nurses doing tech duties

Trauma Columnist · Oct 5, 2011

The HDU's where I see pts require the RNs to be able to set up and take off a pt. That is not their primary job but sometimes is necessary.

I'm the APN employed by the nephrology group that sees pts on HD.

loveu123 · Oct 6, 2011

I met two nurses who couldn't dialyze when i worked outpatient for a few months and it was very annoying. I work in acutes and every nurse knows how to dialyze. We only have 1 tech with us and all she does is to set up machines.

DaniRN1 · Oct 9, 2011

I was an HD tech before I was an HD RN, and I can say, that as techs, we had no respect for nurses that were there in name only. In the fast paced world of dialysis, we needed someone who could help out in a pinch, so we didn't drown. As the nurse, I want to learn and do all aspects of the job, including machine set up and tear down. Besides, cleaning machines helped calm my inner cleaning beast!

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Oct 11, 2011

All our nurses are trained as techs first then they learn the RN role. It is expected that the RN should be able to slip into the tech role should the need arise-for example in an emergency.

We currently have a nurse who simply cannot understand the tech role and may end up being asked to leave as the techs need to be supported in their role by somebody who can initialize with understanding dialysis

MJB2010 · Oct 12, 2011

All our nurses are trained as techs first then they learn the RN role. It is expected that the RN should be able to slip into the tech role should the need arise-for example in an emergency.
We currently have a nurse who simply cannot understand the tech role and may end up being asked to leave as the techs need to be supported in their role by somebody who can initialize with understanding dialysis

Try having this nurse work as JUST a tech for a couple of weeks, without any of the nursing duties. Back to the basics. Have the nurse have their own pod of 4 and practice, practice, practice. We had to do this for an LPN and she struggled at first, but she got it. I think it is overwhelming when you throw both the tech and nurse stuff at them. When I was trained I was trained as a tech first, then learned the nurse part. Not all at once. I think that was a good natural progression. But without practice you will never get it.

Tish88 · Oct 12, 2011

At my clinic, everyone knows how to completely dialyze a patient. I would not consider doing put ons and take offs and stringing lines just a techs duty. We all pitch in. It is hard to believe a nurse would not know how to do these tasks - what if there is an emergency????

Heck, we even trained the dietician, social worker and secretary how to hand crank a machine in case of a power outage. They are also part of our evacuation team.

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2011

Try having this nurse work as JUST a tech for a couple of weeks, without any of the nursing duties. Back to the basics. Have the nurse have their own pod of 4 and practice, practice, practice. We had to do this for an LPN and she struggled at first, but she got it. I think it is overwhelming when you throw both the tech and nurse stuff at them. When I was trained I was trained as a tech first, then learned the nurse part. Not all at once. I think that was a good natural progression. But without practice you will never get it.

We havent given her any nursing duties yet! She has been training as a tech since August

Trauma Columnist · Oct 13, 2011

Madwife - what is she not getting? The technical side of the machine and dialysis or the physical side of stringing a machine?

linsmirn · Oct 15, 2011

I think its where the nurses worked before. My first job was a dialysis position and the nurse who was trianing me kept on telling me not to worry about the machines, that its the techs jobs and for me to just worry about the patients. I understood that the pts came first, but she should of trained me on the machine before anything else. I hated not being able to set the machines. Anyways it was a horrible environment, left and now Im a pysch nurse which I love, but Im still interested in dialysis and maybe after a few years I'll find the right place to train me correctly.

NurseChick99 · Oct 26, 2011

I am an RN and I have a pod of 4 for each shift plus meds and assessments for the other 2 pods which are run by PCTs. Our PCTs are awesome, but all of the nurses work pods too, most of us every day.:)

rogue_maverick · Nov 26, 2011

Where I work it's a different setup.

Nurses setup the machine, hook the patient, monitor and administer meds, terminate the treatment, then tear down the lines. We even, at times, wheel the patient to the weighing scale, then after that wipe the chairs and get both the machines and seats ready for the next patient.

So most of the work is done by us. Even if we have two nursing assistants per shift (18 bed chronic facility)