gollybabbler

There's also the concept of "backfiltration", (paraphrasing work info here) which is the movement of fluid from the dialysate compartment of the filter into the blood, and can occur with minimal fluid removal & when the TMP is low; potential cont...

This is a funny thread, great stories. Here's a dialysis one: Had trouble getting needles in; still at pt's bedside, explaining this to doc by saying, "She's a tricky stick," meaning only that the needles were hard to get in. But the pt took it as an...

Wow, that's a hard one. I don't know if this is true in your case, but consider your non-verbal communication- it may be that since you are learning, your face does not show the "appropriate" expressions your preceptor thinks should be there, and tha...

Oh, long story short I did not have the skills at the time to deal with the "difficult" people I worked with in IS, but did not realize it at the time, so I was extremely stressed. Now doing acute dialysis, and regretting my stupidity almost every da...

I agree with the post above- it's trading one type of stress for another. I used to work ICU and loved it until I needed a break. Now I'm in acutes, and although the hours are just about killing me, the pace is better than ICU. We are on call from tw...

Very good info here, thanks to all. I would just like to add that I've kept track of certain statistics since I started in dialysis (over 2500 patients served!) and the clotting rate is about 10%- we do not prime with Heparin and boluses are rarely o...

Well, if you look at the quarterly profit reports, Davita usually keeps improving, and the company keeps growing worldwide, but there seems to be a consistently high turnover for RN's in acutes and chronics. I can honestly say I've never (in many, ma...

From a former IS nurse- Project Management skills are very helpful too. Good Luck!

I'm just wondering if they have a high turnover, if maybe that's why they didn't seem picky- again, no reflection on you. It is very nice to work close to home. Good luck!

Hello- I knew an experienced dialysis nurse who did dialysis-travel assignments all over the country, she even went on a cruise ship doing dialysis. I've never done traveling, but I do in-hospital dialysis, and I can tell you it is a very good skill ...

My mouth dropped open when I read your post! I would have the same issues as you do with lifting so many very heavy bags over my head. I'm hoping it is possible for you to fill them less, but then you'll have twice as many bags. I honestly do not kno...

When patients come to our unit (in-hospital dialysis), we have to put a sign on their bed if they are on isolation. A patient once asked me what the sign said. After I told him he replied, "It should say 'Alms for the poor'."

Oh! Duh! I didn't look at the dates!

Such good advice on this thread for you. I was in the same boat, except I had nursing experience when I started doing dialysis, but I really, really hated it. I told myself I would stick it out for a year, then re-evaluate. Turned out I'm glad I stay...

Just wondering- some of the patients probably couldn't get there as well. I used to feel horribly guilty for calling out, even when I was sick; but now I know I am not pretending, or making excuses- I am usually very dependable & only call out wh...

This is very good advice, and the original question just makes me think how destructive gossip is. It's really hard to take a comment like that and look at yourself to see if it's got some merit, even if it doesn't, so I applaud the original poster.

Newly returned to this site. I enjoy the free exchange of opinions here from intelligent, like-minded people. But I have to say I agree with Cal-Neva about how we nurses, generally speaking, can be rude and try to put each other down. There is much l...

I worked ICU bedside forever, now I'm doing dialysis in the ICU/hospital. I can say for certain that dialysis is not considered ICU. Also, you can do dialysis in hospitals and not work for the hospital if the dialysis is contracted out to another com...

This looks like a power play to me- the nurse who frequently interrupts with questions is not one who is trying to be better prepared, but is trying to show who is boss in the exchange. There is a way to get the info you want without interrupting. To...

Great topic! Seems some of us have a little OCD, maybe? Including me- I don't touch anything without gloves. And I don't like anything to keep beeping, the noise drives me crazy. When I did ICU & used to give Prevacid down the NGT, I'd empty the ...

Ditto, I average around 11 or 12, but then call days, it's around 16, even up to 20. My worst was almost 22. Hours. And I eat little nibbles of food like a mouse in the water room. I..am..ROBO-NURSE. I..do..not..need...nourishment...or...potty...bre...

Hug from me too. Good advice above. Please know that you will likely feel overwhelmed and underprepared again in your nursing career, because it's a given that management will try to take advantage, especially of new nurses. I'm not saying there are ...

Hello- have you checked info on the machines & filters you are using? I do know that our machines have a setting for "High Flux" which increases the default minimum UF from 70 to 300, and we recently changed our filters to ones that have high flu...