Offered a Position

FA=facility administrator.

my nurses work HARD, all day long. keeping up with pt's home meds, various dr. appts, schedule changes with staff and pts, assessments, catheter pts must be put on by nurse (in Texas), tx meds, phone calls, pts cramping, dr. visits (in the middle of turn around), paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, order changes, someone's having chest pain!, new pt admits from the hospital with NO orders, machine malfunctions, no-shows, did I mention paperwork?, drawing up meds, administering meds x 20, listening to pt complaints, listening to staff complaints, giving 2nds on dialyzers, working with broken wrists, broken toes, cleaning up a blood trail from pt A's chair all the way to the scale...

did I leave anything out?

We have 1 nurse for every 12 pts. so every other day when we are full we have 2 nurses.

they work HARD.

Just keep in mind the units is only as strong and or supportive as the administration behind it!!! The first thing I have learned to ask is "what is your turn-over rate for various staff?". How long has your RN's been here? If you see a quick turn around for RN staff run for the door. I'm currently in a unit where the PCT's have been there many years but RN's it's like a revolving door and I'm on my way out now to go to another unit but to train in acutes rather than chronics with another company. I understand any job can be feast or famine but if I want to scrub floors I'll do it in my own house. Also find out who is setting up for the day and who tears down and cleans at the end of the day. It's one thing to be short staffed due to call-ins or someone leaving on a temp basis but routine scheduling short can be frustrating and exhausting. Have notes ready of what to ask and be sure you get clear and consise answers!!!! Go with your gut!!

Dialysis nursing is a speciality, & it has been said by many, you either love it or hate it. It is one of the hardest jobs in nursing there is but to me it is also the most rewarding. A good solid meg/surg background with ICU/CCU/ER skill set is needed but with a great training program, your professional growth can soar

Any nursing job is as good as the team you work with & the attitude you carry, not just in dialysis. As a manager, I have found nurses who stay, love the aspect of evaluating the whole patient. They do not get hung up on I'm a nurse I should know this when just starting. The expectation should be that of show me, teach me so I can be an asset to the team. The technical aspects of the machines can throw some nurses and they don't give themselves time to grow. A nurse that can be a team player & mentor PCT's do well. MANAGEMENT is responsible to clearly define the expectations of the team and AND ASSURE that it's clear that no one is more important than the other. To make sure "the wheel turns w/out any cog's to break down the team and ensure that each staff member is made aware what makes them important to the whole process. Anyone thinking of going into the dialysis field, I would strongly recommend going to a few different clinic's and observe for a few hours, especially during peak times. Hope that helps

Hello,

Thanks for all the comments. I have decided not to take the job that was offered to me after talking with the nurse that was leaving that I had previously worked with on occassion when I floated to her floor at her previous job. She stated she loved what she did but could not deal with the charge nurses attitude and deception, and the manager who would do nothing about it. She stated that as she did not know dialysis so she had to learn everything. Well the charge nurse, a relation of hers, would tell her to do things wrong, then turn around and say she never told her that etc. She discussed this with the manager and nothing ever came of it. As it stands I don't need to work in that type of atmosphere as I did that before and don't care to do it again, One good thing is that the manager stated they staff well, they are all either RN's or LPN's no PCT ratio 3-4 pt to one nurse. Well for now I will stay where I am at.

I think you made a wise decision. You don't want work in such an environment - having worked with a lying, backstabbing dialysis charge nurse, I would definitely not recommend it

Maybe you'll give dialysis another chance in the future - a clinic is only as good as its management and staff, but both can change.

Good luck to you!

DeLana

And I wanted to be an Acute dialysis nurse after 20 years ICU/ER.. YOu guys are killing me..