DaVita Interview

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 11, 2012

I'm a recent LPN grad and haven't taken my boards yet(Im still waiting to be cleared for a test day). I have an interview with Davita on Friday and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me anything I can expect during the process. This is my first interview since graduating and I don't have any other nursing background so any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. =0)

Great, I am an LPN and was hired fresh out of school last year, I was hired as a PCT then my role changed once i got my license and had my IV therapy certificate.

Tip number one...please dont go into dialysis thinking this will be easy work lol

Tip number two, when they ask what are your questions...ask what your role will be as an LPN, the charge nurse usually does most of the paper work stuff, if you get hired you will understand.

Tip number three if you have children and u live in central florida...the pay is not all that (im keeping it reaL)

Tip number 4 u will either love dialysis or not, and u definitely will know during or after training.

Tip number 5 if hired learn everything you possibly can!!!

Tip number 6 don't let the patients intimidate you or make you feel stupid..you are there first line of communication, if they make you feel small they wont really communicate with you.

Tip number 7 remember how to do an assesment i.e not the one u learned in school with palaptions etc, but listening to lung sounds and heart and feeling for fluid build up etc. this is very important!! i have to go pick my kids up so i have to stop...but good luck! ask me anything else if you want i will reply a little later

Tfunke25 · Jul 11, 2012

Thank you so much for the quick response and the tips! I have a couple of questions:

-Since I dont have my license, is it likely that I will start out as a PCT? Did you enjoy being a PCT before you were and LPN?

-As far as the role of the LPN goes, I can't find anything online or even the DaVita website that explains the role or responsibilities of the LPN. You said I would understand more if I get hired, but I would like to know a bit about what your day is like.

- You don't have to answer this one, but do you like your job? I know dialysis won't be easy, but I want to know what after all my training is done I'm not gonna be miserable at my job. I guess everyplace has its downside, but overall I want to enjoy what I do.

Again, thank you so much for the help!

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 12, 2012

I love my job! I love my patients and I love that my job is challenging, it is monotonous in that i star and end the day basically the same every day but no two treatments are alike. The number one thing I still am not that used to is getting up at the crack of dawn (4:30am).

It is likely you will start off as a PCT. You will be trained as a PCT meaning that you will learn the basics of dialysis and go to a training session and possibly a nurse day. learning the basics of dialysis is very important i.e. how the patients blood is cleaned and how to build the machines. you absolutely need IV certification before you will be able to administer meds, which are given IV. You will need to ask the facility admistrator what your role as an LPN will look like and what is expected of you.

This is what my day may look like...I go in at 5:30am build my machines and start preparing for the day by grabbing my flowsheets. Every patient has a flow sheet which is the doctors orders for their treatment. the machines are tested and i prepare for the day by getting needles and things i need for cannulation (starting their iv's or sticking the patient)...about 30-40 min later we call the first patients back (each team mate has 3-4 pts in a pod) at the beginning of tx i push heparin for myself and the techs if my Charge nurse can not get to their pod. I do an assesment of my patient which includes asking questions about how they felt after their last tx and listening to their lungs and heart and palpating their feet hands etc for edema and noting how much fluid they may have or have not gained and letting my Charge nurse know. After patients are on i prepare my pod for the second shif of patients. i prepare and administer meds to half the paitents while the Charge nurse takes the other half of the room if it is just she and i along with 2 other techs (who can not adminster meds) charitng on each patient every 30 mins is also done which include vital signs, te patients status, and how much heparin is being administered. in the mean time i check my patients labs and take the interventions neccessary to help the patient improve their labs i.e educate on importance of taking meds and or offer a protein fortified snack or shake for low albumin, notify the Charge nurse for any abnormal looking labs, if i have time i may put in the orders for the lab redraws. We do a lot of communicating with nephrologists...they make rounds once a week and we update them on their status...after the second shift ends and my section is clean and my team mates dont need help then i go home around 4pm. Oh yea...Time management and organization is cruical!!! Sorry for the bad grammar etc. I am tired and need to go to bed lol. again u can ask me anything else...Good luck!!

Tfunke25 · Jul 13, 2012

Sounds like a full day. Do work 3 or 4 days a week? I know I have a lot more questions, but right now I can't think of any b/c I'm nervous about my interview. I have interviews! Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more depending on how my interview goes. Thanks again!

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 13, 2012

I work 4 days a week and I can work five if I want...we are short now. The biggest thing is be open to learn new things!!! Good luck!

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 13, 2012

How did the interview go?

Tfunke25 · Jul 14, 2012

I think it went well. The interviewer told me alot about the position which would be as a PCT until I get my license. The facility was nice and the team seemed to really get along. They're doing interviews until monday and hope to call people back for the second phase by Friday. I hope I hear back b/c it really seemed like something I would enjoy doing!

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 14, 2012

Im glad that it went well! A cohesive team is a plus! Did u ask how would ur role change once u become an LPN? were there other LPNS there?

Tfunke25 · Jul 14, 2012

there was one other LPN. She said once I become an LPN I would pass med which arent a lot. She pretty much described what you told me. They have 16 stations and each team member is assigned 4. She also said the training is 10 wks long which was fine with me b/c I want to make sure I know what I'm doing. Like I said, the team atmosphere really stood out for me. As soon as I came, one of the tech greeted me and some others ones did as well while I was waiting. What I got from the interview was they don't want anyone working there who has a bad attitude and can't get along with the team.

dialysisnurseLC · Jul 14, 2012

That's great to hear...my unit has 16 chairs as well! Again good luck!!

LbinTab · Jul 20, 2012

Congrats on the interview! I hope it went well. Here's the thing...LPN's have different roles depending on the state in which you work. For example an LPN/LVN in california can not access CVC's. So to work as a nurse with davita only holding your LPN and not being able to access cvc's is useless to davita...in california. Majority of the LPN/LVN's that work for Davita in California are PCT's and stay PCT's in the dialysis world. Now other states have different rules. As for your interview they know that you don't have any experience so majority of the time it's an interview to see what kind of person you are. Will you mesh well with the clinic's environment. Not every clinic is the same so you may mesh well in one clinic but not in another. The dynamics can be drasitically different. In general you want to do some research on the company on their website. Don't ever just mention the mission statement...and that's for any company. They just know now that you went to the website. You want to mention you know that Davita is a large company with clinics throughout the country and you believe you'll be able to grow with the company no matter where ever that may be. For example you may decided to relocate some day and you know that Davita will probably have a clinic near where ever you decide to go. No company wants to put money into training someone that they can't utilize for many years. Hopefully some of these tips can help you out.