National Nursing Week

May 2020 | News, Staff News

Nurses make up the biggest portion of our health-care teams in renal programs and dialysis units across Manitoba.

Our Nurses:

Support and care for people transitioning through earlier stages of chronic kidney disease
Facilitate more than 4,000 life-sustaining in-centre hemodialysis treatments every week
Train and support home hemodialysis and home peritoneal dialysis patients
Support rural hemodialysis units and their staff
Supports patients to manage their vascular accesses required for hemodialysis
Support renal staff with education and guidance with existing and new protocols
Manage and lead renal care teams

THANK YOU RENAL NURSES for being such a strength in our care teams and for our patients.

What types of Nephrology Nursing positions are there?

Hemodialysis nursing is frequently the entry point for nurses interested in a career in Nephrology Nursing.

Hemodialysis nurses provide highly specialized care to patients receiving acute and ongoing chronic hemodialysis. The nurse assesses and monitors a patient before, during and immediately after the dialysis procedure. Patient education regarding self-management when not on dialysis is also a significant role for the hemodialysis nurse.

Hemodialysis nurses are employed in the 20 Kidney Health Centres/Hemodialysis units in Manitoba. Throughout the province, the MRP has established standardized equipment, policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines to ensure the nurses provide consistent care.

To become a Hemodialysis Nurse, RNs and LPNs must complete the Manitoba Nephrology Nursing Course (MNNC). An equivalent course and/or experience may be considered.

Home Hemodialysis Nurses are employed at the Health Sciences Centre and Seven Oaks Hospital. Their specific roles and responsibilities include providing potential patients with information to determine if this is the most appropriate modality; teaching patients and family members to administer hemodialysis at home; and providing ongoing management and follow-up to the patients (including teleconferencing, home and clinic visits).

Most nurses interested in Home Hemodialysis nursing will have completed the MNNC and practised as a Hemodialysis Nurse for a period of time, or will have obtained equivalent education and experience.

Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Nurses are employed at St. Boniface Hospital, Seven Oaks Hospital, Brandon Regional Health Centre and with the Peritoneal Dialysis Community Care program. PD nurses are responsible for delivering peritoneal dialysis care. Specific roles and responsibilities include providing potential patients with information about the modality to help determine if it is appropriate for their needs, teaching patients and family members to administer PD at home, and providing ongoing support and follow-up to the patients in the community (including teleconferencing, home and clinic visits).

Most nurses interested in PD will have completed the MNNC and practised as a Hemodialysis Nurse for a period of time or will have obtained equivalent education and experience.

The Local Renal Health Centres (LRHCs) Program is an innovative program within the MRP that delivers hemodialysis in satellite units throughout rural and northern Manitoba. The purpose of the program is to enhance the quality of life for patients living with end stage renal disease by allowing them to receive treatment and reside as close as possible to their home community.

The LRHCs Program Nurses are situated at the Health Sciences Centre. Their roles and responsibilities include: coordinating patient transfers to and from the LRHCs; participating in weekly LRHCs interdisciplinary clinics; participating in weekly teleconferencing rounds with the LRHCs; maintaining shadow charts for the patients dialyzing in these centres; coordinating medical and non-medical follow up care in Winnipeg; and providing clinical expertise to the LRHC nurses.

To become a Community Dialysis Nurse, individuals must have completed the MNNC and have two years previous experience as a hemodialysis nurse.

Renal Health Clinics have been established at Health Sciences Centre, Seven Oaks General Hospital, St. Boniface General Hospital, Brandon Regional Health Centre and Thompson General Hospital. Patients at risk of developing end stage renal disease are referred by their family physicians to a Renal Health Clinic. At the clinic, patients are followed by an interdisciplinary team. Once again, the Renal Health Nurses play an integral role on this team.

This role includes providing education and clinical support to patients in all stages of renal disease. In addition, these nurses closely monitors the patient’s renal function and provide the psycho-social support needed as patients near end stage renal disease. The Renal Health Nurses offer ongoing renal education classes to patients and families, health care providers, and the community at large. Focus is placed on health promotion and disease prevention. High risk communities are strategically targeted.

To become a Renal Health Nurse, most nurses will have completed the MNNC and practised as a Hemodialysis Nurse and/or a Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse for a period of time. Equivalent education and experience may be considered.

Educates and teaches patients about vascular access; coordinates with vascular access surgeons; provide clinical support.

Nurse educators work as part of a dialysis program in hospital and regionally. They train, educate and support staff to perform nephrology nursing tasks. This can include facilitating the Nephrology Nursing Course, helping implement new policies and procedures, aiding in introduction of and training on new equipment and supplies and more. Nurse educators help uphold standardized approaches to safe, quality patient care throughout the program and units.

Many nephrology nurses become patient care managers who oversee staff and patient care in dialysis units and programs. Patient care managers schedule and monitor unit nursing staff, help implement policies and procedures, guide and inform planning and changes within the units, help inform regional approaches to care and planning and support patients as needed. Care managers help oversee a variety of programs including the kidney health clinic, home dialysis programs and the dialysis units.