Contents
Dialysis technician study guide
Twelve chapters for the Core Curriculum for the Dialysis Technician. Read a chapter, open Settings to change the text size or switch to night mode, or continue from the last section this device remembers. There is no sign-in.
Module 1 — The Dialysis Environment
Dialysis care is a systems activity: safe treatment depends on the patient, family/support network, technician, nurse, nephrologist, dietitian, social worker, biomedical staff, water-treatment staff, and the organization working as one team.
Module 2 — Kidneys and Kidney Failure
The kidneys keep the internal environment within narrow limits (homeostasis): water, electrolytes, acid–base status, wastes, blood pressure, red-cell production, and bone/mineral balance all depend partly on renal function.
Module 3 — Treatment Options for Kidney Failure
Kidney failure can be treated with a kidney transplant or dialysis; each can sustain life, sometimes for many years.
Module 4 — The Person with End-Stage Kidney Disease
Kidney failure changes nearly every part of a person’s life.
Module 5 — Principles of Dialysis
Dialysis uses a semipermeable membrane and controlled fluid movement to replace selected kidney functions: remove wastes, remove excess water, rebalance electrolytes, and help correct acid–base status.
Module 6 — Hemodialysis Devices and Equipment
HD equipment has two linked sides: the extracorporeal blood circuit and the dialysate-delivery circuit.
A vascular access must deliver and return enough blood for prescribed HD while remaining usable over time.
Module 8 — Peritoneal Dialysis
PD uses the peritoneum as a semipermeable membrane.
Module 9 — Hemodialysis Procedures
Hemodialysis is a chain of safety-critical steps from station preparation through cleanup.
Module 10 — Infection Control and Hemodialysis Complications
Infection prevention is part of every dialysis task: hand hygiene, clean/dirty separation, appropriate PPE, aseptic technique, environmental disinfection, vaccination, and prompt reporting.
Module 11 — Water Treatment and Equipment
Clinic water begins as ground water or surface water.
Module 12 — Emergency Planning and Response
Emergency preparedness is an ongoing cycle: plan, equip, train, exercise, respond, recover, and improve.