Dialysis Technician Job Description

Among innumerable careers in the ever expanding medical field, dialysis technician or hemodialysis technician is one. These technicians generally work in hospitals or private physician's clinic or in any dialysis laboratory of medical college cum hospital.

Dialysis is a procedure which is of prime significance to people who suffer from kidney disorders, and some of the patients regularly have to undergo this procedure for sound health.

The technician is the person who oversees the dialysis procedure under the physician's guidance, and is responsible for maintaining all the instruments that are required during the procedure. Presented below is the detailed job description, which includes the details concerning educational requirements, responsibilities and salary of this technician.

The educational requirements are not very high, and passing the high school education would be enough to bag this job. Most of the technicians generally start at a low level, and then move up the ladder by passing certifications that are available at vocational colleges, training centers, and universities.

There are many certifications that are available - like the Certification for Clinical Hemodialysis Technicians (CCHT) which is offered by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC) or Hemodialysis Technician Certification (CHT) offered by the Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing and Technology (BONENT). .

A course in science would also prove useful in the job hunt, and would be an added advantage

For people who have cleared the certification the training is less stringent. And, training is mostly provided on-the-job to those who do not have certification. The training gives a concrete knowledge about the use of various dialysis instruments, different types of dialysis procedures, patient care and monitoring etc.

The following are the chief responsibilities. The responsibilities, though differ from one workplace to other are more or less the same

• For the dialysis procedure, there are many machines and instruments that are required. It is the responsibility of the technician to check the machines and instruments are working properly and are maintained and up-to-date.

• Handling the machine, syringes and other instruments during the actual procedure is also the responsibility of the dialysis technician.

• The technician has to determine and monitor the patient's blood pressure, weight, and temperature among other vital signs prior to the dialysis procedure, under the doctor's instructions.
• The technician has to move the patient to the dialysis room and then condition him with the procedure and other instructions.

• The technician is also responsible for keeping patient record, which includes all the vital information about the patient.

• The technician has to address all the problems concerning the use of machines, and should make sure that all the machines are working correctly, and that the machine parts are properly assembled and adhering safety standards.

• Disinfecting the instruments and machinery using good antiseptic solutions is also their responsibility.

• But, the prime responsibility is to keep track of all the instruments and machines and ensure that everything is working as per the safety standards. Assembling the machine prior to the dialysis procedure and ensuring that the pressure is within standard is also the chief responsibility of the dialysis technician.

Considering the responsibility the job carries, they are quite well paid. The salary as usual varies as per the region, years of experience and place of work. The pay is anywhere between $35,000 to $45,000 per annually. Some technician work on an hourly basis and can earn about $15 for an hour's work.

The job profile is a good one as they are also entitled to get benefits like leaves, vacations among other monetary benefits. The job is not an easy one considering the fact that the technicians need to have technical expertise, along with sound medical knowledge.