cwnurse1

as for epo, just wait and see. the powers that be will tell you what your unit will do. we currently decrease if hgb >13, but this may change to 12 shortly. my nurses work 10 hour days. this gives them a day off during the week to take care of other things. they like it this way. sticking patients will be the least of your problems. learn your protocols-just because a nurse tells you something is a certain way doesn't make it so. i am 41, and can keep up with the younger ones. patients like to give you a hard time at first-testing you to see how you respond. when they figure out you really care and are there for the long run, they lighten up. don't get frustrated. it takes awhile to learn dialysis. and yes, there are days when everything goes wrong and you are so tired you can hardly move. but then the next day runs smoothly.

i have been doing this over 18 years. like any other job, some days you love it, some days you hate it. but i feel this is my calling. you get really close to the patients. you want to see them do well. sometimes there is what i call excessive paperwork for head nurses. but overall, i can't imagine doing anything else.

are diabetics allowed to eat a small snack during treatment? they go a long time without eating. if it is related to the machine, is everyone coming off that machine feeling the same?