What Are the Different Careers in Nephrology?

Careers in nephrology can involve the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease, the education of caregivers, patient advocacy or biopharmaceutical sales. Education as a physician or nurse, including a postgraduate specialization, is normally required. Employment might be in a hospital, a university, a private practice or the pharmaceutical industry.

A person who aspires to a career as a nephrologist faces extensive educational challenges. After graduating from medical school, one usually must complete a residency an internal medicine program. This residency might take several years, after which a certification exam typically must be taken. Being certified in internal medicine is a prerequisite for certification in nephrology.

After gaining certification, the physician often must complete a fellowship in a nephrology program, which might take several more years. Upon satisfactory completion of the program, the physician would be eligible to take the exam to become certified in nephrology. A nephrologist might choose to pursue subspecialties, such as adult or pediatric nephrology in a clinical or research setting.

A nephrology nurse must be a registered nurse (RN) and typically holds a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing. Specialist certification might be required in some instances. These nurses might work in hospital critical care facilities, transplant units or dialysis centers or might work for physicians in private practices. The duties of this type of nurse might involve direct patient care, the education of patients and others in the community regarding the nature of kidney disease and patient advocacy working with a governmental agency or a nonprofit organization.

Education or research might be a primary career focus for either a physician or a nephrology nurse. University nursing degree programs might offer concentrations in which the instructors are full-time educators. Medical schools offer positions for physicians as professors or researchers. Teaching hospitals have significant educational opportunities in mentoring residents as members of their medical staffs. Research opportunities involving the development and testing of new drugs and treatment regimens often evolve from the cooperative efforts of universities, hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry.

The extensive educational requirements for a specialist in nephrology tend to assure that the career path of the vast majority of students leads to the clinical setting. Most of them are likely to spend their entire careers in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease. Others will transition from direct care to education or research. Some will use their experience in medical practice to gain positions as hospital administrators or executive positions in the pharmaceutical industry.