Rule 4723-23-08 | Requirements for a dialysis technician training program approved by the board.
[Comment: Information regarding the availability and effective date of the materials incorporated by reference in this rule can be found in paragraph (G) of rule 4723-1-03 of the Administrative Code.]
To be approved by the board a dialysis technician training program shall meet and maintain the following standards and requirements:
(A) In accordance with paragraph (D) of rule 4723-23-01 of the Administrative Code, an approved training program shall consist of not less than three hundred twenty clock hours of instruction and shall include a minimum of one hundred clock hours of faculty-interactive theoretical instruction, and a minimum of two hundred twenty clock hours of supervised clinical experience. The curriculum shall include content that ensures sufficient preparation for safe and effective practice as a dialysis technician. The curriculum shall include, but is not limited to, the following content:
(1) Theoretical instruction that includes:
(a) Completion of the "Dialysis Technician Application";
(b) A review of the relevant laws and rules regulating the practice of a dialysis technician and appropriate program policies;
(c) Renal anatomy and physiology;
(d) Infection control and universal precautions;
(e) Basic chemistry of body fluids and electrolytes;
(f) Manifestations of renal failure;
(g) Blood work and laboratory values related to dialysis;
(h) Principles of dialysis;
(i) Pharmacology of the drugs commonly used during dialysis;
(j) Medication administration techniques specific to the drugs used in dialysis;
(k) Management of the complications of dialysis and renal failure;
(l) The role of the dialysis technician in a dialysis setting including, but not limited to, legal and ethical considerations and concepts of delegation;
(m) Water treatment relevant to dialysis;
(n) Principles of patient education related to renal failure;
(o) Principles of and requirements for documentation;
(p) Communication and team work skills;
(q) Operation of dialysis delivery systems that includes the machines, dialysate, and dialyzer;
(r) Principles of safe effective dialysis care;
(s) Principles related to the nutritional considerations for patients receiving dialysis;
(t) Psychosocial aspects of renal disease;
(u) Principles of dialyzer reprocessing;
(v) Principles for initiating, monitoring, and discontinuing dialysis;
(w) Principles related to the adequacy of dialysis; and
(x) Establishing and maintaining professional boundaries with a patient.
(2) Supervised clinical instruction which:
(a) Provides the dialysis technician trainee with the opportunity to practice the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills required for the safe performance of dialysis care by the dialysis technician;
(b) Meets the learning needs of each trainee;
(c) Meets the established program objectives or outcomes; and
(d) Is provided concurrently with the related classroom theory instruction.
(B) The program shall be administered by a registered nurse who meets the following qualifications:
(1) Current, valid licensure in Ohio to practice nursing as a registered nurse;
(2) At least thirty-six months experience in the practice of nursing as a registered nurse, of which at least twenty-four months has been in the care of renal patients, with at least six of those months in dialysis care; and
(3) Education or experience in adult education.
(C) The registered nurse who is responsible for administering the program may utilize other health care professionals to assist in conducting classroom and clinical portions of the program in accordance with the professional's educational background and applicable scope of practice as set forth in the appropriate sections of the Revised Code.
(D) The registered nurse who is responsible for administering the program shall:
(1) Assure that the governing body of the training program establishes in writing the policies required by paragraph (E) of this rule; and
(2) Implement the policies as written.
(E) The program shall adopt and implement policies that establish:
(1) Criteria for trainee enrollment and continuation in the program that require, at a minimum, that the individual be able to safely perform the essential functions of a dialysis technician;
(2) Criteria for successful completion of the program;
(3) A process for determining achievement of the skills required for the safe performance of dialysis care which shall include, at a minimum, written verification that the trainee has been taught the required skills, signed by both a registered nurse and the trainee;
(4) A process for maintaining trainee records including but not limited to:
(a) The date the trainee began the program;
(b) The date the trainee completed the program; and
(c) Competency check lists for each trainee.
(5) An accurate, timely process for providing written notice to the board regarding enrollment and program completion that includes the dates of trainee enrollment and successful completion, as determined by the nurse who is responsible for administering the program.
(6) A process for monitoring the status of the dialysis technician intern certificate a trainee may hold;
(7) A process for evaluation of the program which includes, but is not limited to:
(a) Feedback from trainees enrolled in the program regarding the program and the instructional personnel assisting with the program;
(b) Feedback from the employers of the trainees who have successfully completed the program; and
(c) A review of the trainees' level of achievement on the national certification examination.
(8) Those individuals who have authority to notify the board regarding trainee enrollment, re-enrollment, withdrawal from, and completion of the program.
(9) A procedure in accordance with paragraph (F) of this rule for dealing with the unexpected vacancy of the nurse responsible for administering the program.
(10) For individuals with experience in the armed forces of the United States, or in the national guard or in a reserve component, the program shall have a process in place to:
(a) Review the individual's military education and skills training;
(b) Determine whether any of the military education or skills training is substantially equivalent to the curriculum established in Chapter 4723-23 of the Administrative Code; and
(c) Award credit to the individual for any substantially equivalent military education or skills training.
(F) When the nurse responsible for administering the program vacates the position or is replaced, the board shall be informed in writing within forty-five days of the effective date of the vacancy; and informed in writing within forty-five days of a new appointment, including the name and qualifications of the new administrator. A training program shall not initiate a new dialysis technician training course unless an administrator who meets the requirements of paragraph (B) of this rule is in place.
(G) When a decision is made to close a training program, the board shall be notified in writing of the decision and shall be provided with the following information:
(1) The tentative date of the closing;
(2) The location of the program's records, including but not limited to trainees' records; and
(3) The name and address of the custodian of the records.
Supplemental Information