) I try to empathize, because I can't imagine life from their perspective. They are hooked up to a machine that makes them feel terrible/better for hours every week. Work may not be possible due to all of the circumstances like insurance and scheduling and being medically ill.
I think the patients themselves get sick of being sick, sick of taking pills all day, sick of being told how much frigging water they can have. I mean.. Diabetics have a hard time with sugar/carbohydrates.. I can't imagine being thirsty but having to limit water (too!). They want sleep. They don't want their blood pressure taken every frigging 4 hours (our hospital policy). I mean, they are human, living in what I'd imagine being a nightmarish life.
I figure it takes a 'special' kind of nurse to be able to do that. (My aunt was a dialysis nurse, and honestly the reason I was never going to be a nurse because she hated it - she's in a nursing home now and much prefers that).
I'm sure from a dialysis nurse that enjoys it, the perspective is way different than mine as an inpatient med-surg nurse.

Thank you so much for all of this! I really appreciated your input.

allnurses Guide · Jul 20, 2020

The only thing about dialysis nursing that makes me cringe is that it foregoes a lot of the flexibility to change what you do that is common in other areas of nursing. On the whole, once you are in dialysis, getting out of it can be exceptionally difficult.