| Allied Health World Home | Dialysis Technician | |
Dialysis Technician Certification Test
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February, 26 2010
Find the right school for you
Is national certification required for dialysis techs?
As of April 2010, certification for dialysis techs is now federally mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). To sit for a dialysis technician certification one needs at least six to twelve months of experience working in the field. There are four main dialysis tech certifications available and they are offered through three different organizations.The Certification for Clinical Hemodialysis Technicians (CCHT) is offered by The Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission
(NNCC). To be eligible to sit for the CCHT certification exam, one must have a minimum of six months experience in nephrology technology. The exam evaluates four main practice areas: clinical (50%), technical (23%), environmental (15%), and role (12%). For the CCHT recertification, the applicant must either achieve 3000 work hours as a dialysis patient tech or earn 30 continuing education hours related to hemodialysis within the two-year certification period.The Hemodialysis Technician Certification (CHT) is offered through the Board of Nephrology Examiners Nursing and Technology (BONENT). To sit for this exam, techs must have at least a year’s worth of experience in nephrology technology. This exam evaluates a person’s knowledge in five main areas: patient care (65%), machine technology (10%), water treatment (5%), dialyzer reprocessing (5%), and education/personal development (15%). The CHT certification requires earning 40 contact hours within the four-year recertification period.
There are two certifications offered by The National Nephrology Certification Organization (NNCO): the Clinical Nephrology Technology (CCNT) and the Biomedical Nephrology Technology (CBNT). At least one year of experience is required to take either of these exams.
