Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse Specialist Band 6

Job/Role Summary

• Case Management of Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Patients within the Trust. The role is varied and includes the care of patients from decision to undertake PD as a preferred method of Renal Replacement Therapy. This includes educating patients and families, assessing their home for suitability and working with MDT to get any adaptations made.
• Organising and aiding best practice regarding Catheter placement, care post op.
• Training patient and support person how to carry out Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD), in hospital and at home.
• Coordinate the treatment of patients who suffer from peritonitis.
• Organise and run clinics to review patient’s treatment, carry out tests, follow up and act upon results to ensure adequacy of dialysis is maintained as well as general well-being and to carry out routine procedures e.g. line changes.
• Act in an advisory capacity to provide support and advice to patients, support person, and nursing staff to ensure that dialysis is carried out safely.
• Teaching of nurses to carry out CAPD to assist patients who become unwell and are admitted for acute treatment.

Specific qualifications and experience required

RGN Part 1 of NMC Register 5 Years Post Registration experience in Renal Nursing Completed Renal Certificate Course

Career Milestones

After qualifying as a registered Nurse I worked for a time in an Australian Hospital with the Coronary Care team, this developed my interest working as a team member of a specialised area- In this job I feel I grew the most from a novice to a proficient practitioner who could diagnose, treat and evaluate patients with life threatening problems. I moved into Renal Nursing and developed my skills as a nurse, during this time I was also involved in research projects within the renal field, which added another dimension to my work. The opportunity arose to apply for and secure and F Grade (Band 6) position as Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse. This began due to a service need for more localised PD service, I have been involved closely in the development of the service from it’s inception working with managers and Consultants to put forward the business case, setting up the clinics and training area for patients. Professional development to help provide evidence-based care was assisted by visiting as working with staff in the BREK Centre in London and attending the International Dialysis Conference.

What attracted you to this job?

• Personal and Professional Development
• New Challenge that is focused on one area of practice
• The possibility of carving out the profile for a new service

Enjoyable aspects of the job/role

• Job satisfaction- when patients are able to carry out dialysis with in their own home independently
• Developing knowledge on an ongoing basis
• Further development of the service to meet the needs of the patient group.

Important success factors

• Working within the Multidisciplinary Team
• Ability to seek out advice from other Pd nurses Regionally
• Being adaptable and flexible

Advice for those considering the type of job/role?

It is a very rewarding and challenging job to set up a new service. It is important to set goals and plan for the future of the service to ensure that it is safe and sustainable. Manage your time and set strict guidelines on how to deal with giving advice after hours- or you could be on call 24/7. It is important when setting up a service that time is set aside to develop protocols and procedures that are evidence based and ensure you continually grow in PD knowledge to keep yourself and your practice up to date. Promote the patients as partners in their care; we are imparting skills to allow them to manage their Chronic Kidney Disease and treatment option (PD) within their lifestyle and home.

Key skills that can be gained within this job/role?

• Teaching to a group of individuals with differing learning abilities
• How to develop practice according to standards and best practice guidelines
• An increased knowledge of all aspects of Peritoneal Dialysis as a therapy and the educational and supportive needs of the patient and support person
• To work autonomously with a patient group coordinating patient need with other members of the MDT
• To value ongoing education and how to embrace it
• Communication skills with all areas of the health care disciplines

Career Profiles