What does a Dialysis Nurse do?
Dialysis Nurses provide patient care in hospitals, dialysis clinics, doctor’s offices and outpatient clinics. They might also provide services within a patient’s home. These professionals are critical in ensuring dialysis treatments are administered correctly and support patient care. The role of a Dialysis Nurse often involves providing an important contact and education point for patients dealing with complex chronic disease management.
Dialysis Nurse skills and qualifications
Dialysis Nurses must have the same basic clinical and nursing skills you would expect from any nursing professional. Successful candidates also have specific knowledge as well as clinical and soft skills that support the work required when caring for patients with kidney concerns. Some important skills to look for in Dialysis Nurse candidates include:
- In-depth knowledge of kidney health, the use of dialysis machines and how to assess and respond to patients as they undergo dialysis treatment
- Adept at inserting and managing IVs, calling for excellent IV and phlebotomy skills
- Ability to communicate with a variety of other care providers and advocate for their patients’ needs
- Comfortable explaining complex concepts and helping patients and their family caregivers understand fluid and medication protocols and other instructions for best care
Dialysis Nurse experience requirements
Employers may want to specify certain required experience on their Dialysis Nurse job descriptions. It can take 3,000 hours working with renal patients to achieve a certification in this specialty, which means if you’re looking for a Certified Dialysis Nurse, you may want someone with at least two or more years of experience in this specialty. You can also specify certain clinical skills and hire entry-level Nurses to train as Dialysis Nurses while they work on their certification.
Dialysis Nurse education and training requirements
Dialysis nurses tend to be Registered Nurses (RNs) who have at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Strong candidates for these positions may also have special certifications demonstrating their dialysis knowledge, such as a Certified Dialysis Nurse (CDN) credential from the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission.
Dialysis Nurse salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average base salary for a Dialysis Nurse who is also an RN is $115,793 per year. Salaries can range widely based on factors such as the experience of the nurse you hire and the state or city you’re located in. Certain types of employers tend to pay more than others, too, and pay may depend on the clinical setting and what type of certification an applicant holds.
Dialysis Nurse salary expectations
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Common salary:
48.16 HOURLY -
Typical salaries range from
23.30 -81.75 HOURLY - Find more information on Indeed Salaries
*Indeed data –
Job description samples for similar positions
With so many types of nursing jobs, you might want to review job description information for a different type of specialty. You can find a variety of nursing job description guides here, including:
Dialysis Nurse job descriptions FAQs
Who does a Dialysis Nurse report to?
A Dialysis Nurse may report to different clinical or administrative managers, depending on how the clinic or facility organizes its staff. Your Dialysis Nurses might report to a Nephrologist, a Chief Nursing Officer, a Nurse Manager or an RN Supervisor, for example.
What qualities make for a good Dialysis Nurse?
In addition to clinical skills and dialysis knowledge, strong applicants for Dialysis Nurse jobs are individuals who are flexible and compassionate. They must be able to make patients feel comfortable and welcome and meet disparate patient needs during lengthy dialysis procedures.
What is the difference between a Dialysis Nurse and an Oncology Nurse?
While these two positions require similar types of skills and provide some overlapping services, Dialysis Nurses work with patients who are experiencing kidney disease or injury while Oncology Nurses work with patients who have cancer. However, employers may note that there are many cross-over skills between these two specialties, and an Oncology Nurse looking to make a move to nephrology may be a candidate to consider.
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