A professional who sets up and operates hemodialysis machine to provide dialysis treatment for patients with kidney failure. Responsibilities include:

• Attaches dialyzer and tubing to machine to assemble for use.
• Mixes dialysate, according to formula.
• Primes dialyzer with saline or heparinized solution to prepare machine for use.
• Transports patient to dialysis room and positions patient on lounge chair at hemodialysis machine.
• Takes and records patient's predialysis weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration rate.
• Explains dialysis procedure and operation of hemodialysis machine to patient before treatment to allay anxieties.
• Cleans area of access (fistula, graft, or catheter), using antiseptic solution.
• Connects hemodialysis machine to access in patient's forearm or catheter site to start blood circulating through dialyzer.
• Inspects equipment settings, including pressures, conductivity (proportion of chemicals to water), and temperature to ensure conformance to safety standards.
• Starts blood flow pump at prescribed rate.
• Inspects venous and arterial pressures as registered on equipment to ensure pressures are within established limits.
• Calculates fluid removal or replacement to be achieved during dialysis procedure.
• Monitors patient for adverse reaction and hemodialysis machine for malfunction.
• Takes and records patient's postdialysis weight, temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration rate.
• May fabricate parts, such as cannulas, tubing, catheters, connectors, and fittings, using handtools.