New grad - possible to start in dialysis?

[NooNieNursie]

Hello,

I'm a NJ nurse who graduated in may, passed my boards on the 2nd, and have been trying to find employment as a nurse. I've applied to all the major hospitals for med surg/floor positions (of course), but what I REALLY want to do is work in dialysis. In school I honestly liked dialysis the most, and I have always had an interest in diabetes/endocrinology, may consider becoming a NP with that specialty... and I figure working in renal/nephrology unit or clinic would be a good place for me to get my RN experience.

I applied to davita and fresenius, and also for hospital positions on the renal floor... no responses.

Is it even possible to get hired into a specialty as a new grad? I honestly really would like to do either dialysis OR psych... there are lots of dialysis jobs but I feel excluded from them because I am a new grad. Psych jobs seem down right hard to come by.

Sometimes I feel like I should just give up, and apply to the local community hospital, because I haven't even gotten a call back regarding anything. At this point I am starting to doubt even if the run down community hospital would want me. I was the valedictorian of my class, and no one is interested... sigh.

[jellyrise2008]

Good news, I got an interview with fresenius; I just went there today. The charge nurse said each RN is responsible for 9 pts, with 3 techs and the RN takes 1 (not sure how that actually works, that adds up to 10 hehe). I think in NJ it is illegal to have more than 3:1 ratio in dialysis. It seems like the RN mostly manages the patients under license and passes meds while the techs do most of the work. The RN is responsible for all assessments and monitoring of course. It does not look like an easy job, but I think I have what it takes. My strength is mental work. Physically I am a bit clumsy, but my assessment and judgment is my strong point. I also like 13 hr shifts 3/week with no holidays... can't beat that! That's exactly the kind of schedule I was looking for.

It looked like a really clean, nice facility, the dialysis units were very modern looking, the staff was friendly. One of the staff was speaking with me as I was filling out background check information and he told me it was a really nice place to work. That made me feel really confident after hearing all the HORROR stories about fresenius and dialysis.

The pay is also decent - 28/hr, which is about what new grads make in my area. Again, the horror stories that dialysis nurses make peanuts is not true, the starting salary is about the same as the hospitals.

I was very nervous, I hope I didn't blow it, lol. I really would like to work here!

The charge nurse was talking to me about a possible future in management and acute hemodialysis with the company... that maybe is a good sign?

HI, I hope u were hired at FMC!!! I just had an interview with the charge nurse at FMC and i forgot to ask how much is the rate in Nj..the facility is in irvington nj..do u think its the same rate?? and how many days do u have to wait before they call u??

[land27]

I would like to congratulate you on becomming a nurse. I would highly recommend starting your career off in med/surg or stepdown/ICU prior to specializing in dialysis. Why?? The fundamentals of nursing and development of critical thinking skills used throughout your nursing career will be developed in the first two years following school. Dialysis is a specialty which draws on these fundementals, anybody can learn to string a machine, but when something happens, you are the go to person, and in dialysis you may be the only RN. knowing what to do is not something you will have learned in class, but rather at 3am when mr jones has had a change in mental status and you need to collect accurate assessment data to contact the physician and get him the appropriate intervention in a timely manner.

That being said, yes a new grad can work in dialysis......but only in a chronic setting due to new federal regulations. To work in the acute setting one must have prior experince.