Dialysis Technician

Job Description

Job Summary:

• The Dialysis Technician works closely with the Chief Technician and Nurse Manager to provide services to enhance the Center’s operation.
• Responsibilities include stocking inventory, general cleaning, maintenance of the Dialysis Center and assistance with maintenance and repair of Dialysis Machines.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates ability to record and document relevant findings about signs and symptoms for pre-dialysis admission note.
• Demonstrates ability to monitor patient throughout the course of treatment under the direction of a Registered Nurse.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of precautions that must be taken by staff members to assure safety for both patients and staff.
• Demonstrates ability to recognize the fundamentals of infection control and blood-borne disease prevention, understand general patient documentation procedures, recognize and identify basic technical and medical complications that may occur during dialysis.
• Demonstrates ability to collect information about the patient since his/her last dialysis treatment.
• Demonstrates ability to recognize and report early signs of patient’s adverse responses to dialysis and takes preventive measures when and where appropriate, i.e. administering normal saline.
• Demonstrated ability to discontinue treatment in accordance with Unit policy and procedure using aseptic technique and following universal precautions and conducts post dialysis monitoring and patient discharge.
• Demonstrates ability to discharge patient from unit when vital signs are stable under the direction of the Registered Nurse.
• Demonstrated ability to disposes of needles, dialyzer, blood tubing in appropriate containers according to unit policy and procedure.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of reasons for treating water used in dialysis.
• Demonstrated ability to clean machine and area around patient’s station appropriately according to unit policy and procedure prior to admission of another patient.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of filters, water softeners, deionizers, and reverse osmosis in the treatment of water for dialysis.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of the unit specific water treatment monitoring schedule consistent with dialysis start times.
• Tests chlorine levels using digital gauge.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of the processes involved in hemodialysis, and the different treatment options for each method.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of the three different types of hemodialysis accesses, proper care of the patient’s access, and possible complications of access devices.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of several potential complications of dialysis treatment; the principles of flow, pressure, and resistance and how they relate to the dialysis process; the basic principles of diffusion, filtration, and osmosis.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of how diffusion, filtration, and osmosis relate to solute transport and fluid movement during dialysis; ability to calculate solute clearance and fluid ultra-filtration.
• Demonstrates ability to perform water loop and machine disinfection according to policy.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of how factors relating to solute and fluid clearance relate to the dialysis prescription and dialysis adequacy.
• Demonstrates ability to organize and set up the dialysis machine and equipment, set up and verify all alarm and monitoring parameters, initiate, monitor, and terminate an uneventful hemodialysis treatment, including venipuncture and post-dialysis procedures.
• Demonstrates ability to recognize and report out of range findings of water treatment and equipment parameters to the charge nurse, dialysis administrator or if needed, the medical director.
• Demonstrates ability to accurately mix bicarbonate to test specific growth.

Required Education:

• High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Required Certifications & Licensure:

• BONENT or CCHT certification.

Required Skills & Experience:

• At least one year satisfactory experience in the operation of Hemodialysis equipment required.