.10 Training Program Requirements.

A. Faculty.

(1) The training program shall be administered by a registered nurse approved by the Board who meets the following qualifications:

(a) An active license to practice as a registered nurse in good standing in the State or a multistate licensure privilege to practice registered nursing in the State;

(b) A minimum of 2 years of experience practicing as a registered nurse, of which at least 1 year was in the care of renal patients; and

(c) Education or experience in adult education in the form of:

(i) Experience as a staff development instructor for a minimum of 1 year;

(ii) Completion of at least 6 credit hours of an adult education program at a college or university; or

(iii) Completion of an adult education course approved by the Board.

(2) The registered nurse who is responsible for administering the training program may utilize other licensed practitioners to assist in conducting classroom and clinical portions of the program in accordance with the professional’s educational background and applicable scope of practice.

(3) CDT Assistance.

(a) A certified dialysis technician may assist in aspects of supervised clinical training in a clinical facility, under the direct supervision of the registered nurse.

(b) A certified dialysis technician assisting in aspects of the training program shall:

(i) Hold a Certified Dialysis Technician certificate from the Board;

(ii) Possess a current national certification; and

(iii) Have at least 2 years' experience in hemodialysis services.

(4) The course instructor is responsible for:

(a) Participating in development and evaluation of the training program, including the acquisition of learning resources and instructional materials;

(b) Implementing the approved training program;

(c) Supervising classroom laboratory experiences;

(d) Evaluating student performance during didactic and laboratory training; and

(e) Providing direct supervision and clinical evaluation of each student at the clinical facility.

B. Facilities and Resources.

(1) Classroom, laboratory, and clinical facilities shall be approved by the Board.

(2) All instructional learning resources and materials shall:

(a) Be accessible and relevant to the role of a dialysis technician;

(b) Be written at a level appropriate for a dialysis technician; and

(c) Have a publication date not older than 5 years from the current year.

(3) Clinical Facilities.

(a) Clinical facilities shall:

(i) Have a sufficient number and variety of patients to provide training experiences for all students to achieve the stated course objectives;

(ii) Have a sufficient number of RNs and other nursing personnel to ensure safe and continuous care of patients; and

(iii) Conform with accepted standards of nursing care and practice.

(b) There shall be a minimum of one course instructor for each eight students in the clinical area.

(c) Except for facility-based programs, the training program shall have a written agreement with a clinical facility that shall:

(i) Be developed jointly with the clinical facility and the training program;

(ii) Be reviewed periodically by the clinical facility and the training program;

(iii) Include a provision for adequate notice of termination;

(iv) Specify the responsibility of the training program to the clinical facility and the responsibility of the clinical facility to the training program; and

(v) Identify the functions and responsibilities of the parties involved.

C. Curriculum.

(1) A dialysis technician training program shall provide a minimum of 220 hours of instruction, of which a minimum of:

(a) 80 hours shall be devoted to didactic instruction and classroom laboratory training; and

(b) 140 hours shall be devoted to supervised clinical training in a clinical facility.

(2) A dialysis training program shall include curriculum content that ensures sufficient preparation for national certification and for safe and effective practice as a dialysis technician.

(3) Didactic instruction shall include the following content:

(a) Content required under 42 CFR §494.140E(3);

(b) A review of the relevant laws and regulations regarding the practice of a dialysis technician and appropriate program policies;

(c) Data collection;

(d) Environment;

(e) Renal anatomy and physiology;

(f) Infection control and universal precautions;

(g) Basic chemistry of body fluids and electrolytes;

(h) Manifestations of renal failure;

(i) Blood work and laboratory values related to dialysis;

(j) Principles of dialysis;

(k) Pharmacology of the drugs commonly used during dialysis;

(l) Medication administration techniques specific to the drugs used in dialysis, including lidocaine, heparin, and normal saline;

(m) Management of the complications of dialysis and renal failure;

(n) The role of the dialysis technician in a dialysis setting including, but not limited to, legal and ethical considerations and concepts of delegation;

(o) Water treatment relevant to dialysis;

(p) Principles of patient education related to renal failure;

(q) Principles of and requirements for documentation;

(r) Communication and teamwork skills, including:

(i) Observing, recording, and reporting;

(ii) Interpersonal skills; and

(iii) Listening;

(s) Operation of dialysis delivery systems that includes the machines, dialysate, and dialyzer;

(t) Principles of safe effective dialysis care;

(u) Principles related to the nutritional considerations for patients receiving dialysis;

(v) Psychosocial aspects of renal disease;

(w) Principles of dialyzer reprocessing;

(x) Principles for initiating, monitoring, and discontinuing dialysis;

(y) Principles related to the adequacy of dialysis; and

(z) Establishing and maintaining professional boundaries with a patient.

(4) Clinical instruction shall:

(a) Provide the student with the opportunity to practice the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills required for the safe performance of dialysis care by the dialysis technician;

(b) Meet the learning needs of each student;

(c) Meet the established program objectives or outcomes; and

(d) Be provided concurrently with the related classroom theory instruction.

(5) Each training program shall identify the unit objectives and performance indicators for each of the areas in §F(3) of this regulation in its training criteria.

(6) A training program shall provide at least 16 hours of didactic and classroom laboratory training before a trainee’s direct assignment to patient care. This instruction shall include the following topics:

(a) The role of the dialysis technician;

(b) Infection control;

(c) Safety and environment;

(d) Data collection;

(e) Treatments; and

(f) Laboratory procedures.

D. Evaluation.

(1) Each training program shall have an objective final written examination that measures achievement of the performance indicators.

(2) To successfully complete the program, each student shall:

(a) Complete the required minimum hours provided in §F(1) of this regulation;

(b) Achieve a passing score of at least 75 percent on the written final examination; and

(c) Demonstrate competence in meeting the objectives and performance indicators during didactic, laboratory, and clinical instruction.

(3) The training program shall provide a certificate of completion, using the form required by the Board, to students upon program completion.

(4) An administrator or faculty of a training program:

(a) May sign a student’s application for certification as a dialysis technician before graduation; and

(b) Shall submit to the Board written verification, as required by the Board, of each student’s program completion within 5 business days of program completion.