Davita working environment?

Jazzfit · Oct 20, 2009

I'm sorry willing to pay you.

LilRedRN1973 · Oct 27, 2009

The company I worked for, Liberty, paid $28/hour for the first year and then a pay raise up to $35/hour if you stayed on with the company. Davita pays about the same. The pay was really good but I HATED working over 14 hours a day, even if it was only 3 days a week. I didn't like how little "hands on" time I had with the patients (the techs did most of the work, putting patients on and taking them off). I loved the patients and when I was able to function in the position of a tech (ours called in a LOT), I really enjoyed my work. I miss that part of my job but not all the rest. And although I took a big cut in pay at my current job, it was well worth it. The pay in dialysis is great (in my area) but for me, it wasn't worth it.

Onekidneynurse · Oct 27, 2009

hello navynurse I hope im not too late. I currently work for Davita. I worked for them last december until around March. i walked off this job because at the time I was working more than 16 hour days and was working with very little staff and managment seemed to think nothing of it. Davita to me is like a cult. Its all about Davita they want you to think eat and sleep Davita anything else just simply doesnt matter to them. I quit and went back after i graduate RN because my best friend was assistant facility administrator and promised me it would be different. So I went back the pay was ok for the state of Arkansas 24.50 but to me it wasnt enough I am a new nurse but a veteran to dialysis. I found myself doing all the work charge nurse and PCT because the PCT's were either off the floor doing whatever they wanted or out of the building for whatever reason. again management saw nothing wrong with this. I transferred to houston texas with davita the transfer was horrible the davita recruiter did practically nothing to help me and I took a pay cut. can you believe it a pay cut from Little Rock AR to Houston Texas. the two FA's went back and forth abouthowmuch money I was makingat my Arkansas clinic. My home FA lied and told the houston FA that she was paying me less money then what she actually was. Then on top of that after I took the job she went into the system and put me in as terminated. I know this because after a week of clocking just fine here in HOuston all of a sudden I couldnt clock in anymore. The FA finds out why. Her excuse was that she wasnt sure if I had taken the job with Noth Houston Dialysis. My thoughts were regardless if i took employment in houston or not thats no reason for her to put me in as terminated i gave her a two weeks notice before i LEFT HER CLINIC. Shady huh? bottom line is Davita is a cult that has COMMANDMENTS you'll see them on the walls if you decide to take the job. Everything is done "THE DAVITA WAY" you'll here this more than you wish too. You'll be overworked underpayed, stressed out and unhappy until you decide you've had enough. Then instead of fair play they'll try and fix it where you cant work for davita again simply because you decided to make a decision to leave Davita for better opportunities. Bad co. with even worse managment. But hey I'm just one person with my experience. I plan to travel this way there is no salary issues and i get to see the world. Good Luck

You didn't have a pay stub to prove your rate of pay? Do I smell fish?

luvmeRN · May 24, 2010

This is soooo not what I wanted to hear about DaVita. I just made the decision to leave FMC for DaVita; and RNs typically were challenged by the PCTs for authority. Let's hope I have a better encounter when I open this new door of potential opportunity :>)

FLDialysisRN · May 26, 2010

Hello everyone. I have been with Davita since they acquired GAMBRO. I originally started with GAMBRO 8 yrs ago(2002) as a unit secretary, cross-trained as a PCT, worked as an LPN on the floor, and became an RN. I have been working with Davita as a Peritoneal Dialysis Nurse since 2005. I do actually like this Home Therapy better, it allows us to do the thinking, gives the Nurse autonomy, etc. How about giving that a try? Most clinics, working as a hemodialysis nurse means you actually do your work as an rn plus the floor work as well. Davita, for the most part is not bad. As far as experience in the clinics, most of it has to do with your FA.

