Limiting the stress when it comes to taking off patients, who come off at the same time!

Thursday, September 24, 2015 New York, NY, USA

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How you start your day on your job means everything! Proper planning and technique will be your most needed source.  Hemodialysis is stressful in itself, what we should be focusing on is limiting the stress and frustration using the tips I will give you.  I am not perfect, I started my blog, and created a book to communicate with my new and fellow technicians. I never stop learning, in fact, I love it. We all can learn from one another.

Common issue....
  One of the issues that I had in the dialysis unit was my ratio of patients, I was responsible for 4 patients and one additional patient located in the isolation room. I had to be directly on point when it came to utilizing the limited time given to put on all of my patients. It is no joke when you come to work and find out that the unit will be short of staff again because that means extra work and stress.  In terms of the isolation room, it depends on the type of nurse that will be working on the floor with me that day. If the nurse is helpful, they would put on that extra patient in the isolation room. If the nurse doesn't want to help me then they just won't, or give me a lame excuse. I am not trying to bash any nurse, but I will tell you the living truth. Some nurses are the bomb and some are absolutely not, just like some techs are cool and some just aren't.
  Now, I didn't have an equal ratio of patients or their times meaning. I already had 5 patients and I can't depend on any nurse to come and help me out with my isolation patient. Next, two of my patients got off in 3:15 hours and three got off in 3:45 hours. This is a conflict all in itself. One of my 3:45 hour patients would start asking me to take him off when two of my 3:15 hour patients would begin coming off. Some of my patients got very angry when this happened and the 3:45 hour patient got so mad each time. THIS WAS HARD but I LEARNED! Even when I use to put 15 minutes distance within each patient as I put them on, it was still the same issue. When one patient saw the other coming off, they wanted off! I had to find a way.

I  HAD TO SOLVE MY OWN PROBLEM BECAUSE MANAGEMENT WAS SLOW DOING SO. 

I communicated with management about this issue time and time again, but nothing was done. 
 I then decided to notify all patients in my section about the issue with the times. I told all of my 3:15 & 3:45 hour patients that there is nothing I can do about this. It is best they wait on me to take them all off patiently, and if they can't wait, they can call someone else. I begin to rinse all patients who came off at the same time back, one by one. I told each patient that I rinsed back, that two others are coming off the same time. I COMMUNICATED WITH THEM! I then went right back down the line and took out each patient's needles, washed my hands, and proceeded to the next. That technique is better than letting the patient's machine run & ring and ring while you are rinsing or taking off another patient.

4 TIPS TO SOAK IN
1. If you have 2-3 patients coming off at the same time. NOTIFY THOSE PATIENTS! Rinse the first one back and take the information from the machine and put it in the chairside or computer. Tell the patient you have to rinse the others back and will return. If they don't want to wait, tell them to call someone else or complain to management.
2. PROCEED to the next patient.
3. After you have rinsed your last patient back, you go back to the FIRST patient and remove their needles.
4. PROCEED to the next patient that has been rinsed back!
My patients didn't have an issue with this, because they were all being seen, not ignored. I communicated with each one over and over again what is going on. I don't give them attitude, just patient care with improved knowledge.
SIMPLE!

NEVER RUSH, CLEAN UP YOUR TECHNIQUES AND BETTER YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT ALL WHILE USING COMPANY GUIDELINES. 






INVEST IN YOUR EDUCATION HERE
I founded a total of 5 dialysis groups on Facebook but I am currently in 3 of those groups. 1. DIALYSIS NURSES ROCK PERIOD https://www.facebook.com/groups/WEDNRP/ 2. POWER DIALYSIS TECH & STAFF GROUP (Now renamed and headed by Dwelyn) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1417405875004281/ 3. CCHT/BONENT GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/146721199373914/
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Thank-You for reading this blog written by me Cassia Ann Hill, have a blessed day~


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