Dialysis Nurse

When somebody’s kidneys fail, they need to go on dialysis. This means, they need to use a dialysis machine that filters waste from their bodies for them (that’s what your kidneys do). When they’re on that machine, that’s when you as a Dialysis Nurse come in. You’re responsible for correctly operating the patient’s fake kidneys. This means you have to tend to both the machine and the patient to be successful; You’ve got to be one part Nurse and one part computer pro.

Being a Dialysis Nurse can be extremely demanding – there is a lot of work for Licensed Nurses, and they can expect to work on several patients a day. However, it can also be extremely rewarding. In addition to knowing that you’re literally saving lives on a daily basis, Dialysis Nurses command a greater salary than just a normal Nurse because of their specialized skill set. You wouldn’t pay Wolfgang Puck the same salary you’d give a fast food burger flipper, would you?

You might also be referred to as a Nephrology Nurse, a Urology Nurse or a Renal Nurse, and your typical day consists of caring for patients on dialysis. This includes (but is certainly not limited to): placing and removing catheters, making sure placed catheters are clean and functioning, drawing blood, and being the point person for any questions or anxieties the patient might have about their treatment. As mentioned before, you’re their kidneys, but you have to be their talking, caring, anthropomorphized kidneys.