They won't change till they kill somebody. We had a fire alarm that demonstrated to mehow short staffing to save money is gambling with human life. Best of luck changing it without getting fired.
Let me say this to everyone: I am a Clinical Tech. and have had NO direct patient contact or direct patient care experience until I began working in Dialysis.
Now what comes to your mind??? This guy doesn't know much, just a Tech., etc...
Well, in all actuality I graduated from a Private, Division-I University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology with pre-medical emphasis. I am working until a door opens up for medical school.
I learn a great deal from the Nurses everyday. However, there are some nurses I have come across that don't know something as simple as, how to set a machine for ultrafiltration, or what ultrafiltration is or what it does.
P.S. My traing lasted 2 months...one month with the staff educator in the class of students learning the academic portion for 2 weeks, then clinical for 2 weeks...I then went to my specific dialysis clinic to precept for one month one-on-one. My preceptor was a Nurse, but there are also Tech. preceptors as well. Nurses precept anyone, techs only precept techs., obviously.
Posts: 6 | Location: Michigan | Registered: 21 February 2002
Originally posted by m micone: They won't change till they kill somebody. We had a fire alarm that demonstrated to mehow short staffing to save money is gambling with human life. Best of luck changing it without getting fired.
And ther in lies the problem saff wont speak up for fear of being fired .Administrators to busy covering up what they a\havent been on top of and the company doesnt find out until all duck have been put in place and if it comes down to the mand you be ready for a fight.You must on a regular basis keep your eyes open your pad and pencil in your pocket and document every thing you see wrng every conversation because they will sacrafice you to save themselves stay prepared.
Posts: 5 | Location: Lynwood California | Registered: 12 September 2002
the only change will happen will be when NATIONAL STANDARDS OF CARE are implemented across the country, and pct's are forced to take a national standardized test. Unfortunately I do not see a raise in the composite rate helping the patient's as the patient's will never see this money trickle down.
<Manager, RN, CHN>
Posted
National certification is all well and good, however, it will not improve the quality of care if the unit is poorly managed. After reading all the posts, it seems the problems lies in how the unit is managed, not in the knowlege base of the people working there (Rns and techs). If you are frustrated with working there or feel the care is unsafe, the best thing for you all to do is leave. Find another dialysis company to work for. And tell the company you left exactly why you are leaving on the exit interview. You can also register complaints with the networks and cms. Ask yourself this question, What would bother you more? To loose a job because you reported unsafe medical care or to remain in an unsafe environment knowing that you are contributing to that unsafe environment without doing anything about it? In a court of law these days, everyone is being held accountable write down to the janitors.
<old school>
Posted
Regardless of the staff to patient ratios Technicians have always been around and will increase in numbers in the future.I would stop complaining and support national legislation to ensure that Dialysis Personnel (Nurses RN/LVN/LPN and Technicians)are proficient in Dialysis Therapy.
Originally posted by old school: Regardless of the staff to patient ratios Technicians have always been around and will increase in numbers in the future.I would stop complaining and support national legislation to ensure that Dialysis Personnel (Nurses RN/LVN/LPN and Technicians)are proficient in Dialysis Therapy.
How can I find out if there is a NANT chapter close to me? I live in Nebraska. thanks.
Hi chuck, thanks for the website info. I am wondering if there are other techs who are BONENT certified but are not recognized for that achievement by their employers. I feel a personal satisfaction for this certification but it seems like it is not a big deal for others. I was asked to encourage others to take this exam but no one seems to be interested. Maybe I am just whining but I was curious if others feel the same.
Unfortunately, I think the mind-set of most companies is that technicians are "a dime a dozen" so we don't get the little perks that a RN may get.
My company will pay up front for a tech to take the exam. If they do not pass, they have 1 year to re-take it (at their expense), if they still do not pass, the original exam fee would be deducted from their pay in $25 increments (thankfully this hasn't happened yet).
Chuck
Posts: 859 | Location: Baltimore, MD USA | Registered: 24 October 2001
Chuck, what exactly would be a perk that an RN would get that a PCT would not. Although I must say that we are talking apples and oranges. If a PCT wants to be treated like a RN, then go to school and become one. Although at facilities utilizes RNs in a "tech" role at times....the responsibilities do not change. RNs have a greater resposibilities than a PCT will ever have. I am talking from experience...I was a PCT for 8 years prior to becoming an RN. It certainly opened my eyes !
The "perks" I was referring to are things like being sent to seminars.
I know what you're saying, I have been a tech since 1980, when techs did EVERYTHING (yes, we did meds both IV and IM as well as give transfusions and titrate dopamine in the ICU) a RN did, for a fraction of the pay!
Chuck
Posts: 859 | Location: Baltimore, MD USA | Registered: 24 October 2001
Interesting reading. I was a tech for 19 yrs before becoming an RN. Back in 1969 when dialysis was starting to be commercalized, there was no standard of care except for what the Techs set for themselves. Back then, the only standard of care we set for ourselves was nothing less than the highest. Techs took it apon themselves to continually educate themselves. We subcribed to any professional magazine published. We attended any conference or lecture on our own as did the nurses back then. At that time, ANNA was known as ANNT (Association of Nephrology Nurses and Technicians). Now each group has its' own organization. I frequently put info about NANT into the mail boxes of the techs I work with and they do nothing with this info. I have also worked with RNs who do nothing to educate themselves further in their field. Having a license does not mean you will be good at your job and it does not mean you will strive to be the best you can be in your field. This is individual BUT, I do believe those of us who are more educated and experienced in our field can encourage others to become more knowledgable. I also feel the techs need more incentive from management. Why should only the nurses get perks and not the techs? Why should one company choice to give the nurses a $10,000 retainment bonus while the tech get nothing? This is rediculous! The techs work hard. Sure some need to be let go but some nurse also need to be let go for various reasons. Paying a tech $ 8-12 an hour is to low. They can make more in the supermarket. So, if you want to motivate techs and get good people in these positions, pay them more money. Maybe the dialysis industry needs to be union. Is this what it will take for companies to pay employees a decent wage? I don't know what the answers are but i do know that until staff are happier in their work, motivated and paid better, patient care will continue to suffer.
Elizabeth, I am just curious.... Were you trained in specific techniques according to doqi standards? and were you educated on a bad stick can cause a patient to go through the unnecessary agony of having to have another fistual, as an example... and, were you trained in good infection control and why... ? i am just curious... just being able to stick someone without any knowledge of what happens if a bad sticks,e tc .. anyone can do..... do you know how to determine if the access is functioning the way it should and there are no problems... do u know what the indicator are to determine this> again, i am not trying to put hyou down, but just curious, as i am a famly member educating myself.. thanks.. and good luck to you,, am glad you love your job.
quote:
Originally posted by Elizabeth: I have been working in dialysis for 8 months now. I am a 18 year old high school graduate. I know that many people probably think that someone of my age should not be doing dialysis, but I happen to think that I am very good at it. At my unit, it is nothing like that. I recieved an extensive amount of training. At my unit, every one pulls their own weight. I apoligize that your unit is run badly, but let's not be discriminatory to all patient care techs. The ones that I work with are very good, we are a hard working crew. We do our best and always answer machine alarms.
Posts: 68 | Location: southern california | Registered: 04 July 2004
I know this a late response, but I hope you will read this reply. I am an RN with 12 years' hemodialysis experience, who now teaches in a private post-secondary school. I "built" a curriculum for dialysis techs which is 130 hours of theory along with 200 hours of clinical. The local response has been very good, they know that our students have learned a great deal during their training with us. After completion of the course hours, they are allowed to take a state-approved certification test, and so far the passing rate has been 100%. The clinic where we train is understaffed and has a few burnout cases, but overall the techs are excellent. The ratio is 4 patients to one tech, and for 20 chairs they only staff one RN (who runs around doing catheters and meds all day). When I was working as charge nurse, I always had my own pod of patients plus the other responsibilities. At least I know how to prime a machine and cannulate an access, many of the new charge RNs don't do either of those. Before a student is allowed into my program, I interview them and give them a math quiz. Sure, some of them sign up and then drop out. But from day one, I impress upon them the importance of accountability and professionalism. I think that there is a widespread problem in all of medicine, unfortunately in dialysis we have patients who are "stuck" in a chair for 4 hours 3 times a week and who can observe the good, the bad and the ugly of it all.
