Registered Nurse - Dialysis

Overview

Dialysis is located on the forth floor of DCH Regional campus and the main floor at DCH Northport campus. Our hours at the Regional campus are Monday-Saturday 6:30-1900 with call taken on Sunday and after hours. On the Northport campus hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with call taken on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and after hours. Our Regional unit has eight dialysis bays, and the ability to perform bedside and peritoneal dialysis. The Northport campus has five dialysis bays and the ability to perform bedside and peritoneal dialysis. The nurses and Certified Dialyses Techs on this unit prepare and perform dialyses treatments on patients within our organization.

Responsibilities

Provide specialized care to patients who have impaired kidney function and undergo hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis treatments in the acute care environment.  Plans, coordinates and directs quality, compassionate care by maintaining standards of professional nursing practice and creating positive therapeutic relationships with patients/families.  Provides leadership to other team members by articulating and delegating expected standards of care, supervising and encouraging team members, and supporting their contributions.  Supervises LPNs and certified clinical hemodialysis technicians (CCHTs).

Assess condition on each assigned patient on admission and on an ongoing basis to include but not limited to the patient’s physical condition, psychological status, social status, spiritual and cultural needs, pain assessment/management, nutritional and functional status, developmental or age related factors,and discharge planning needs. Specific ages:  adult and geriatric as defined by scope of    

Administers and manages dialysis treatments including set-up, monitoring, and daily maintenance of equipment.

Manages the full continuum of care for End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) to include assessment, monitoring of vital signs of patient’s condition before, during and after dialysis treatments and management of dialysis access site.

Maintains functional knowledge of dialysis equipment and water systems and follows safety practices to include but not limited to water-ph monitoring, checking of chlorine residuals, auto testing and alarms testing machines, water hardness, water pressure monitoring, disinfecting and collection of environmental cultures.

Plans, directs, supervises and evaluates nursing care provided to patients according to problems identified.

Collaborates and coordinates with physicians and other disciplines regarding individualized patient treatment/care plans by participating in interdisciplinary conferences, care planning/problem identification and shift reports.

Administers medication, IV therapy, and performs treatments to all assigned patients, according to policy and procedure.

Plans and provides patient and/or significant other education based on physical, behavioral, psychological, developmental, and age-related factors, after identifying barriers to learning.

Follows safety practices and helps to maintain a safe, clean environment.

Reports pertinent patient observations and test results to the appropriate person (i.e., physicians, nurse manager, charge nurse and/or nursing supervisor) and records those observations accurately and concisely.

Documents all patient care assessments, evaluations, activities and/or observations according to policies and \ procedures.

Assigns nursing care to team members in accordance with the patient’s needs and the personnel’s capabilities and qualifications, and assigns other duties as needed.

Assists with or institutes emergency measures for sudden adverse developments in patients such as cardiac arrest.

Attends in-service programs (mandatory), all required training/education and unit/departmental service meetings, and competencies. Completes hospital required and nursing CBTs.  

In order to be eligible to serve as RN Charge Nurse the following requirements must be met:

• Demonstrates leadership skills, decision making abilities and communications skills necessary for the role.
• Adequate clinical experience and functioning as a resource person for the unit.
• Ability to assign staff, considering acuity, needs of the patient, level of staff experience and unit guidelines.

Must be flexible to float between the DCH Regional and Northport campuses. Additional training will be provided.

DCH Standards:

• • Maintains performance, patient and employee satisfaction and financial standards as outlined in the performance evaluation.
  • Performs compliance requirements as outlined in the Employee Handbook
  • Must adhere to the DCH Behavioral Standards including creating positive relationships with pa