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DTX40 Sessions – Wednesday, March 29

8:15 – 9:15 am

The Power of YOU

Brad Nieder MD, CSP

Dialysis technicians need some love! The true heroes of healthcare, you’re the ones who bear the brunt of the healthcare system’s problems. Your facility is understaffed, and you are overworked and stressed! No wonder technicians are suffering from low morale, compassion fatigue and burnout. And you have to work with doctors and nurses! Many of you report feeling disengaged, undervalued and unrecognized for the amazing work you do every single day!

With Dr. Brad’s humor and insights, he can help dialysis technicians rediscover happiness at work, even among the myriad frustrations. And a little more satisfaction at work goes a long way toward understanding the Power of YOU!

9:35 – 10:50 am

Chief Medical Officer Panel

Michael Kraus MD, FACP, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Fresenius Kidney Care

Odama Unini MD, MPH, Vice President for Medical Affairs, DaVita Kidney Care

Gopa Green MD, Chief Medical Officer, Satellite Healthcare

Our conference opens with a panel discussion between the chief medical leaders of the three leading dialysis providers.  This panel will focus on the current issues facing dialysis from their point of view.

10:50 – 11:40 am

Chief Nursing Officers: Addressing Current Issues Facing Dialysis Technicians

Kathleen Belmonte MS, RN-CS, MBA, FKC Chief Nursing Officer & SVP, Clinical Services, Fresenius Medical Care North America

Tracy Givens RN, CDN, VP Nursing, Satellite Healthcare

Tina Livaudais RN, BSN, MBA, Chief Nursing Officer, DaVita Kidney Care

Want to know how the chief nursing officer – also responsible for clinical technicians – are coping with the issues their technicians are facing as they try to provide the highest quality of care to their patients?  This is the place to hear the three people responsible for overseeing 40,000+ clinical nephrology technicians.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions

1:00 – 1:50 pm

Biomedical

New Innovations in Dialysis Water Treatment Technology 

Heather Paradis, Vivonic

The demand for eco-friendly approach to water treatment is driving new innovations in dialysis water treatment technology.  This session will provide a high-level overview of these innovations.

Clinical

Vascular Access  

Dr. Neghae Mawla

Professional Development

Work Experiences and Turnover Intention among U.S. Dialysis Technicians

Laura Plantinga, Emory University

This session will address the results of the survey of 400+ dialysis technicians distributed at DTX22 and through the NANT membership and social media,. More than half of dialysis PCTs reported burnout, driven by work exhaustion; only about one-third reported professional fulfillment. Even among this relatively engaged group of dialysis PCTs, only half intended to continue working as PCTs. Because of the critical, frontline role of dialysis PCTs in the care of patient receiving in-center hemodialysis, strategies to improve morale and reduce turnover are imperative.

1:50 – 2:40 pm

Biomedical

Changing Water Supplies – How to Respond

Lisa Hauf, DaVita

As water providers change the content of their water supply – with little or no notice – how can each dialysis clinic identify these changes, adapt their solutions creation, and ensure that each dialysis patient is getting the dialysis prescription they need?

Clinical

Vascular Access

Dr. Neghae Mawla

Description to come

Professional Development

Social Determinants of Health

Emily Watson, Satellite Healthcare

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.  This session will discuss the five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.  Learn how to use this information to improve your patient’s health, well-being, and quality of life.

3:10 – 4:00 pm

Clinical / Biomedical

What Biomedical Technologists Want Clinical Technicians to Know about Care of the Machine

The proper care of a machine is EVERY technician’s responsibility – whether they are biomedical or clinical.  This session will address what solutions the biomedical technologist (who often is NOT in the clinic when a machine malfunctions) would like the clinical technician to be able to use to help get the machine in proper functioning mode to ensure the best possible patient experience.

Professional Development

Recharging Yourself

Josh Copeland

Josh went from being a Division-1 athlete to someone who battled depression and alcoholism. He went from having $0.33 in his bank account and jobless to running a successful business helping former athletes find a life after sports. Now he is sharing his story and experiences to inspire and encourage dialysis technicians. This session will focus on ways to recharge yourself to improve your life – and so you can better serve your patients. After this session, Josh will be available in the Dialysis Solutions Center to talk individually with technicians to help them find personal ways to recharge.

4:00 – 4:50 pm

Biomedical

Calibration, Compliance, and Patient Safety 

Andy Wier, Mesa Labs

Proper calibration of the machines used in dialysis – from water treatment to hemodialysis machines and everything in between – has a huge impact on the success of the dialysis treatment. Learn how to ensure the best patient outcomes by ensuring that machines are correctly calibrated – and what to do if they aren’t.

Clinical

Effective Documentation

Tia Sabin, DaVita

Documentation can be seen as a real pain – but proper documentation can improve the patients outcome, provide important information for troubleshooting (or the next technician working with the patient), and in extreme cases – can save both you personally and your clinic from legal repercussions. This session, taught by a formed dialysis technician now working in Risk Management, will provide simple, but effective, ways you can improve your documentation skills.

Professional Development

Self Care / Mental Awareness

Colleen Grandis, DaVita

You hear this said in the safety announcement each time you fly: Should you need to use oxygen, affix your mask first before assisting others. This also applies to YOUR life. If you’re not taking proper care of yourself, how can you take proper care of others? Sounds easy, right? But, first, you have to be aware of what is happening with you to identify the best ways to care for yourself. This session will provide you with concrete ways you can be aware of the self care you need and how to get it.