CDN study plan
CDN · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Pathophysiology and management of kidney disease
Label the nephron and glomerulus from a blank diagram, describing filtration, reabsorption, secretion, and the countercurrent multiplier from memory.
Differentiate acute kidney injury from chronic kidney disease in 10 short vignettes using time course, urinalysis, and eGFR trends.
Classify CKD stages 1-5 by eGFR and list the albuminuria categories, stating a nursing implication for each stage.
Trace the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone, erythropoietin, and vitamin D pathways, then predict the clinical consequence when each fails.
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn nephron labeled with at least 12 correct structures, plus a scored 30-question renal physiology self-quiz at 80% or better.
Pathophysiology and management of kidney disease & Patient assessment, monitoring, and complications
Describe nursing management of CKD-related anemia, CKD-mineral and bone disorder, and metabolic acidosis, naming target lab values and drug classes.
Interpret 10 arterial blood gases, correctly labeling primary disorder and degree of compensation in at least 8.
Identify the indications for initiating dialysis and explain the uremic complications each indication reflects.
Prioritize assessments for a patient with hyperkalemia and volume overload, ranking interventions in order of urgency.
Your checkpoint
A one-page reference table linking six CKD complications to target labs, first-line interventions, and monitoring frequency, submitted with the ABG worksheet scored at 80% or better.
Hemodialysis therapy and vascular access
Explain how diffusion, osmosis, and ultrafiltration drive solute clearance and fluid removal, and predict the effect of changing blood flow, dialysate flow, and dialyzer surface area.
Calculate urea reduction ratio and single-pool Kt/V from supplied pre- and post-dialysis BUN values in five problems with 90% accuracy.
Describe standard dialysate composition and predict the consequences of an error in sodium, calcium, potassium, or bicarbonate concentration.
State the actions to take when a delivered Kt/V falls below 1.2, distinguishing access, prescription, and adherence causes.
Your checkpoint
A completed calculation worksheet of five URR and five Kt/V problems at 90% accuracy, accompanied by a written adequacy troubleshooting pathway.
Hemodialysis therapy and vascular access & Patient assessment, monitoring, and complications
Compare arteriovenous fistula, arteriovenous graft, and central venous catheter across blood flow, infection risk, maturation time, and order of preference.
Describe the physical assessment of an access, including palpation, thrill and bruit, pulsatility, and signs of recirculation or stenosis.
Contrast rope-ladder, buttonhole, and area cannulation techniques and outline the nursing response to infiltration, aneurysm, and access steal.
Apply a catheter care bundle to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infection, listing each bundle element.
Your checkpoint
A completed access comparison matrix plus a step-by-step access assessment checklist that includes every critical element on a provided rubric.
Peritoneal dialysis
Explain peritoneal transport physiology and compare CAPD, CCPD, and NIPD in terms of schedule, prescription, and patient suitability.
Interpret three peritoneal equilibration test results, classifying each as high, high-average, low-average, or low transport and adjusting dwell times accordingly.
Calculate peritoneal Kt/V and creatinine clearance from supplied 24-hour drain volumes and lab values.
Describe the mechanics of a sterile exchange, including dwell, drain, and documentation steps.
Your checkpoint
A written interpretation of three peritoneal equilibration tests with transport classification and a matching prescription recommendation for each.
Peritoneal dialysis & Patient assessment, monitoring, and complications
Outline the recognition and management of peritonitis, including effluent cell count thresholds, culture technique, and empiric antibiotic principles.
Describe exit-site and tunnel infection care, catheter-related complications, and the signs of catheter malfunction.
Build a table of at least eight intradialytic complications, listing early signs and immediate nursing actions for each.
Differentiate hypotension, cramping, disequilibrium syndrome, hemolysis, air embolism, and dialyzer reactions by onset and presenting features.
Your checkpoint
A pocket-sized peritonitis protocol card plus an eight-row intradialytic complication action table, both checked against course readings.
Patient education, psychosocial support, and professional practice
Design teach-back education for fluid and sodium restriction, phosphate binders, and access self-care, writing at a sixth-grade reading level.
Identify psychosocial concerns including depression, nonadherence, body image, sexual health, and caregiver strain, and name an appropriate referral for each.
Describe the professional practice responsibilities of the dialysis nurse, including scope of practice, standards of care, quality indicators, and patient safety reporting.
Demonstrate culturally sensitive communication by adapting a teaching plan to a patient with limited health literacy or a language barrier.
Your checkpoint
An original one-page patient education handout written at a sixth-grade reading level, with a five-item teach-back checklist and a list of three referral resources.
Pathophysiology and management of kidney disease & Hemodialysis therapy and vascular access & Peritoneal dialysis & Patient assessment, monitoring, and complications & Patient education, psychosocial support, and professional practice
Complete two full-length practice examinations under timed conditions, recording a domain-by-domain score breakdown.
Analyze every missed item, tagging the underlying knowledge gap and the domain it belongs to.
Re-study the two weakest domains using targeted review, then retest on those domains.
Summarize the top 25 facts you are most likely to forget into a single pre-exam review sheet.
Your checkpoint
Two timed practice examinations scored at 80% or better, with a written remediation plan for every missed item.
Milestones
Week 2: Score 75% or better on a 25-question quiz covering Domain 1, with no more than two misses in the CKD complication category.
Week 4: Score 80% or better on a 50-question midterm covering Domains 1 and 2, and recite the access assessment sequence without notes.
Week 6: Score 80% or better on a 30-question quiz covering Domains 3 and 4, and correctly classify three peritoneal equilibration tests unaided.
Week 8: Score 80% or better on two timed 100-question practice exams spanning all five domains, with a completed remediation plan for each missed item.