The Dialysis Technicians work with people whose kidneys no longer work properly or at all.
Primary Objectives:
- The Dialysis Technician operates a machine that removes wastes, salt and extra water from patients’ blood while keeping safe levels of certain chemicals.
- The Dialysis Technician normally uses the equipment for about four hours three times a week in order for them to get the proper treatment needed.
- The Dialysis Technician prepares patients for dialysis; monitor them and the machine during dialysis.
- Then the Dialysis Technician performs certain procedures on the patient when the dialysis is completed.
- The Dialysis Technician must have a high school diploma; training from Community College will lead to them being certified.
The Dialysis Technician normally works in hospitals under the supervision of a registered nurse. It is best to apply at a hospital that you wish to work with in order to get a job. The work of a Dialysis Technician requires very little outside training most of the training is accomplished within the hospital that you will work for and the patients that you take care of. Patients are different so no two cases should be treated the same but prepare each patient special as an individual meeting their needs. Some patients are very easy to do and do not mind the four hours in the unit while others get very up tight and nervous. The Nurse is there to make sure that they are not having any complications. She will administer medication to help keep the patient calm if it has been ordered by their physician. It must be ordered in advance before the patient can be administered any type of medicines. The Dialysis Technician may not give any patient medicine. This is the sole function of a nurse or physician.
The Dialysis Technician may do other things to help the patients comfort. Many Dialysis Technicians know their patients and often will have magazines available so that they can read while taking the treatment. Some patients like to work word puzzles and bring along a puzzle book while taking the treatment. The Dialysis Technician will give the patient a pillow and blanket to help make them comfortable. The patient might like to take a nap during the procedure since it does take such a long period of time to complete the treatment.
The patient who usually gets the treatment is use to the procedure and will know what to do to help keep them occupied during the process. The Dialysis Technician must help those who are just getting started with the procedure because many times this is a very frightening experience to someone new especially if they are very young. The process is not that difficult it is just time consuming and the patient who is new gets very scared and apprehensive. It is the duty of the Dialysis Technician to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible. The Dialysis Technician must also take care of the procedure making sure that the equipment is working properly and checking it often to make sure that everything is going well. The Dialysis Technician needs to help the patient afterwards assisting them in getting up and making sure that they are feeling ok after the procedure. The Dialysis Technician must then clean the equipment and the area to make it ready for the next patient. It is very important that the area be sterilize and cleaned between each customer use. Cleanliness is vital when you are doing this type of work not only with the equipment, but with the area, and of course the Dialysis Technician must wear protective clothing.
The Dialysis Technician is working with a machine that is geared to remove waste, salt and extra water from a person’s blood because the patient is no longer able to do this properly in their own urine. The Dialysis Technician must be careful about other chemicals that are in the blood system to make sure that only proper waste, salt and water is removed. It is not always necessary to keep your eye on the equipment every minute once the machine is set normally things run very smoothly. The Dialysis Technician does need to make sure the patient is doing well during the procedures.