What's it like working in dialysis?

Specialties Urology

Published

I am going for an interview for a Renal Dialysis unit next week. It is not my specialty (that is Pediatric Oncology) but I have recently moved and it is the only place interviewing right now. I don't want to pass up a job opportunity but not sure if I will like it. Can someone who works in a dialysis unit give me their opinion on what it is like? Do you enjoy it? Any input would be great.

Specializes in Peds/Dialysis.

I came from peds mainly orthopedic peds. I guess it all depends chronic/acute and who (company) you are gonna work for.

Been in the chronic unit for little over a month and its a high pace kinda of work. I find it really difficuilt to give 100% to patients. Everything is "rushed". Very high pace. I like the nature of the job, but its the way how management schedule patients. They seem to care more about the number of patients they wanna dialyze instead of the quailty of care we should give them. Again other facilities might function differently.

Thank-you for your reply. I live in Canada so none of our units are private. It is in an outpatient setting of a hospital so one would hope it wouldn't be that rush them in and rush them out mentality.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

Dialysis can be a very paced area. I came from a clinic where we could dialyze 39 patients every shift. We are open Mon-Sat and run three shifts each day. When you go for the interview ask about the nurse to patient ratio, how may chairs are in the clinic, will you have to put patients on as well as medicate them. I am not sure which state you are from, but in Illinois we have patient care technicians that initiate treatment and discontinue while the nurse is responsible for sometimes 12-14 patients and you have to keep your eyes and ears open. You also have to pass medication to the patients each treamtent and attend to some their basic needs. Follow up with labs, talk with social services if needed, inform MD of changesand soemtimes anything else that needs to be attended to. But in saying all that it is sometimes no more than what you do in the hopsital setting. What I love is that these are patients that you get to know because they are always their unless they get a transplant, switch to another modality of dialysis(Peritoneal or nocuturnal)or unfortunately pass away.

Thanks for the replies. As far as I know there are no technicians in Canada...the nurse does it all.

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