Renal Dialysis Training

Support and care of patients receiving renal dialysis is a quickly growing area in the health care industry. There are a variety of courses available in dialysis training at local vocational schools and colleges, as well as state universities.

Identification

• Renal dialysis is a procedure invented in 1944 that utilizes a mechanical process to clean the blood of individuals whose kidneys cannot do so because of illness or injury. To become a functional employee of a hemodialysis facility or hospital unit, a person needs a basic knowledge and education of kidney dialysis procedures and protocol for the general care of renal patients.

Types

• Technical training can be taken at post-secondary schools such as the Dialysis Training Institute in La Palma, California. In most university nursing degree courses, dialysis procedures will be taught at some point during enrollment. Those already working as nurses, but wishing to specialize, can take advantage of training programs offered by post-secondary schools, such as the Dialysis4Career School of Hemodialysis in Hempstead, New York.

Features

• Most dialysis training programs are made up of a combination of classroom training and clinical instruction, which provide students with a comprehensive overview of their job duties and allows them to experience hands-on care of renal patients. According to Malcolm X College in Chicago, Illinois, a student can expect to learn the basics of nephrology--the study of the kidney--as well as dialysis technician courses that include operation and monitoring of the hemodialysis machine.