new pediatric dialysis nurse seeking advice

[Ashley_SF, BSN]

I'm starting a pediatric dialysis position at a large, teaching hospital next week. I have about 5 years of adult, outpatient experience. Are there any peds dialysis nurses who can offer some advice and words of wisdom for an adult nurse transitioning into this specialized area?

Specifically I'm curious about the causes of kidney disease in this population, special considerations during treatment and tips and tricks for the younger kids who may be less tolerant of dressing changes and assessments.

Thank you!

[OhRN2]

Hi there. I am interested in pediatric dialysis and was just wondering if you have any insight? I’ve done adult outpatient dialysis previously, but would love a brief rundown or “day in the life” if you’re willing and able. Thanks!

[peachshan, BSN, RN]

I am interested in pediatric dialysis too. I'm getting ready for my last semester of nursing school and I have developed an interested in kidney diseases and how they affect other areas of the body. I also love pediatrics so I would love to combine the two.

[drscepura, BSN, DNP, RN]

I have been an adult and pediatric staff nurse, manager, and director interchangeably for 24 years. You will love taking care of the kiddos and their families. Because that is what it really is, a whole family experience. The turn around time for qualified candidates getting transplants may not be as long as you would think compared to adults. Things are much slower, pump speed, treatment times, and the monitoring is more frequent with children. As children age their treatments in the dialysis unit become more adult-like. Depending on where you are geographically in the country children and families will have their own set of unique needs. You may see more catheters in younger children, and as they get bit older trying them on PD is optimal as well because it works better for their school schedules. Some large hospitals will have a teacher for the children because often they miss a lot of school. With covid many are out of school completely now so the teacher in the dialysis unit is even more important now days. I hope you will enjoy caring for pediatric dialysis patients. Houston Children's and Seattle Children's and Boston Children's all have great programs and they are all valuable resources for your questions, as well as a group known as SCOPE collaborative. Try to get involved with SCOPE if you can, they are an incredible resource where you can share in the most current research and knowledge with peers nationally and from abroad. Best wishes!