JennyG.RN · Oct 14, 2010

I agree with these posts about Davita. I left a Florida Davita last week due to a PCT screaming at me, from across the room, and the Clinical Manager standing there and not saying one word about it. That is just one example of how an RN is treated at Davita. I was told, by PCTs, that the only reason a nurse is present is for the license. That's the way they make you feel. We had 20 chairs, one RN, four techs. Anything over four per tech was given to the charge nurse. The charge nurse pushes all the heparin, pre and post assessment, deals with doctors, phone calls, labs and turns over a pod of up to four patients. It can't be done safely.

anurseadvocate · Oct 25, 2010

Any work enviroment comes down to the immediate administration and co-workers within that facility. I left the davita clinics I worked at because the PCT's ran the clinic and the RN was just a body there to open the doors. This is not saying every clinic is this way. When it comes to pay it doesnt matter your previous experience unless it was directly related to dialysis. I had over 20 years Critical care experience and started out pretty much as a new RN when it I went into dialysis. So dont count on your previous non-dialysis experience carrying alot of wieght. It's an entire different world then bedside nursing. For me I hated chronics. I didnt like being the only RN in the building most the time with no breaks and working 16hr days. I didnt like the conveyor belt mentality and not being able to do the appropriate pt teaching dialysis requires or depending on a non licensed person making thier own decisions how to treat hypotension, etc without informing me as the charge nurse 99% of the time. There were times I didnt want particular pts bombarded with saline or taken off the machine unnecessarily. I ran harder in chronics then I ever did working in ER, Trauma or Open hearts!!! Just wasnt worth it to me at the end of the day.

I admire what you have stated because the situation with techs happens alot and it is unfortunate. Those who work in very good units where things are according to what they should be do not understand when such as you are stating happens. ..

bluekat1 · Feb 25, 2011

Does DaVita hire any part time nurses? 24 to 32 hours/wk. If so, do they offer any health insurance benefits for a part time nurse?

NDXUFan · Apr 11, 2011

I work for Davita now as a PCT and I worked for them years ago. I have never really had any major problems. We were always staffed good. If someone calls in we all have to work harder that day but that happens everywhere. I work with wonderful nurses and techs. Some days are better than others but all the staff works hard to help out. We always have more than one nurse on the floor (unless one calls in and we can't find another). Nurses respect PCT's and PCT's respect nurses. Never had any problems with supplies or cut backs. I get paid what I was promised when I was hired with increases. Medical insurance with DaVita is good (I've had worse). Training taught me what I needed to know. All and all I am happy with DaVita. I'm sure if I had problems like others have had I wouldn't feel the same way. I am blessed to have such a great job.

Glad to hear it. :)

bluekat1 · May 31, 2011

I'm glad to hear at least a couple nice comments. Davita has aquired all our outpt units, and a couple inpatient units, including my inpatient unit. I had to increase my hours from 24 to 32 to qualify for short term disability. I'm not looking forward to being taught all over again to do dialysis the Davita way. The Cigna insurance appears to be an improvment over what our hospital has offered us for years. Similar coverage & 1/2 the preminums. I'm extremely unhappy that my employer decided to sell all their dialysis units. There isn't much I can do about it. A year ago mental health services were cut, pallative care closed, drug and alcohol unit closed. This year dialysis is being dumped & outsourced. RN Relatives I talk to have similar units closed or outsourced in other states.

If a large hospital system that owns numerous hospitals felt the need to get rid of their dialysis's units, how on earth is DaVita going to make money on dialysis?

TheAdoboHour · May 31, 2011

These boards have been really helpful. Been viewing them a lot. I just recently got accepted into DaVita's internship program.

I was wondering if this internship is unpaid, and if I do well enough; is it likely they will hire me in? I was kinda hoping that they would and get to transfer to another DaVita if they did. Any info would be great? I also was thinking about continuing on to do a RN program and that DaVita also helps you with that.

Has anyone else done that?

jdethman · Jun 2, 2011

Davita is a fine company to work for. I was with them for 3 years in both acute and chronic and though I was short staffed at times, but over all it was great place to work.