NN&I - August 2010

Viewpoint 10 Nephrology News & Issues August 2010Subscribe to our free eNewsletter at www.nephronline.comNow that we are certifiedwhat next?By Danilo B. Concepcion, CCHT, CHT, CBNT Mr. Concepcion is operations manager for St. Joseph Hospital Renal Service, Orange, Calif., and a NN&I Editorial Advisory Board member. day of rest and time for family. The obvious and understandable mindset is that dedicating the day of rest for something related to work is not a pri-ority. Dedicating financial resources to recertification and continuing educa -tion hours is also not critical compared to the underlying reason for the need of dual employment. Worth the investment A paradigm shift is warranted in the attitude of dialysis technicians to com -mitting time and financial resources towards certification. The reality is that the commitment to maintaining cer -tification is to ensure one's livelihood. But the entire dialysis community must also embrace this same paradigm shift. The economic impact to the renal com -munity from the health care reform and bundling is an uncertainty that will influence how dialysis technicians and providers address the issue of con-tinuing education. The consequence of ignoring the continuing education can be more costly than addressing the issue. The benefits of nurturing staff, whose typical initial development was that of on-the-job training, into a professional mind-set with continuing education as the catalyst can only lead to better patient outcome and safety. Providers must recognize that support -ing dialysis technicians in maintaining certification is an investment in keep -ing qualified, skillful, dedicated, and loyal dialysis professionals. nicians in their roles, responsibilities, knowledge, and skills. Moving forward with more education Depending on the standardized test passed or a specific state requirement, approximately 30,000 or more techni-cians must accumulate the necessary continuing education hours in the next two to three years to maintain their certification. From whom, what, and where will the continuing education hours come? It is an undeniable fact that dialy-sis technicians have the least finan-cial resources to dedicate for confer -ence attendance, webinars, organiza -tion membership, correspondence, and training materials, all of which could be resources for continuing education hours. Each individual, regardless of discipline, is responsible for the neces-sary requisites for maintaining their licensure or certification. But, unlike their colleagues, technicians do not have the historical experience or the health care community involvement that have for decades supported a prac -tical and structured means of obtaining continuing education hours that have long been established and recognized by the other professional members of the dialysis team. To complicate the opportunities for obtaining continuing education hours, a number of dialysis technicians work two-full time jobs that leave only one The frantic scramble by some to satisfy the federally mandated certification for all dialysis technicians involved with direct patient care is now behind us. Collaboration by providers, individu -als, organizations, and associations to ensure dialysis technicians were given the opportunity, the resources, and the testing reviews was, at times, extraordinary. Now that all dialysis technicians involved with direct patient care work -ing in the field are certified, what comes next? Does the industry embrace and maintain the energy and efforts that produced the "certified" professionals that are the bulk of the front-line care-givers, or does the industry again relax and revert to a reactionary mode? Certification is only the start. The intent of the federal mandate is to demonstrate some validation of the ability of dialysis technicians to pro-vide safe and efficient dialysis. Passing an exam is not the end-all evidence that demonstrates the ability to pro -duce the best outcomes for the dialy- sis patient. Group study sessions and late cramming for the exam undoubt -edly occurred on countless gatherings. Given the recall and retention capa -bility of an individual, the knowledge gained in these types of setting may be transient. It is a false sense of security to rely on the belief that every dialysis technician involved in direct patient care is now infallible due to certifica-tion. The health care and dialysis com-munity must nurture the certification base as a beginning to build upon and develop and support advancing tech- Depending on the standardized test passed or a specific state requirement, approximately 30,000 or more technicians must accumulate the necessary continuing educations hours in the following two to three years to maintain their certification. Viewpoint_NNI_0810_3.indd 10 7/15/10 1:28:10 PM