NephRN

I do in-patient (in hospital) dialysis with about 13 other RN's and we each take call an average of three to four times per month. I'd say that about 60% of the time, we get called in during the night. (The unit is open and fully staffed throughout the daytime except Sundays and there are always two RN's on Sunday call) We each get 3 hours of regular pay for a 12 hour night of call and also get paid with shift diff if we get called in. (The diff is about 36%). Each Sunday call RN gets 6 hours of regular pay plus gets paid if she has to come in for however many hours she is there, sometimes that includes a shift diff as well.

I am a dialysis nurse working in an inpatient, acute care setting. Where I work, the dialysis staff sets up the CRRT (PRISMA), provides teaching to the critical care staff, changes the set-up when the sytem clots, makes the changes when there is a change in modality ordered (ie: SCUF to CVVHD), on call for problems, and discontinues the treatment when so ordered. Please tell me how it is handled where you work. I would also like to know what area you work in (ie: ICU, CCU, SICU, TICU, CVRR, Dialysis, etc.) and how you feel about your CRRT resonsibilities. Thanks in advance.

Yikes!! Feeling bad for the RN in the UK... and I thought Florida pay was bad! I am, however, feeling good about Florida pay now that I see what nurses in Ohio and PA are making. Don't worry, it's comparable... I just always always thought that "Northern" nurses made boatloads more money. Guess Florida is starting to get with the program noow that our nursing shortage is "Critical". Anyway, to answer your CNN question... I don't know of any perks involved in obtaining CNN status other than those of self satisfaction and professional recognition. I am a devoted member of the ANNA (American Nephrology Nurses Association) and believe that all nephrology nurses should obtain CDN or CNN status. It shows that you are knowledgeable and committed to your field of practice. It also tells your patients that you are qualified to care for them. Think about it.

Sharon, Do you use Crit-lines (In-Line Diagnostics) where you work? They are extremely valuable pieces of equipment when you need to establish a new dry weight or challenge an existing dry weight. They are also invaluable when treating acute or trauma patients. Anyway, they also are invaluable for doing recirc studies very quickly without having to stick the patient, waste any blood, or even send any blood to the lab. The out patient centers in my area don't use them but in the hospital setting, our docs love them and so do our patients! In the past, we followed the recirc protocol that can be found in the ANNA Core Cirriculum. Good Luck!

Outpatient dialysis managers are often forced to think of time as money and push their staff to do the same. I work in the inpatient setting for that very reason. I hate to say it but I think of outpatient dialysis as an assembly line... the pressure is really on to move them (the patients) in, get them on, get them off rapidly, and then move them out. Where's the human factor in that?? Do we think that our patients feel cared for and secure in this environment? I can tell you firsthand that they don't. I think that we, as nurses, can advocate for our patients in this area. Yes, we want to get patients assessed on begin their treatments in a timely fashion, afterall, the "clock" doesn't start ticking until you get them on, but certainly not at their, or our own, expense. Have you considered trying the inpatient, acute dialysis arena?