Similar to the starting line of a marathon, if runners were carrying IV bags and tubing instead of water bottles, the dialysis clinic at six in the morning is a scene of controlled chaos. Your day as a dialysis tech begins early, and the machines, like your coffee, need to be prepared to function perfectly.
You start by getting the equipment ready. As you hope the tubing doesn’t decide to play hide-and-seek in the supply cart once more, the machines beep in a symphony that only you seem to understand. No one says “good morning” like wrestling with plastic spaghetti, and every tech knows that rebellious tubing is a rite of passage.
The water treatment system comes next. Despite being the lifeblood of dialysis, it always seems to be able to tell when you’re falling behind. One coworker is certain it is haunted, while another believes it harbors resentment. You manage it like a pro (mostly) in either case.
By the time patients begin to arrive, you’re prepared with clean hands, a smile, and the steadfast hope that modern machinery won’t display mysterious error codes that need an engineer’s soul to decode.
You are navigating the intricate web of tubing, charts, and personalities as the morning becomes more subdued with the sound of beeping machines and the soft murmur of patients conversing—or dozing. Dialysis technicians combine aspects of social work, healthcare, and occasionally amateur stand-up comedy.
There are many different types of patients. There’s Mr. Rivera, who knows everything there is to know about your favorite football team—even though you don’t have one—and Mrs. Thompson, who insists on showing you her most recent cat pictures while you’re having your needle inserted. You remain cheerful despite everything because they require more than just kidney care—they also require a lift of spirits.
But things aren’t always easy. Naturally, the machines enjoy contributing their opinions. Machine #3 decides to beep loudly, demanding attention like a toddler who has missed a nap, just when you think you’ve found your rhythm. The remedy? Sometimes all you have to do is press a button. Sometimes it’s just you and the manual, using Google and sheer willpower to understand technical jargon.
There are humorous moments amidst the patient care and technical demands. For example, the time you unintentionally interrupted a patient’s emotional karaoke session to an old-fashioned love ballad. They insisted that you stay because it was their big finale. As you rechecked their vitals, you enthusiastically applauded.
You may believe that the pace slows down as the shift draws to a close. However, dialysis afternoons are the ultimate endurance test. By this point, you’re managing patient handoffs, machine cleanups, and the odd curveball, such as a late arrival who yells, “I called ahead!” (Spoiler alert: They didn’t.)
The cleanup stage is painstaking and a little humorous. Gloves, supplies, and tubing seem to proliferate like rabbits. Like a choreographed dance, you’re sanitizing surfaces, cleaning machines, and setting up stations for the next shift, but you’re pretty sure nobody’s getting any style points. Packing the tubing neatly and subduing it gives at least a certain amount of satisfaction. Rebellious plastic, take that!
A machine alarm that has the potential to wake the dead is the day’s last surprise, just when you think you’re almost home. It will undoubtedly call forth every tech in the room and is loud and unrelenting. The machine eventually cooperates after some troubleshooting and polite moaning. There is a collective sigh of relief as the crisis is avoided.
You’re exhausted but content at the end of your shift, and you’re eager to take a well-earned break by trading in your scrubs for sweatpants and your tech hat. But you know in your heart that you’ll be back tomorrow, prepared for more life-saving antics and tubing tangos.
You think back on the day as the clinic’s lights go down and the machines rest. Being a dialysis tech is about more than just the science and the equipment; it’s about the people, the patients who depend on your abilities, your sense of humor, and your ability to maintain composure under pressure. Yes, the job has its peculiarities: mysterious alarms, sporadic tubing accidents, and enough hand sanitizer to fill a swimming pool. However, it’s also full of resiliency, moments of connection, and yes, a little karaoke.
You go home at the end of the day with the knowledge that your efforts have had an impact. Additionally, it’s possible that tomorrow’s tubing will remain in queue, but we shouldn’t count on it.
November 27, 2024
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