The Supporting Roles in Your Chronic Kidney Disease Treatment

Nephrologist

The nephrologist is someone you’d say is your “kidney doctor”. This doctor is highly trained in ensuring you’re getting the right kind of treatment. They are responsible for not only making you feel better but also monitoring your kidneys’ health, stages of CKD and dialysis treatments and/or transplant care.

Nephrology Nurse

Nephrology nurses are licensed and registered nurses who practice with patients with chronic kidney failure. They will be the experts who coordinate who the patient should see within the team of experts. There are some nurses who are qualified to help educate patients on home hemodialysis, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and automated peritoneal dialysis (APD).

Primary Care Physician

This physician is your general doctor, someone who will supervise most of your health and everything that discomforts you especially if you have additional illnesses. You should consult with your primary care physician if you experience any discomfort outside of your kidney treatments.

Advanced Practitioner

Advanced practitioners may include a nurse practitioner(NP) and physician assistants(PA) who will collaborate with surrounding doctors in order to ensure the best treatment either in the medical office or in a dialysis unit.

Dialysis Nurse

This nurse usually will be either your licensed registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). They’ll be responsible for noting your progress as well as your dialysis sessions and medication.

Social Worker

When you initially think of social workers, you may think of them mainly working with families. However, their professions go beyond and will help educate you on CKD, work with you on creating treatment goals, assist you in adjusting to CKD, and ultimately guide you and your loved ones after a CKD diagnosis. Rest assured that these social workers are trained and licensed as clinical social workers.

Renal Dietitian

Just like the title may imply, this person will assist you in creating a personalized diet that caters to not only improving your kidney but also incorporating your favorite flavors.

Patient Care Technician

This expert will help you with your daily dialysis process. This can include setting up your dialysis machines, putting in dialysis needles, and your overall treatment.

Transplant Surgeon

If you plan on partaking in a transplant, trust that these surgeons have advanced training in general surgery or urology. They will be able to perform the transplant operation as well as answer all you questions in regards to the surgery.

Clinical Transplant Coordinator

Clinical transplant coordinators are usually licensed, registered nurses or a physician’s assistant. They prepare the details of the transplant, such as receiving a consent from families of organ donors, and the important part, the distribution, preservation, and transportation of the organ. They also will provide patients will information resources for patients and their families.

There you have it! These are going to be some of the most important people during your process with getting treatment! We couldn’t have been more appreciative of all our doctors, nurses, technicians, and everyone involved! We’re so proud of all our team members that we’d like to celebrate them during Nephrology Nurses Month! Not only do nephrology nurses help assist our patients but they provide their positivity, knowledge and skills in improving the health of our patients. These nurses ensure both safe and effective life-saving care.

Nephrology Nurses Month is a perfect time for all of us to recognize the hard work our nephrology nurses put  into each patient they care for. Their commitment and dedication is something to be celebrated since they help maintain the health of so many affected by kidney disease. We truly want to thank all our nephrology nurses for making a huge impact in the lives of our patients, their loved ones, and at Texas Kidney!