What does a nephrologist do?
Nephrologists are physicians responsible for diagnosing and treating kidney-related medical conditions. They focus on kidneys and the whole renal system of the body. They perform medical diagnoses, which can include glomerulonephritis, hydronephrosis, and renal cancer. They conduct consultations to diagnose disease by evaluating a patient's kidney to determine treatment and occasionally perform transplant procedures. In addition, they will also refer patients to surgeons, recommending dialysis or treatment, and administer medication to manage kidney related-conditions.
Nephrologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real nephrologist resumes:
- Well verse managing patients on peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis.
- Research and update billing policies as changes are make by CMS.
- See patients of chronic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, hypertension and other kidney relate disorders.
- Coordinate and organize post-deployment healthcare assessment (PDHA) standard operating procedures for subordinate units in Iraq.
- Work on A/R, and insurance denials.
- Cooperate with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers to resolve billing
Nephrologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 75% of Nephrologists are proficient in Internal Medicine, Hypertension, and Private Practice. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Nephrologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Internal Medicine, 75%
Board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.
- Hypertension, 14%
Post transplant follow up, outpatient Nephrology & Hypertension, Hospital consults.
- Private Practice, 5%
Employed private practice position with emphasis on reconstructive and cosmetic procedures of the breast, body, and skin structures
- Hemodialysis, 3%
Provide care for Outpatient and Home Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, and Nocturnal Dialysis patients.
- PD, 2%
Adjust all HD and PD patients' medications and dry weights according to labs and patient previous HD/PD treatments.
- Direct Patient Care, 0%
Direct patient care to the end stage renal disease population utilizing hemo and peritoneal dialysis.
Common skills that a nephrologist uses to do their job include "internal medicine," "hypertension," and "private practice." You can find details on the most important nephrologist responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a nephrologist to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Nephrologists often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "optimized the approach and communication style during sales calls to respond appropriately to customer needs and clearly demonstrate the value proposition. "
Compassion. Many nephrologist duties rely on compassion. "patients who are sick or injured may be in extreme pain or distress," so a nephrologist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways nephrologist responsibilities rely on compassion: "provided and directed patient care in an appropriate and compassionate manner. "
Detail oriented. nephrologists are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to nephrologist responsibilities, because "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." A nephrologist resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "register new patients and update existing detailed patient information including personal and financial information. "
Dexterity. For certain nephrologist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "dexterity." The day-to-day duties of a nephrologist rely on this skill, as "physicians and surgeons may work with very precise and sometimes sharp tools, and mistakes can have serious consequences." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what nephrologists do: "gained invaluable knowledge of the medical industry and patient care; developed diagnostic and problem-solving skills through hands-on clinical experience. "
Physical stamina. A commonly-found skill in nephrologist job descriptions, "physical stamina" is essential to what nephrologists do. Nephrologist responsibilities rely on this skill because "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." You can also see how nephrologist duties rely on physical stamina in this resume example: "perform histories and physicals on patients in the office and hospital setting. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to nephrologist responsibilities. Much of what a nephrologist does relies on this skill, seeing as "physicians and surgeons need to evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer the appropriate treatments." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of nephrologists: "solved many problems with patients accounts if any. "
The three companies that hire the most nephrologists are:
- Monogram Health9 nephrologists jobs
- Mayo Clinic6 nephrologists jobs
- Provider Solutions & Development6 nephrologists jobs
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Compare different nephrologists
Nephrologist vs. Doctor
A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, nephrologist responsibilities require skills like "cme," "hypertension," "acute care," and "critical care." Meanwhile a typical doctor has skills in areas such as "patients," "customer service," "emergency medicine," and "surgery." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Doctors tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $178,767. In contrast, nephrologists make the biggest average salary, $211,357, in the health care industry.The education levels that doctors earn slightly differ from nephrologists. In particular, doctors are 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a nephrologist. Additionally, they're 2.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nephrologist vs. Pulmonary physician
A pulmonary physician specializes in diagnosing and treating respiratory and cardiopulmonary health issues. They provide consultations when it comes to health concerns, conduct various assessments and examinations to identify the patients' conditions, study medical histories, develop care and treatment plans, prescribe medication, and educate patients throughout the procedures. There are also instances when they must refer patients to other specialists, recommend interventions, and participate in research programs to discover new treatment methods. Furthermore, a pulmonary physician must provide advice and support to patients, helping them feel comfortable every step of the way.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that nephrologist responsibilities requires skills like "internal medicine," "cme," "hypertension," and "acute care." But a pulmonary physician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "emr," "bed hospital," "critical care position," and "acute care hospital."
Pulmonary physicians earn a lower average salary than nephrologists. But pulmonary physicians earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $205,661. Additionally, nephrologists earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $211,357 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Pulmonary physicians tend to reach lower levels of education than nephrologists. In fact, they're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nephrologist vs. Resident doctor
A Resident Physician participates in a program of graduate medical education and training in a specialized area of medicine. They work with other members of the healthcare team to provide direct medical care to patients.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from nephrologist resumes include skills like "cme," "hypertension," "acute care," and "private practice," whereas a resident doctor is more likely to list skills in "patients," "emergency room," "general surgery," and "outpatient clinic. "
Most resident doctors achieve a similar degree level compared to nephrologists. For example, they're 1.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Nephrologist vs. Resident physician
Types of nephrologist
Updated January 8, 2025
