Dialysis Technician: An Overview of the Profession?

Answer 1

A dialysis technician’s main responsibility is to operate and monitor the dialysis machines that are responsible for the removal of certain products from the bloodstream of a person who has undergone full or partial kidney failure.

One of the consequences of impaired kidney function is that the sufferer can no longer rely on his body to automatically remove certain substances, including urea and free water, from his bloodstream. As a build-up of these substances would cause untold complications, the patient has to undergo regular hemodialysis treatments - also known as dialysis treatments - whereby his blood is purified by running it through a dialysis machine. Patients with severe kidney failure have to undergo these treatments on a regular basis - often for several hours four or five times every week - and treatments most often take place in hospitals or dialysis centers. Qualified employees are required to monitor both the patient and the dialysis machine during the course of these treatments, and these staff members are known as dialysis technicians.

In order to practice as a dialysis technician, a student must have both a high school diploma and a certificate of qualification from a school that specializes in dialysis training. The junior technician will also receive on-the-job training and will usually function under the guidance of a registered nurse. Apart from monitoring the dialysis process, a dialysis technician will also have to prepare both the patient and the dialysis machine prior to the procedure and will also have to perform certain functions after the procedure has ended.

Schools that offer specialized dialysis training can be found all over the USA, and there are numerous websites and organizations, like the National Association of Nephrology Technicians/Technologists and the National Kidney Foundation, that can provide information concerning training opportunities. There are also numerous opportunities for advancement, and being a dialysis technician can lead to a student’s obtaining further qualifications in the field of biomedical technology and, perhaps, qualifying as a biomedical equipment technician.

Hospitals and private dialysis clinics both offer dialysis technicians competitive salaries with full benefits, and the job is an ideal one for a student with both technical and people skills.