Why You Should Consider A Home Therapies Career at FMCNA
Have you considered a career as a Home Therapy Dialysis RN? If you've never considered it, now may be the time to do so!
According to Christopher R. Blagg, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Washington, he foresees a bump from 1 percent to 5 percent of dialysis patients dialyzing at home in the next three to four years.
That means there is a demand for RNs in this particular niche. If you are unsure if a career in Home therapies is for you or you are uncertain about what this role entails, read on to learn more and decide for yourself if a career in Home Therapies is one for you.
What is Home Therapies?
Home Therapy RNs are training and monitoring patients to move from a center or hospital to have treatments at home. They do more counseling than patient care. They get patients set up, trained, coach their families, and check-in on them.
Our Home Therapies team provides education and support to patients and caretakers who have chosen home dialysis therapy. This role involves an initial visit to the homes of patients to assess home therapy readiness and training and follow-up visits within the clinic environment. Successful candidates have outstanding customer service skills and the desire to positively impact patients’ lives by empowering them to treat themselves in the comfort of their own homes.
Home therapies include two dialysis modalities, peritoneal dialysis, and home hemodialysis.
Peritoneal Dialysis includes CAPD (continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) and CCPD (continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis). CAPD involves the instillation of dialysate into the abdomen by gravity, and CCPD involves the instillation of dialysate into the abdomen using a machine. Peritoneal dialysis is typically performed seven days a week.
Home hemodialysis is performed by removing the blood from the body, filtering out the toxins and extra fluid via machine, and pumping the blood back into the body. Depending upon the patient’s need, this modality is performed 4-6 days a week with shorter treatment times than an in-center hemodialysis treatment.
Where are these jobs located?
Home therapy positions are located in two types of facilities, freestanding home programs or embedded within an outpatient or in-center unit.
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How is a Home Therapy RN different from an In-center or Acute RN position?
In-Center/Clinic RN Programs
RNs who work in in-center clinics are differentiated based on them working in an FKC Clinic. In-center clinics are a fast-paced environment that provides hemodialysis treatments to patients 3 days a week. In-center, clinics open between 4:00 am-5:00 am and can be open as late as 8:00-9:00 pm either 3 days a week or 6 days a week.
Acute Programs
Acute programs provide dialysis treatments to patients in a hospital where we run the dialysis service. The hospital outsources this service to FKC versus training their own staff. Learn More about what it is like to be an Acute RN at FMCNA below.
Home Therapy RNs
Home therapy RN’s train patients to move from a center or hospital to have treatments to complete their dialysis treatments at home in a one-on-one setting. At the end of the training, they transition the patient into their home to ensure the processes shown in training at the clinic will continue to be successful in the home. Home Therapy RNs provide the patient’s tools to take control of their own health and learn how to manage a chronic disease with continued guidance from an interdisciplinary team.
Once the patient's training is complete, the case management role of the Home Therapy RN begins. Patients require guidance to ensure that their health maintains an optimal level and maintain as much independence as possible while remaining healthy. The patient is required to do monthly clinic visits to see the entire interdisciplinary team, and any additional visits are required for medication administration or other tasks. The typical patient is in the clinic on average of twice monthly.
Benefits of being a Home Therapy RN
There are many benefits to being a Home Therapy RN. Here are a few of the biggest benefits of being a Home Therapy RN role.
- There are more consistent hours. Home therapy clinics are typically open Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm
- Limited after-hours, holiday, and weekend work
- Paid one-on-one training
- Tuition reimbursement
- Comprehensive health insurance
- Paid time off
- Clinical Advancement Program (CAP)
- 401(K) and much more
Meet some of our Home Therapies Colleagues
Patti "Jill" Stringfield
Patti "Jill" Stringfield, Home Therapies RN, helps our patients transition to their treatments at home. With her diverse skill set of Regulatory, Quality, and Education, Jill is a vital part of her group, which has a combined 100 years of experience in patient care with End-Stage Renal Disease! Read on to learn more about why Jill loves FMCNA.
Tyrone "Tony" Gibbs
Tyrone "Tony" Gibbs is a Registered Nurse, Home Therapy Program Manager with Fresenius Kidney Care and has been with the company since May of 2004. Before joining the Fresenius Kidney Care team, he was in the United States Army for 5 active years and 13 years in the United States Reserves.
Why join our team?
We firmly believe that by providing superior care to our direct patient staff, you will provide superior care to our patients. It’s our mission to do so and create a benefits plan to take care of you.
It's even more important during this unprecedented situation. We are currently providing childcare stipends and supplemental pay to support direct patient care staff. We have also implemented policies and procedures related to personal protective equipment designed to provide the highest degree of safety possible for colleagues and patients.
About us.
We have become a global leader in healthcare because of the unwavering dedication our people bring to work every day. Whether that means developing new-to-market dialysis technology or educating patients, our team touches the lives of more than 190,000 patients through innovative care and profound, personal connections.
With Fresenius Medical Care North America, you will “be the difference,” enabling patients to thrive, providing comfort to families, supporting coworkers so they can realize their goals, compelling our company to achieve through innovation and performance, and driving the development of your career.
Our team comprises over 70,000 dedicated employees in North America, all of whom focus on being the difference and delivering the highest-quality care to people with kidney disease.
Home Therapy Openings
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