waiting for a job in hemodialysis

[Hajnal]

Hi! I am from Romania, registered nurse in a hemodialysis center. I have a contract with O'Grady Peyton International, and soon I will go to work in USA. Unfortunately I don't know where will I go, because I didn't have an interview, yet. I am curious about how are funtioning dialysis centers there, about the patient and nurse ratio, about the working hours and shifts, about the salary and anything else you can tell me.

Also I am curious about the interviews you had with the Hospital before you started to work. What do they ask you? Probably I will have the interview on phone, because I am still in my country until the 27TH of March.

[nurseangel47]

Hi, Hajnal. I once was a dialysis nurse, twice in fact. You can expect long shift hours of approx. 10 hours per day. Most dialysis units are freestanding for profit, not in a hospital setting. The ratio is approximately 12 to 14 pts. per nurse from what I remember. They're in one large room with several partially divided half walls. There's usually technicians who help with most of the beginning, monitoring, ending of the procedures. The constant bending over to the level of the patient is what did my back in and hence no longer work in this area. The pts. are in reclining chairs and their shunts/access devices are at such a level that the nurse or tech has to bend way over and stay in that position for a while to access/deaccess the device as well as troubleshoot and inject meds. Not for the overweight or weakened low back muscled of us nurses, that's for sure. If you're in pretty good physical shape, you shouldn't have those problems, though.

Some hospitals do have their own dialysis units, too. In those cases, the beds of course should be able to be raised to a more comfortable working level for those attending to the in hospital renal pts. The salary was comparable to inhouse hospital salaries, about 22.00 to 24.00 dollars per hour. Expect to work every other weekend with a day or two off during that week. Probably three to four days of ten plus hours a day in a row, unless the supervisor making the schedule allows for more flexible scheduling. Any of the major trauma centers in the US will have their own dialysis units in house. Hope some of this info helps at least. Good luck.

[Lacie, BSN, RN]

Our ratio is 1:4 ratio with pct's and the RN giving all the meds. If this is the case then we dont take pts. I work 3 days/week and have 4 off. Most times I dont work over 2 days in a row occasionally 3 but always followed with 2-3 days off. Go in at 5am and get off if pt running late around 7:30pm. We use stools for starting lines if you desire or yes you can bend. Mostly more walking than anything. I recently started in outpatient care and actually enjoying it. But the current management where I am is fabulous and treats us very well. I work with a great crew with lots of laughter going on between staff and pts which makes the day go much easier even on the worst of days. Some of the outpatient companies also hire for contract to local hospitals to do acute and home peritoneal. From what I have seen it much depends on where you end up and with what type of staff/managment is running the place. I lucked out and ended up in a very good one. Starting pay is as above poster stated for a "New" dialysis nurse.

[Hajnal]

Our ratio is 1:4 ratio with pct's and the RN giving all the meds. If this is the case then we dont take pts. I work 3 days/week and have 4 off. Most times I dont work over 2 days in a row occasionally 3 but always followed with 2-3 days off. Go in at 5am and get off if pt running late around 7:30pm. We use stools for starting lines if you desire or yes you can bend. Mostly more walking than anything. I recently started in outpatient care and actually enjoying it. But the current management where I am is fabulous and treats us very well. I work with a great crew with lots of laughter going on between staff and pts which makes the day go much easier even on the worst of days. Some of the outpatient companies also hire for contract to local hospitals to do acute and home peritoneal. From what I have seen it much depends on where you end up and with what type of staff/managment is running the place. I lucked out and ended up in a very good one. Starting pay is as above poster stated for a "New" dialysis nurse.

Hi, Lacie! Thank you for your informations. I also would like to work in Florida, but, unfortunately the company(O'Grady Peyton International) didn't offer me a job there. I don't know where will I work, yet, they only told me that maybe I will have an interview with Fresenius, without telling me the location. What I know is that on the 27Th of March I will go to my daughter in Chicago and if I won't have any offer until that date, then I will wait in the USA for the job offer. Don't you know if the hemodialysis centers from Florida have contract with OGP? Can you tell me when you go for an interview what do they ask you? What kind of questions ask the interviewer?