patadney

I have CNN and took test abotu 7 yr ago-didn't pass the first time-missed by 1 point. That test was very hard. The area I didn't do well on was CAPD,so I went to work part time in CAPD. Also had a study book,which you can get from ANNA. They have a site on the web. ANNA,journal of nephrology nursing. Anyway I studied hard for a year and took test over and got an easy one that time,so I passed. Have kept it up over the years,it's not good for extra money or anything,but neither is a BSN and this cost less. Good Luck!

You will HAVE to get the details from your manager.I have done both acute and ON CALL. The main CAPD nurse did the teaching. It is much slower paced,you do have to be able to teach. As on call nurse,I had to be available 24 hr a day and be able to answer the most stupid questions without showing emotion-such as "I am sick,should I go to work?" or I didn't get my blood pressure medicine until this afternoon and it was due this morning, Should I take it now?" The answer being "Is your blood pressure high? Do you only take it once a day?"ETC I have also done emergency CAPD in the hospital when they wanted continuous dialysis,especially when the pt needed IV antibiotics. ASK questions before you start.

We can only instill medication to cause declotting. I have seena device like a very small bottle brush that is supposed to be used for stripping the inside of the catheters,but I would not think I would want that responsibilty. Dialysis catheters are large and the tip pf them is inside the right atrium of the heart if they are properly placed. I will allow the surgeons to do that.One way to decrease the likelihood of clotting is for the pt to be placed on coumadin-very small doses seem to help keep them open. Keeping these catheters open is very important as they are the pt lifeline,without dialysis they will die.

That sounds like a well-staffed unit. I worked in a chronic unit for 10 years and then traveled for 5 years and am doing a little work as and acute nurse now-that is I do the treatments in the hospitals,pt in ICU or that can't be moved out of their hospital room for treatment or because there is no unit in that hospital. You will learn how to run the machines and how to manage the pt and also give iv meds. Ther is lots of research going on and new meds come out almost daily. You get to know your pt and docs very well.It's very like a new family whose members are always a little in flux as new pt come and old ones pass away,move or get transplants. It's a whole different way of life.

Where I grew up in a small town in Illinois,the dentists were Dr. Kurt Gronner and Dr. Fillmore Ketola. I worked in Kansas with a Dr. Marvel who did hip replacements and our vetrinarian in Indiana was Dr. Bird. When I went to nursing school the head nurse in Pediatrics was Henry Love!

Dialysis nursing is definately like no other specialty. BUT you only get every other Sat off if there is enough licensed staff to cover and you only get Sun off if you are working in an out patient clinic with no acute responsibilities. Pt will get sick and need dialysis at all hours of the day and night.Usually there is warning that kidneys are failing,but some people ignore symptoms,especially tough men and thenthere is a crisis and we get to come in and save lives. As an acute nurse,you can be on call and wearing a pager at all hours. The different facilities work this out according to the need. I have worked in large cities that had acute units that went to the different hospitals to do dialysis.Then you need to know all about everything as you might need to set up your own machine in a hurry. I really enjoy my work.

Sorry,I have no experience with them. Havbe used Jack L. Marcus out of Milwaukee and they ship within a day or 2 and they don"t charge postage when you have a $25 or more order. Their prices are the most reasanable I have ever seen. They are jacklmarcus.com on the internet or 1 800 453 3944 by phone.

Do NOT bend over him,walk around the bed-stay at arm's length,raise the bed up when you are working so you don't have to bend over. Next night,ask that he be assigned to male staff. Hopefully you have a few male nurses-perhaps make a note on cardex to that effect (male staff only)Remember,he is in the hospital because he is sick and not all people who are sick are nice people to begin with. Good luck!

In general,machines are disinfected daily and disinfected with bleach solution weekly and pt with communicable diseases (MRSA,hepatitis,VRE are either dialyzed in an isolation rm or apart from other pt and the machine used is the one at the end of the line.I think that's pretty standard.

When I worked in a nursing home,I had an occasional pt for whom the doc would not order a sleeping pill.I would give them a Tylenol capsule and tell them it was for sleep-if they asked I would tell them it was Acetaminophen. It worked pretty well-I figured if I told them the doc didn't want them to have a sleeping pill,it would only make them upset and they wouldn't be able to sleep-figured it would relieve aches and pains and I might get a placebo effect at least.

There were 2 dentists in my hometown in Ill where I grew up. They were on the same block but had separate offices. Their names were Dr. Curt Gronner (pronounced groaner) and Dr. Fillmore Ketola. In Kansas Dr. Marvel did hip replacement surgery. And our vet in Indiana was Dr. Bird. I've always wondered if their names were the suggestion for their professions.

My pay varies as I work .6-when I don't work overtime,it's pitiful-but I usually work some OT and am getting a small pension due to early retirement. Net pay runs from 600$ to 900$-but I have health ins for my husband and healthcare account and drugs taken out of my pay,as well as a cafeteria account.Lunches can add up

I am surprised that dialysis pay is so low around the country.It is a specialized area and you need years of experience to supervise in this area.It sounds like you are working under unsafe conditions.People can die there. The hardest part about working in dialysis units is that they are run by techs. If you are supervising,you should not be carrying a patient load as well. In Arizona where I wintered,the techs could not connect a pt to the machine until an RN had doublechecked the dialyzer,prescription,bath and attempted wt loss. Another unit had 2 techs double check before the pt even came in. Generally,however,the techs decide who will run for the full tx time,who will sit where,etc. and the RN is so busy running naround giving iv meds that she is unaware that these deciusions have been made.Lately, I have enjoyed doing acutes. The pt are sicker, but I have more autonomy. Good luck in finding the right job for you.

I have worked in dialysis for 15 yr and do enjoy it. Last 4 yr have been traveling. That is the best pay-have made up to 25$ per hr.The reason I left my unit was that I had been there for 10 yr and done everything-acutes,CAPD,charge,ets and was still not above mid-level in pay. Have had my CNN for 6 yr and you don't get paid any more or anything except respect,but I enjoy the respect. Pat-e