There are many branches and specialties in nursing, but one that many people may not be aware of is the Certified Nephrology Nurse. It may sound exotic, but nephrology is simply the medical term for the diagnosis and treatment of problems with the kidneys. Nephrology nurses have chosen to devote their careers to treating patients with either acute or chronic kidney problems. Much of their work involves working with dialysis patients, or those people who have lost their kidney function and must use artificial means of removing waste products from the body. A typical Certified Nephrology Nurse will work in either a hospital or a dialysis clinic; few work in doctor's offices.
In order to become a Certified Nephrology Nurse, a man or woman must first earn a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing, as only registered nurses can be certified in this specialty. They must then work for at least two years in a nephrology nursing environment; this can be in a clinical, administrative, research, or teaching capacity, but at least half the hours must be in actual nephrology nursing. On top of this, they must earn continuing education credits from institutions approved by authorized credentialing agencies. The last step is to take and pass the Certified Nephrology Nurse exam, a difficult and exhaustive test comprised of 200 questions.
The demand for Certified Nephrology Nurses is very high and is expected to be much higher in the coming years. That is due to the large increase in the medical populations who make up the bulk of dialysis patients: the elderly and people with diabetes. Because the Baby Boom generation is starting to enter senior citizen status, an unprecedented number of elderly people will soon be a large part of the American population. Another reason nephrology nurses are in high demand is directly related to an increase in the number of people with diabetes. Diabetes used to be a condition associated mostly with the elderly, but unfortunately that is changing. The disease is now being triggered in people of all ages due to obesity. Experts blame this on a culture that revolves around junk food and watching TV. For health care professionals, there has never been a better time to become certified as a nephrology nurse. It will be one of the fastest growing medical specialties over the coming decades.
If you are in the process of preparing to become a Certified Nephrology Nurse, you may want to consider using either a CNN test study guide or CNN test flashcards to understand the basic concepts or what will be covered on the CNN test review. The important thing in a CNN Adult Study Guide is to avoid procrastinating about studying for the CNN test until the last minute.
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