New to Dialysis - What's the deal?

[PomPomRN]

Just recently started working in a chronic care dialysis clinic. I really want to like this job. Why do they tell you that your training will be blah, blah, blah and then you show up and there is no organization, no one REALLY wants to help you and God forbid you should ask someone a question.

I have been in the unit a total of 12 days - over the past month and some of the PCTs have started to talk to me like I'm an idiot. Do we have to put up with this? I understand they are busy and stressed, but I am also stressed considering I only have a short time to learn what I need to know to be a team leader and take care of patients on my own. And not for nothing but I will be held responsible if I make a mistake and also be held responsible for what they are and are not doing for the patients.

It's a lot to learn in a fairly short time, and long days are to be working closely with people in such a negative environment. Besides that I am "following" and being told, "Oh, when you have to do this, you should make sure you are doing it the "right" way". Then I will ask a question if I think someone is doing something different than the way I was shown and they get ****** off! So, how is one to learn the "right" way if all I'm seeing is the "not-so-right" way?

How long is it going to take for me to feel really comfortable?

[PomPomRN]

Thanks everyone for you comments and advice. Clodcat, you hit it right on the head. That's my experience to a tee. I try real hard to be wherever I can be to help out as much as possible. I'm still in training and find my self being left alone to "figure" things out by "trial and error", which in my opinion is not always the best way when I have a patient's blood outside of their body.

I do think it is getting a little better, but the gossip is seriously undermining the whole clinic environment. I try to be Switzerland at all times, I do not gossip, don't feed into gossip and don't approve of the gossip. If anyone asks me "about" another co-worker, I do not say anything incriminating. I know they talk about me when I'm not around, but that's all part of this game, I guess.

I too took a major paycut to accept this position and refuse to let it break me. I want to do this and do it well. I do not want to be defeated. Being a Living Donor and giving my kidney also plays a role in my strong desire to stick it out. I made a connection with a patient the other day that all my other co-workers despise and I feel that each and everyone of these people deserve to be treated with respect and not judged. We have no idea what they go through on a daily basis, I wouldn't want to be hooked to a machine 3 days a week for hours and hours. God has put them in our lives for a reason and we need to give them compassionate care even if they are not someone we would "hangout" with in our personal lives.

God gives us the strength and we must use it to provide great care for those who need it.

Thanks all!!

[Erikadawn RN]

Been a dialysis RN for a little over 2 years, in chronics and acutes. My techs generally love me because I will jump in and help out. Trust me, learn your machine, it takes off so much stress when your machine is beeping and you know why. Learn to string that baby and troubleshoot it, just hang in there.