Trying to get into Dialyis with no luck so far

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I just took my Ncclex-RN today at 75 questions. I have applied to every dialysis center in my area and I have not heard anything while, FMC weekly posts new jobs for RN's. I have no dialysis experience and prior to RN school I have been an LPN for 4 years working in LTC and Assisted Living. I know that the economy is bad and im frustrated not to hear anything. I have read other posts that dialysis centers are very short staffed. I know that it is a big investment to train someone and I know that dialysis experience is definately preffered I guess my question is will some one give me a chance. What should I do? Do I have a chance at getting into dialysis at this time

Bobo:crying2:

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I just took my Ncclex-RN today at 75 questions. I have applied to every dialysis center in my area and I have not heard anything while, FMC weekly posts new jobs for RN's. I have no dialysis experience and prior to RN school I have been an LPN for 4 years working in LTC and Assisted Living. I know that the economy is bad and im frustrated not to hear anything. I have read other posts that dialysis centers are very short staffed. I know that it is a big investment to train someone and I know that dialysis experience is definately preffered I guess my question is will some one give me a chance. What should I do? Do I have a chance at getting into dialysis at this time

Bobo:crying2:

Did you do online apps or did you go to the units themselves to apply. You just have to keep plugging along.

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I applied online and I also mailed them a cover letter and my resume. I will have clarification that I passed my ncclex tomorro and I suppose the next step is to go to these centers and ask to fill out an application and ask to speak to someone. It was a totally different story when I got my LPN and almost every nursing home and assisted living facility contacted me right away. Is FMC and Davita hiring right now? Do they have a hiring freeze? Will they only hire experienced nurses? I guess I need to have a more positive outlook and keep my fingers crossed. Thank you for your concern.

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I applied online and I also mailed them a cover letter and my resume. I will have clarification that I passed my ncclex tomorro and I suppose the next step is to go to these centers and ask to fill out an application and ask to speak to someone. It was a totally different story when I got my LPN and almost every nursing home and assisted living facility contacted me right away. Is FMC and Davita hiring right now? Do they have a hiring freeze? Will they only hire experienced nurses? I guess I need to have a more positive outlook and keep my fingers crossed. Thank you for your concern.

www.fmcna.com and www.davita.com I see lots of jobs for DaVita with the heading Dialysis Experience. The problem is there just aren't that many experienced dialysis nurses available. Most are working now.

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Thats what I figured. I have experience unrelated to dialysis. This is what I want to do and I just hope that someone will take a chance on me. I know that the training is extensive and expensive for the company. i see so many posts that state that they are so short staffed. I wonder if anyone that works for Davita or FMC can shed so light on hiring practices related to new grads and the awful economy that we are in right now. OneKidneyNurse thankyou for your support.

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Specializes in Dialysis (acute & chronic).

Keep contacting the companies - some are slow to respond due to the volume of applications they receive.

Also, many people on here complain that their unit is short staffed, however, they might not have any positions available in their budget. Dialysis is a very busy job, not much down time during your 10-12 hr shifts.

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Specializes in infusion, PACU, GI mod sed.

2 months ago, I just took a critical care approved dialysis course (dialysis4career) that set me apart from the rest;the online course is just as good, because the companies will train you anyway for a minimal 12 weeks.... also I was willing to relocate. Just landed a job. the process is vigourous. You have to pass a psychological personality test online which wanted text book answers not real life answers. questions consist of how you handle nasty co horts etc...If you get an A or a B you get one interview..If you get a C, you have to be interviewed twice (too be sure), then if you get a d or an F they wont look at your resume for 6 months. The pay is not as great when you are new at it, but better with more experience. Dont have to work weekends...good benefits..and you can move up the corporate ladder.

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Specializes in pandemic, public health, disasters.
Will they only hire experienced nurses?

If you're trying to get on with a large dialysis organization, then most likely they're only going to hire a nurse with dialysis experience. I know the new federal regulations require the PCTs/dialysis techs working in chronic/outpatient facilities have to be certified now (and certification requires experience). Training you to be a dialysis nurse is timely and expensive, and most companies can't invest that kind of time/money in a new nurse. Maybe join the American Nephrology Nurses' Association (ANNA) and make some networking contacts? Sometimes they have local chapter meetings and you might be able to go to one.

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Specializes in infusion, PACU, GI mod sed.

the dialysis center I applied to had new grads and trained in their new job straight out of school. You can become a certified tech right out of dialysis school...(96hr), but nurses dont have to be certified, since they have an RN. Now, if you are interested, you can start with either the online dialysis (state approved) course or get work on a renal unit in the hospital setting. For those who were asking about what goes on during the dialysis treatment...I bought a book called Acute Renal Insufficiency Made Ridiculously Simple (MedMaster Series, 2005 Edition) ....you can review osmosis, diffusion and gradients..pretty much the simple science that we learned is the simple science used in dialysis..there's my two cents.:twocents:

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Specializes in Dialysis (acute & chronic).
the dialysis center I applied to had new grads and trained in their new job straight out of school. You can become a certified tech right out of dialysis school...(96hr), but nurses dont have to be certified, since they have an RN. Now, if you are interested, you can start with either the online dialysis (state approved) course or get work on a renal unit in the hospital setting. For those who were asking about what goes on during the dialysis treatment...I bought a book called Acute Renal Insufficiency Made Ridiculously Simple (MedMaster Series, 2005 Edition) ....you can review osmosis, diffusion and gradients..pretty much the simple science that we learned is the simple science used in dialysis..there's my two cents.:twocents:

You might receive a PCT certification from a dialysis school, but in order to sit for a national certification exam, you must have a certain number of hours of experience before you are permitted to sit for the national certification exam.

Below is the information from the ESRD final rule of Conditions for Coverage Ruling:

"the Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician (CCHT) examination, is specifically geared towards entry level dialysis technicians. Eligibility to take the CCHT exam includes a recommended six months (1,000 hours) of experience in nephrology technology, while the other two exams (given by BONENT and NNCO) require 12 months of experience prior to the exam."

I had a couple of new PCT's that took a course through a dialysis school and received a "certification", but this way not the national certification required. It just certified them that they completed a course. They still had to have 6 months on the job experience prior to being able to sit for an exam.

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Specializes in Pediatric Home Health.

Any new info on getting a dialysis position as a new grad nurse? Dialysis4careers.com has a course but I'm not sure if I should spend my money on it :-/

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Specializes in Dialysis.
Any new info on getting a dialysis position as a new grad nurse? Dialysis4careers.com has a course but I'm not sure if I should spend my money on it :-/

I wasnt a new grad.. had 9yrs of SNF/LTC experience, but the only dialysis experience I had was taking care of a few pts who received dialysis. I was able to transfer to my hospitals dialysis unit based on the working relationship I had with the staff. Even with almost 10yrs as a nurse it was atill a difficult transition I felt like a new grad! Maybe you could start off in a unit where you could develop a working relationship with the dialysis unit and their staff then apply for transfer when they have an opening

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