Are you an RN looking for a career change in a hospital setting? You might be interested in learning more about what a dialysis RN does or if there are these types of jobs available near you. If so, what is the job description for a dialysis RN?
What is a Dialysis RN?
A Dialysis RN or a Registered Nurse–Dialysis is a nursing specialty in the area of nephrology nursing. A dialysis RN provides care to patients that are in chronic and acute kidney failure. These patients require dialysis or hemodialysis in order to filter out waste from their bodies.
A dialysis nurse is responsible for monitoring their patients during dialysis in order to report any changes to the rest of the medical team. While they typically work with dialysis patients, they can also work with patients having any kidney-related health issues.
Other names for a Dialysis RN are Dialysis nurse, Registered Nurse Dialysis, and RN-Dialysis.
Dialysis RN Job Description
Dialysis nurses are trained in the specialty of supporting dialysis patients. Dialysis is a treatment for patients with kidney failure. These patients require dialysis to do the work that the kidney is supposed to do, filtering out and then excreting waste from the body.
You will be primarily working with patients, their families, and caregivers to educate them about the patient’s treatment plan, overseeing dialysis treatments, recording medical information and vital signs, managing multiple patients in dialysis treatment, and providing care before and after a dialysis treatment. Dialysis RNs can work in several settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, transplant centers, academia, home health care agencies, nursing homes, hospice centers, or hemodialysis centers.
Other duties and responsibilities of dialysis RNs include helping patients follow up with transplant organizations, evaluating patients’ ability to get dialysis treatment, collecting blood work from patients for lab tests, and administering medicine to patients in dialysis. In the U.S., each state has specific requirements you need to comply with in order to earn a nursing license with permission to practice within the state. To learn more about California’s requirements, visit https://www.rn.ca.gov/.
To obtain a dialysis RN job, nursing candidates are required to have at least an Associate Degree in nursing, although having a BSN is encouraged. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need for registered nursing jobs will grow nine percent through 2030. Some of those nursing positions will be dialysis RN jobs.
Because of the high number of kidney failure patients in the United States, dialysis nurses are in high demand. According to the CDC, about 15% (37 million people) are estimated to have Chronic Kidney Disease in the U.S.
If this job sounds interesting to you, you need to like working directly with patients in a hospital setting. You need to be organized, professional, patient, and compassionate in order to deal with the issues that may occur during treatment for kidney failure.
Dialysis RN Job Qualifications
What kind of qualifications do you need to be a successful dialysis RN? Qualifications include:
- An Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from an accredited school
- Certification to practice as an RN or APRN by passing the NCLEX-RN
- Experience working as an RN or APRN, usually a minimum of two years of medical surgical experience, preferably nephrology nursing
- BCLS certification and possibly ACLS certification
- Certification as a Certified Dialysis Nurse (CDN) or a Certified Nephrology Nurse (CNN)
- Excellent skills in communication, organization, and interpersonal interactions
Dialysis RN Responsibilities
When you become a dialysis RN, you will be responsible for various tasks, including discussing and educating patients and their families about their treatment plan and taking charge of dialysis treatment from beginning to end including priming the dialyzer and bloodlines for several patients at once.
You’ll communicate with other members of the medical team to report pertinent medical information, vital signs for each patient, and any irregular reactions to dialysis or medications. You’ll also work with technicians to ensure that any and all dialysis equipment are set up and working correctly.
In addition, a dialysis RN will be expected to:
- Provide pre-and post-dialysis care to patients in your hospital’s Hemodialysis Unit
- Create and update nursing care plans
- Assist patients in communicating with transplant centers
- Continually assess patients and whether they can receive dialysis treatment
- Collect specimens for lab work
- Stay in touch with patients after they receive dialysis
- Schedule patient dialysis treatments
- Give patients medications during their treatment
Are There Dialysis RN Jobs in California?
Yes! If you have the qualifications and are interested in working with a world-class medical team, check out our available positions at Eisenhower Health. Located in the majestic Coachella Valley, our 130-acre campus offers year-round sunshine and resort-style living, not to mention close proximity to destinations like Palm Springs, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Apply today and start your five-star career experience with Eisenhower Health.
Originally posted on 15/9/2022