I Want to do Dialysis Nursing: NEED ADVICE!!

[ajlmalenurse]

I want to be a Dialysis Nurse. In fact I am planning to get a Renal Clinical Nurse Specialist MS. So, here is the Question: How long should I work on a Medical Floor of the hospital before I make the move. The opportunity to become a Dialysis Nurse is open to me right now.

[soulofme]

After I graduated from NS I went into acute dialysis...go for it...you might like it.. I work for a chronic unit now...got tired of the on-call:zzzzz

[BlueferralRN]

Two of my classmates went to work in free standing dialysis clinics straight from school. The national company is sending them to classes and seminars to become certified in the specialty. If thats what you want to do, go for it. Good luck.

[arrozconleche]

Can a LVN work in dialysis clinic?

[nursepammiej]

Can a LVN work in dialysis clinic?

Yes they can. Depends on the facility and the state on what your scope of practice is in the unit. Dialysis is kind of a strange bird when it comes to regulations. When I worked in Nebraska as an LPN-C I could not give meds to a dialysis patient, only the RN could do that. However, in Florida I am allowed to give meds as an LPN-C

Be prepared, it takes about a year before you are comfortable with working with the machines and pts. And a chronic unit is very fast-paced and stressful.

Hope this helps

[mpccrn, BSN, RN]

i did dialysis nursing for 5 years after 25 in an ICU. it took about 2 weeks to learn the machine....the hardest part of the job. i found it to be almost factory work.....assembly line stuff. pretty boring after the life and death line walking of an icu. the unit i worked in did both acute and chronic patients. the only thrills i had were doing children and treatments in the icu, ccu. those i found more challenging. there is only a busy time when putting people on, taking them off and getting the new set of patients on. the chronic patients make dialysis their life center as i guess it would be. they want on ....on time, first. some can get pretty cranky if something slows that process down by even minutes. the patients become a little family......they know everything there is to know about the people they have treatments with....forget hippa! i'm glad i had the experience and wouldn't have changed it. it gave me time to be a mom, see the kids games, go to their activities etc. it played its role for the time. if that's what you want to do.....go for it. it's not hard and you can do it right out of school. organization and speed are the most demanding skills needed. the rest is a no-brainer.