Kidney Failure: Your Health Care Team

The members of your health care team are the people who work with you to manage your treatment. They will guide you through your choices and teach you how to live with kidney failure. They can also address your concerns and give you support. Work with your team to make sure that you feel your best.

These are some of the people who make up your health care team. You may already know a few of them:

• A nephrologist is a doctor who has special training to treat kidney problems. They prescribe and monitor your treatment.
• A primary care doctor sees you for wellness care. They also see you for short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) conditions.
• An advanced practitioner may be a nurse practitioner (NP) or a physician's assistant (PA). They work with a doctor specialist, such as a nephrologist or with your primary care doctor.
• A registered nurse works with you and your doctors to coordinate and manage your care. They help you learn what you need to know about your treatment. A nurse may help give you your dialysis treatments.
• A dialysis technician helps with dialysis treatment.
• A surgeon is a doctor who does procedures to help with dialysis. They also do kidney transplants.
• A dietitian or nutritionist teaches you which foods and fluids to eat and drink and which to limit.
• A social worker can help you deal with paperwork, insurance, your work and family life, and any stress you may feel.
• A pharmacist is an expert in medicines that have been prescribed for you. The pharmacist can teach you the correct way to take your medicine and when to take them. They also teach you what to watch for if any side effects or interactions between the medicines occur.
• A mental health counselor can help if you feel anxious, sad, or overwhelmed. It is normal to have a lot of emotions when dealing with kidney failure.