Good Morning,
Glad to hear you have joined us... I fell into dialysis when the hospital I was woriking in remodeled the floor I was working on. 1986. The staff were sent to various other med/surg areas and I ended up on the nephrology floor and fell in love with this population.. When an opening occured on that unit I jumped at the chance.. I eventually went to chronic outpatient hemo... As an LPN, when Epogen, first came out I was of little value to the unit ( couldn't do anymore than a tech) so I left for 10 years But I never forgot... I returned to hemodialysis in 1997 as an RN.. I have worked per diem there until August when I took a full time position.
Outpatient hemo is time-based and fast-paced but worth it.. This population comes to you SICK and after about 2-3 months you can see an improvement... Something you don't see in an acute situation.. When I worked on a Med/Surg unit for 13 years I never got the rewards emotionally that I get in dialysis.. I very rarely saw the outcomes of my and my peers hard work.. With dialysis patients the rewards happen each day.. With the patient who says my appetite is back ,, I can breathe good now... See ya on Monday have a great weekend.. These people are as interested in my life as I am in theirs.. There are so many opportunities to make their lives better.... Oh yes, there are always those who will get under your skin sometimes, but rememeber like a little kid they may be the ones who need you the most...When you work there don't be intimidated by us Time has a different meaning to a dialysis nurse.. We call it the dialysis minute.... LOL And it's not like the last two minutes of the Super Bowl....Give yourself a chance to learn your duties It is difficult to learn dialysis as there are many things that can go wrong. And you have to think outside of the box sometimes.. Talk about critical thinking.. Whew... But, to me, it is worth it.. You will learn how to spot the patient who is "crumping" ( crashing is another term we use) without a blood pressure reading You will actually look at your patient and know that something is wrong.. If you worked cardiac you won't have a problem with this.. We have a lady whose lips turn white and when I take her pressure it will be 78/40 Observation skills are highly reccomended here.. Dialysis nurses are some of the most anal nurses you will meet me included and proud of it... We like our gauze over here and our needles over there and that saline bag is on the post backwards.. and who told you to do it that way You tape your needles HOW... But remember we have a demanding job and when a patient gets a transplant we treat it like they just graduated from college with high honors.... Don't be discouraged by all the things you have to learn and maybe unlearn it will be worth it.. Have fun with all of this I think you will be glad you made the switch I know I am...
May the sun shine brightly on you, in peace, and may the wind be always at your back....
