The National Association of Nephrology Technicians/Technologists designates the second week of October each year as National Recognition Week for Hemodialysis Technicians and this year, it falls during the week of October 12th through the 17th. The Dialysis Patient Care Technician plays a pivotal role in the healthcare team providing care to patients suffering from acute or chronic renal disease and undergoing renal dialysis treatment. The National Kidney Foundation defines dialysis as the treatment that does the same things done by healthy kidneys. This includes removing waste such as excess sodium, and fluids from the patient’s body, regulating levels of chemicals (such as potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate) in the patient’s blood, and helping control the blood pressure of the patient. While the time for dialysis treatments will vary from patient to patient, it’s not uncommon for the dialysis treatment to last in upwards of four hours and take place three times per week. In addition to taking time, this process can cause patients to feel some anxiety and discomfort. Given the challenges and complexities associated with providing dialysis treatment, there is a need for skilled Dialysis Technicians.
If you know a Dialysis Technician, don’t forget to thank them for all of their efforts and all they do for their patients!
The Dialysis Patient Care Technician Program at Dorsey Schools
The Dialysis Patient Care Technician training program at Dorsey Schools in Michigan is designed to prepare students to work as a Dialysis Technician in dialysis facilities and hospitals. The Dialysis Patient Care Technician is directly responsible for providing direct patient care before, during, and after dialysis treatment. The Dialysis Technician performs a variety of tasks which includes (but is not limited to) operating, monitoring, and disinfecting dialysis equipment and machines, adhering to facility policies and procedures as well as Federal and State regulations. Throughout their training program, students will have the opportunity to develop effective communication and clinical skills needed to care for patients with renal disease who are undergoing dialysis treatment. As part of the training, students will also be exposed to the skills needed to provide patient care such as patient observation, patient education, taking vital signs, performing injections, taking blood draws, performing EKGs/ECGs, monitoring patient comfort and safety, and effectively operating dialysis machines and equipment. At the conclusion of the Dorsey Schools Dialysis Patient Care Technician program, students will have the opportunity to take part in an elective externship course option where they can take part in a Medical Assistant externship, a Patient Care Technician externship, or a Dialysis Patient Care Technician externship. Externships are dependent upon site availability and will be determined by Dorsey Schools. The externship provides students with an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have learned in their classes and throughout their program in an actual clinical setting. The Dialysis Patient Care Technician program at Dorsey Schools in Michigan is designed to prepare students to challenge a national certification exam.
Training in the Dorsey Schools Dialysis Patient Care Technician program includes classes in the following:
- Business Communication
- Medical Terminology
- Health History and Physical Measurements
- Surgical Asepsis and Pharmacology
- Urinalysis, Venipuncture, and Hematology
- Radiology, First Aid, and CPR
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Introduction to Dialysis Patient Care
- Nephrology and the Patient
- Dialysis Technology
- …and more!
The Dialysis Patient Care Technician program is offered at the Dorsey Schools Wayne, MI campus.
If you’d like to learn more about the Dorsey Schools Dialysis Patient Care Technician program, click here to contact us, or you may call the Wayne, MI campus directly at 734-595-1540.
For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the programs, and other important information, please visit our website at https://www.dorsey.edu/disclosures/.
