DIALYSIS VS MED/SURG

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im currently a trauma nurse with 2 years acute expearince and I am intrested in becoming a dilaysis nurse. I live in philadelphia and wanted to know is it better than med/surg. I want to do acutes but do I have to do chromincs first? and how much money does it pay?, i make like 30 $/hour in the hospital and have gotten use to this pay. Thanks

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im currently a trauma nurse with 2 years acute expearince and I am intrested in becoming a dilaysis nurse. I live in philadelphia and wanted to know is it better than med/surg. I want to do acutes but do I have to do chromincs first? and how much money does it pay?, i make like 30 $/hour in the hospital and have gotten use to this pay. Thanks

This is my opinion. You need at least a year of chronics before you do acutes. When you are on call all alone at 0100 you need to know how to trouble shoot the machine and any problems you might encounter with a patient. I once hooked my machine to the water and turned on the how water. Thought the machine was broke when it registered a high temp, but quickly remembered I'd turned on the HOT WATER instead of the cold. I'm used to turning on the hot water to wash my hands. LOL

Philly should have lots of opportunities to do HD. There should be some competition there between different dialysis companies. As for making $30 or more an hour. I don't know. You'll just have to apply and see what they offer. Without HD experience you will probably start at the lower end of the pay scale.

Here are two websites you might check to see about positions: www.fmcna.com or www.davita.com

And here is a site to check how large a unit is www.dialysisunit.com might be an "s" on units if that site doesn't work try adding an "s" to unit... I, personally, like units with less than 20 stations. Especially for someone learning. A larger unit and you might get frustrated with the learning process. It is a steep curve.

Good luck, expect to work hard. You might be the only RN in a 20 station unit. When you apply ask to shadow someone for at least a day. That will be the best UNPAID time you'll invest in your nursing career. Start your shadow day when the unit opens and finish it when your nurse does. It could be a 14 hour day.

Not trying to dissaude you from HD just trying to be very honest with you so you don't get screwed. I love HD wouldn't do anything else. BUT I've also been in it for 15 years.

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Thanks very much, I plan on waiting until I have 2 years med/surg under my belt becuase I want to make sure I get the most out of the hospital learning expearince. I feel very comfortable and safe as an RN providing care to my patients and I know policy and procedure well jus sometimes feel like its overwhelimg. The money is great but if I had to take a pay cut to work up to what I belive would be a better job oppurtunity then i would def do it. I will def look for a smaller unit and I might keep up with hospital pool to make a lil more money on the side and keep up on my nursing skills. Thanks so much and I hope that i can become a acute dialysis nurse one day lol !!!

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Hi :) Did you get a job in dialysis?

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Specializes in Renal, medsurg, snf.

Medsurg starting has a higher pay. Slower phase. Acute dialysis though has a better pay in the long run. Your main enemy is though is"Time".To be good acute dialysis nurse you need background of bedside nursing and working with critically ill patients, plus you need to master dialysis machines , if pursuing to work as acute dialysis RN starting on dialysis centers will be a good start. DIALYSIS is complex, a very invasive process that in 1 mistake could cause lifethreatening effects, not just one type you see in dialysis centers, in acute setting we work closely hand in hand with ICU nurses, the acuity is high, they do part Hemo/renal/bedside. We do HD/PD/CRRT/PLASMAPHARESIS/TPE things used mainly in very critically ill people. And its a specialty not learned in 1 day, it takes years to master, its sad that other nurses think that "thats just dialysis, well NO", most dialysis nurses started as bedside nurses too, without the background you won't be a safe dialysis nurse.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Kudos to dialysis/renal nurses. I worked a hosp that was regional dialysis. Had excellent docs. I was fascinated with nephrology disorders. So diverse and complicated.

I used to have a belief (then, and still now) that dialysis pts didn't die of renal/dialysis, THEY DIED OF EVERYTHING ELSE!! Pulmonary, cardiac, sepsis, diabetes, immunocompromise - EVERYTHING ELSE!!l

Like they could treat the renal/dialysis, but it would be the CHF, COPD, sugar, etc that would be it.

Those nurses would have to be a little bit EXPERT in everything else.

Again, my respect.

 

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
On 7/9/2021 at 11:23 AM, amoLucia said:

Kudos to dialysis/renal nurses. I worked a hosp that was regional dialysis. Had excellent docs. I was fascinated with nephrology disorders. So diverse and complicated.

I used to have a belief (then, and still now) that dialysis pts didn't die of renal/dialysis, THEY DIED OF EVERYTHING ELSE!! Pulmonary, cardiac, sepsis, diabetes, immunocompromise - EVERYTHING ELSE!!l

Like they could treat the renal/dialysis, but it would be the CHF, COPD, sugar, etc that would be it.

Those nurses would have to be a little bit EXPERT in everything else.

Again, my respect.

 

Thank you. It's true, dialysis does not kill the patient (if done safely), it's all the comorbidities that do. We have to have a broad knowledge of many disease processes and lab interpretation, as well as minute by minute changes to succeed.

It's face paced but I like that. The time goes so fast that way.

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