Manual for dialysis machine?

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2013

It depends where you work to what kind of machine is used. The company you will work for will provide the training

westieluv · Jun 25, 2013

It's not going to help you much to memorize how to use the machine if

a.) you don't know which machine you would be using, and

b.) you don't have the rest of the education/training to go along with it. It isn't just about using the machine. How do you know how fast to set the blood flow rate vs. the dialysate flow rate? What if the patient starts to clot the dialyzer? What do you do if the patient's BP drops precipitously? What do you do with the machine if the patient's needles come out?

I would wait until you are employed in dialysis and know which machine you will be using and begin a detailed training program in overall renal nursing before you worry about learning how to run the machine. If you really want to get a jump on it, then you could buy a good, comprehensive book that covers all of the aspects of renal nursing and dialysis. When I got hired by Fresenius, I found a book on Amazon called Review of Hemodialysis for Nurses and Dialysis Personnel by Judith Z. Kallenbach. She happens to be an educator for Fresenius, but the contents of the book are very comprehensive and cover kidney disease, renal nursing, and dialysis in great detail and would apply to any nursing job in dialysis. The educator that did the classes at my Fresenius location was surprised at how much I already knew coming into the classes, considering that I have no previous experience in renal nursing, and I got all of it out of this book.

Turtles2 · Jun 25, 2013

Thanks to both of you. I just ordered a copy of Kallenbach's textbook.

Chisca, RN · Jun 25, 2013

I applaud your enthusiasm but remember the dialysis machine handbook won't explain osmosis, diffusion, or convection. It also won't discuss the different body spaces that fluid resides, the relationship between vitamin D and the renin/angiotensin system. What about the relationship between calcium and phosphorous and the dangers of hyperparathyroidism, how to assess a fistula or graft, what percentage of patients will experience hypotension and why, or the causes of cramping and treatment? Theory is more important than mechanics unless you want to remain at the skill level of a dialysis tech. I would recommend Handbook of Dialysis 4th edition by John T. Daugirdas, Peter G Blake, and Todd S Ing. Learn theory first and let your employer teach you about the machine.

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