I Hate Dialysis

NurseSnarky · Dec 20, 2008

I'm not sure about dialysis either. Here is what I am up against. I graduated 6/07 & became a RN. I was accepted into a perioperative program & quickly realized I wanted to be a scrub, not the circulator, but was told I would never scrub. Needless to say, I left looking for something else & didn't want to do the med/surg thing. A fellow student recommended dialysis. I recently got a job in dialysis & am worried about my license. I have spent 2 weeks in classroom training with a great teacher who does everything by policy & by the book. Then I was sent out on the floor with the techs. No one documents what they do for the patient. All they document is the vital signs that they do every 60 minutes. I set the machines for 30 so I can try to divert a problem early. The tech & RN change them back. They check off the boxes on the forms & the RN never does a patient assessment other than ask them how they feel. I am told that I will have to setup & take off 3 of my own patients, multi times a shift, plus be the RN for all 12 patients all by myself. There will never be another RN to help. There is no leadership there. The techs take hour lunches, talk on their cell phones & talk about patients at the nurses station & most of them are newbies. So far in 1 wk, the ambulance has been there once & 3 patients crashed at the same time. My trainer said she is hoping things will get better. The last nurse they had told me he left because of what goes on there & that he had to baby sit the techs. I am also working on my BSN & they do not have any tuition reimbursement. I may have a job offer in Rehab/LTC with a $4k sign on bonus plus tuition reimbursement. Right know I really don't know what to do & I don't want to look bad bouncing around trying to find my niche. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening to me whine.

Sounds a lot like my current periopertive experience and why I'm seeking a job elsewhere. I am in a place where I'm being taught the scrub role (which I've always wanted to do), but I got left ALONE on my first day of scrubbing by a tech! :banghead: I reported it, and was blown off by the manager. I also noted several things not being done by standard, I asked my educator who just told me, "you'll run your room the way you want it when you're off of orientation"...WHAT?! UGH!!!

I just think with so many non-licensed positions these days, there is a lack of professionalism period. I am bouncing around the idea of leaving nursing because of this. I am applying for a dialysis job and another OR job while I make up my mind. I feel my license is on the line DAILY, but techs have the attitude that they have little to no responsibilities. And FTR, I know some very good techs in many positions, but more and more I'm seeing quite the opposite. Instead of fixing the nursing shortage over the years by making education affordable, forgiving loans, increased pay (for the huge responsibility), making education more accesible for those seeking to be nurses, and making nursing more safe, the idea has been to fill former nursing positions with non-licensed personnel. I've also witnessed RNs acting just as non-professional too BTW. I've worked myself into illness and an ulcer because it angers me and unnerves me to no end to have to watch my back and worry about patient safety. These are not isolated incidents, they are not at just one facility. And we wonder why there's a lack of respect by doctors? :confused:

Sooooo, I am hoping I get an interview at a dialysis center in order to utilize my critical care background skills. I have only been through a dialysis area for a tour, so this would all be new to me. I have hope that things will change for the better for nursing. However, as time goes on, there are fewer people standing up and taking a stand against those who go against standards. It seems it's "easier" to just turn a blind eye...but I don't see how those people sleep at night. :cry:

marnacla · Dec 25, 2008

10 patients is a dream for most LTC's. Most that I've heard of had 20-over 30 residents! Good luck in your new endeavor!

GeauxNursing · Dec 30, 2008

I was amused by OP saying "popular dialysis clinic"

are we becoming popular now? like with good drink specials? half off appetizers til 7?

sorry. : )

soulofme · Dec 30, 2008

I was amused by OP saying "popular dialysis clinic"
are we becoming popular now? like with good drink specials? half off appetizers til 7?
sorry. : )

Can we have it OUR way? :yeah:

mykrosphere · Jan 4, 2009

dialysis was my first job and i loved it.

i wanted to broaden my skills so i got out of it but now i wish i never left.

its very challenging.