Bergen Community College’s Division of Continuing Education, Corporate and Public Sector Training redesigned its Hemodialysis Technician Training Program to provide extensive training to students seeking entry-level positions that medical experts believe will be in increasing demand.

Under the direct supervision of a registered nurse, a hemodialysis technician sets up and monitors dialysis machines and systems for correct functioning, responds to visual and audible alarms during the dialysis treatment, and dismantles and cleans machines and equipment after the procedure.

Medical Career Training, a Web site that offers career options for individuals in the medical field, projects job demand for dialysis technician professionals will steadily increase through the year 2012.

The Continuing Education Division has scheduled an orientation for the program on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 in the Technology Education Center, Room 119 on the College’s main campus in Paramus.

Classes for the Fall semester will be held every Tuesday, beginning September 21 through December 14, 2010 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on the College’s main campus. Through a combination of lectures, simulated clinicals and an externship, which offers students the opportunity to learn about the day-to-day work life of a professional in their career field of choice, the College’s Hemodialysis Technician Certificate program consists of 136 hours throughout the Fall 2010 semester and Spring 2011 semesters. Students will learn:

• Principles of renal failure and dialysis

• Role of the Hemodialysis Technician in a dialysis unit

• Operation of dialysis devices

• Universal precautions/asepsis and aseptic technique

• Anatomy and physiology of the renal system

• Pre-dialysis patient preparation

• Preparing dialysis equipment

• Monitoring treatment

• Other related topics of dialysis, patient care, treatment

• Requirements for certification

Students must apply for and pass a Criminal Background Investigation (CBI) as well as a medical examination to participate in this program. The student is responsible for the cost of the CBI and medical exam.

Prerequisites for the class include the CBI, medical exam with multiple lab tests, flexible schedule to accept any clinical assignment and an interview with Program Coordinator Brenda Milo. Tuition for the program is $1,500. Please contact Ms. Milo at bmilo@bergen.edu or call (201) 612-5473 for more information. Class size is limited.

Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu  based in Paramus is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling nearly 17,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields.