Med/Surg/PCU RN to Dialysis

[westieluv]

I have been an RN for almost 23 years and have several years of experience in inpatient Med/Surg and Cardiac Intermediate, which is where I am now. I am considering applying for a position within my company as a hemodialysis nurse in an inpatient hospital dialysis unit. Can any of you give me an idea of how big the learning curve would be or if it is very difficult to transition from floor nursing to dialysis? I have taken care of patients with renal failure, A-V fistulas, etc. but never actually learned anything about being a dialysis nurse. I am very willing to be trained and catch on quickly, but still...it seems so different from anything else that I have done.

[NurseRies, BSN, RN]

I have been an RN for almost 23 years and have several years of experience in inpatient Med/Surg and Cardiac Intermediate which is where I am now. I am considering applying for a position within my company as a hemodialysis nurse in an inpatient hospital dialysis unit. Can any of you give me an idea of how big the learning curve would be or if it is very difficult to transition from floor nursing to dialysis? I have taken care of patients with renal failure, A-V fistulas, etc. but never actually learned anything about being a dialysis nurse. I am very willing to be trained and catch on quickly, but still...it seems so different from anything else that I have done.[/quote']

I think you will have to tell yourself to slow down! Which might be nice. Inpatient dialysis can be a lot to learn, but I think with your experience, you will find it a nice transition. You may get frustrated with the technology and machines. That will be the hardest part. Give yourself a solid month of machine and technical skills to feel like you're not clueless! And I think most people get pretty nervous doing treatments on their own for the first few times. I think you may find it a nice change of pace. Ratio usually 1:1 or 2:1. Will you be required to do call time? Is there an inpatient dialysis unit with back up support?

[westieluv]

Thanks for your reply. This position does require on-call time, but not until the nurse is proficient. Other than that I don't know all that much about it because the job description was kind of brief. I would love to take a break from floor nursing, even if dialysis nursing is challenging and will require learning some new technology. I appreciate your encouragement, and I know that I could learn it eventually.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

I also, have been an RN for over twenty years. I've done ER, M/S, ICU and dialysis.

Much of the dialysis has been in inpatient/acutes.

I love it, personally.

That said, I've known M/S RN's that ran screaming from acute dialysis because of the autonomy. Every department and doc is going to depend on you to know your stuff, because much of what an inpatient dialysis patient's (whole) needs are, revolve around their renal disease-- nothing like AM rounds with ten sets of eyeballs looking at you for the answer! It can be scary "running your own show," but once you've got it, it's incredibly satisfying. Personally, I thrived on it.

That said, the floor RN's run circles around me. They are simply the best.

[NurseRies, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your reply. This position does require on-call time but not until the nurse is proficient. Other than that I don't know all that much about it because the job description was kind of brief. I would love to take a break from floor nursing, even if dialysis nursing is challenging and will require learning some new technology. I appreciate your encouragement, and I know that I could learn it eventually.[/quote']

If your other dialysis nurses are reliable and helpful, you will love it! It is just scary to be out there on your own and no one to rely on but you. Sometimes I will test a machine (patient nowhere near hooked up), go take a quick restroom break, and by the time I return, the machine had failed a test, is beeping, and the nurse is frantically paging the overheard for a dialysis nurse. It's ok!! The machine is just beeping bc it needs a retest. I would never leave a patient unattended while they are on treatment. It's things like this that make me realize, I'm literally out there on my own, only I can look out for myself. Grab enough back up supplies, so that no matter what happens, you've got a solution. There will be no time to grab anything once the 4 hour treatment begins. Once you get the hang of it, it's honestly pretty easy and the patients adore their dialysis nurses. The dialysis nurses can relate to them a little more and can talk to them in a dialysis language that no one would expect a m/s or even ICU nurse to know. You know what I really like about my patients- they wouldn't be on dialysis to begin with if they weren't fighters and didnt have a will to live. They are usually inspiring and hopeful people (not all, some cases are just downright sad), but I love my patients personalities. And in the acute world, you have time to chat and time to really educate them and their families!!