The Dynamics Role of the Nephrology Nurse

The Dynamics Role of the Nephrology Nurse
The increasing burden of kidney diseases on patients and their families continues to demand support from appropriate healthcare providers in diverse settings, including clinical and home environments. Despite their experiences in nursing, advanced practice nurses (APNs) require gradual advancements in their skills as they take up the complex roles of caring for chronic kidney disease (CKD), considering that the services of multidisciplinary teams that include dieticians, psychologists, nurses, and social workers, are not always present. In this context, these professionals act as coordinators and advocates to ensure their patients receive the adequate services they require for optimal health. However, transitioning to this role involves diverse challenges during development in diverse phases and transitions. As a result, this understanding prompted an interactive interview with a Nephrology Nurse Practitioner to understand the dynamics of their field during transitions and developments in the field. I reached Kaye Wesson working in an outpatient hemodialysis healthcare facility, for a conversation about nephrology nurse practitioner roles, transition, and development in the United States. Wesson is a renowned specialist in her institution, considering that I was referred to her by a neighbor conversant with her qualification and successful career as an APN. She currently works as a nephrology nurse specialist in the In-Center hemodialysis for her organization. Wesson has transitioned from other novice roles in the last three years to the top positions in her career. She has also achieved significant recognition and awards for her outstanding performance as a nephrology nurse practitioner. Even her profile depicts her as a progressive expert highly involved in training junior nurses due to her vast years of experience in the nursing field. As a result, this exposure over the years made her one of the most informed practitioners for providing deep insights about unique transition and development aspects that one cannot find in existing research materials. To understand the dynamics of roles within APNs and a nurse’s transition in diverse phases of their career, I asked Kaye Wesson several questions related to this topic through a telephone call. The interview lasted for approximately 25 minutes. Some of the core questions comprise, what is your current role in your organization? Please provide and explain specific situations or problems that you experienced in different phases of your career as you transition and develop from one level to another. What mechanisms did you employ to overcome the challenges and keep your transition and development seamless? Highlight some emerging lessons from this experience that upcoming APNs could emulate. Wesson responded thoroughly to these questions, leading to informative learnings about APN role transition and development in nephrology. The interviewee indicated that a drastic shift in experience level was her greatest challenge when she transitioned into an APN in the nephrology department. Her argument agrees with Urbanowicz’s (2019) observations that this challenge is common, especially when professionals shift from one department to another, irrespective of their previous exposure. She reported that “the shift was akin to a work-related shock. I had to adjust very fast to the current expectations and professional guidelines, which were undeniably different from the ones I was already accustomed to and conversant with during my earlier work exposures” (K. Wesson, personal communication, August 2, 2022). She noted that her role in early CKD comprised early detection awareness and delaying disease progression through diverse dietary, lifestyle, health, and pharmacological interventions. This role of the nephrology nurse demanded significant commitment and proactive strategies to promote recommended management healthcare plans. As a result, her settings oscillated between community and nephrology clinics within her institution. Wesson’s challenge reflects various phases of role development described by Tracy and O’Grady (2019) in their text. For instance, her description of the new working environment as a shock reflects that she had not received sufficient orientation to ensure that she became aware of all the expectations. As a result, the shock reflected her anxiety about meeting the institution and her self-expectations as an APN. It also demonstrates that she was eager to overcome the unfamiliar elements and prove herself in the new settings. Perhaps, she was also experiencing a sense of frustration from the discouragement from facing a challenging environment and new expectations. However, she indicated that she remained open-minded and enthusiastic about exploring her expectations, establishing relationships with other p...