Helping Professional

Helping Professional I am currently a Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician working in a hospital setting; going on 14 years. Dialysis technicians work with people whose kidneys no longer work properly or at all. I operate machines that remove wastes, salt, and extra water from patients' blood while keeping safe levels of certain chemicals. Dialysis patients generally are on the machine for about four hours, three times a week. My job as a technician is to prepare patients for dialysis, monitor them and the machine during dialysis, give local anesthesia, monitor patients’ progress and create written reports for the doctor and perform required procedures when dialysis is completed. Furthermore, I interact with patients and their families on a daily basis and require interpersonal and communication skills. Patients on a dialysis machine rely on treatment for their health; therefore, I need to exercise compassion. In addition, when monitoring and controlling various pieces of equipment I need to be precise, accurate and have mechanical aptitude. I am also required knowledge of how to recognize and treat various injuries and diseases, and knowledge of preventive medicine and how drugs interact. The work environment is very sterile, and in a climate-controlled setting. I have treated patients whom have a variety of illnesses, such as AIDS and hepatitis. I am exposed to a wide range of infections. However, chances for infection are lessened by following sterilization methods and by the use of protective gloves and masks. Kidney dialysis makes the difference between life and death for those who suffer from renal failure. Having poor interpersonal, poor listening, and poor communication skills can play a major factor in the quality of care patients receive in a dialysis setting. Patients may not like you as a person taking care of them but they expect proper and professional bedside manner pertaining to their