I have been working on a Nephrology/Transplant Unit (med-surg) in a hospital for almost three years now. I am interested in getting certified as a Nephrology Nurse. Presently, nobody on our unit is certified. I spoke to a nurse who attempted to apply years ago and she said that the exam has a lot of hemodialysis content which makes it quite difficult. Our unit cares for renal patients, a number of them are in HD, but we do not perform the dialysis treatments thus we are unfamiliar with the technical aspect of it. I do have a decent understanding of the concept behind HD and other renal replacement therapies.
I checked the NNCC website and I learned that there is actually another certification for Dialysis Nurses. I am just wondering if anyone knows how the hemodialysis portion of the certification exam for Nephro Nurses and Dialysis Nurses differ. Is it really that technical on the Nephro Nurses exam? By technical, I mean, does it include questions about the hemodialysis procedure itself such as machine operation, water treatment, dialysate, chemical treatments, etc?
Hoping someone could give me more insight. Thanks fellow RNs! =]
