Dialysis job for new grad? Am I headed for trouble???

[danarooo, BSN, RN]

I graduated last year, and haven't had any luck finding a job where I am. I now have an interview set up with a national dialysis company that starts with a "D" soon. I once had an interview with another dialysis center shortly after graduation and a few of my friends who graduated with me had gotten hired there, they were horribly unhappy and some actually paid the contract money back to leave and find better jobs. I was told they never let you take the vacation earned and treated staff horribly. During my interview I could tell they ran their dialysis center like a prison camp and was happy to not have gotten a job offer.

So, when I mentioned to a nurse friend I had an interview with the national dialysis company starting with a "D" she warned me, telling me "D" is the parent company of the place our friends had worked and ran their centers the same way. I need a job but I do not however want to get wrangled into a contract job where I earn vacation and can't take it, I want to enjoy my nursing paycheck and my time off and have a life that includes traveling etc...

I know I did not name the company, I almost did but I am not sure that would be a good idea. I'm sure those who are familiar with dialysis centers could easily find this company online, the name starts with a "D" and has a "V" in it. Any input would be appreciated, especially from those familiar with this company and the way they treat their employees.

[jdethman]

"d" is a fine company to work for but working the floor as a new grad is no joke. Some clinics are terrible places to work, just like some hospitals and nursing homes. I started as a new grad at a "D"clinic, it was not my first choice, but it has worked out for me wonderfuly. Do not expect to take a vacation for the first year in any nursing job. If you have a job that you would rather take take it. If not be happy "D" want to spend the money training you. The thother big company "F" is a fine place to work as well.

[loveu123]

Most people who have done dialysis before would tell you that "d" is a terrible company to work for. I work for them for a few months in the outpatient setting and I came to the conclusison that outpatient dialysis was not for me and I would never work for them for even a $100 an hour. Anyway i know some nurses who LOVE "D' very well because their clinic managers have treated them well. You never know, you may have a good manager and end up as one of those nurses who love the company. THey also have acute programs in the hospitals which is much nicer and better than the clinics. You can transfer to acutes after gaining experience in the outpatient. You can also transfer your skills from dialysis to the floor if you decide to do so although it might be hard to get a job. I went into an acute program in owned by a big teaching hospital and we gave the patients meds from the floor(gave the ones which dialyze out after the treatment}, took care of patients post cardiac cath, did telemetry and basically took over the patients' care when they come to HD. I learnt a lot from this unit. Im actually leaving dialysis to go work on a medsurg with telemetry unit as of next month in the same hospital. By the way, I work on a sub acute unit PRN while I was working HD. Good luck on your interview and I hope you have a good experience.

[nursingisok]

i think it depends on who trains you and how they train you. i used to work for the big D and I didn't really like it however I did like their computer programs, which i feel i learned a lot from. You can also learn a lot from other dialysis nurses , especially if there is an experienced one working with you but most of the time in a small unit you are the only nurse. I liked acutes better even though now I am back to outpatients. I don't think outpatient is for me and i'm thinking of going back to acutes or switching fields.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

The two big companies: Davita and Fresenius are buying out the smaller companies little by little. Soon, they will be the only two companies.

Although corporate policies will dictate how the units are run, the individual units all have a distinct personality too. I go to multiple units:

32 chairs, inner city - pts are for the most part poor, much difficulty with transportation, obtaining meds, etc. Nurses do a LOT of education and re-education

9 chair, small city - many elderly patients, long standing dialysis pts. Full clinic - rarely an opening, low mortality. Staff are very stable - many have been there >10 years.

8 chair, small town - elderly, very friendly, set in their ways, very compliant. Again staff very stable.

6 chair, rural - elderly, no transportation available except by families/pts. Full clinic, very very stable staff.

[danarooo, BSN, RN]

Thank all of you for your input, I really appreciate it.

I did interview, the staff I did get to meet did seem fairly nice and laid back. I did not get to meet any of the patient care techs, and it was emphasized many times that the techs "are the backbone" and "you have to earn their trust". That did give me a bit of a red flag, because it seems like a license for the techs to behave badly toward the nurses (just my take on it, I could very well be wrong). I think the only potential problem I see would be sassy techs who have a "don't tell me what to do" attitude. I am not planning on being rude or disrespectful or bossy and will gladly take training from anyone willing to share knowledge, I don't want to be treated like crap in the process though because someone has a chip on their shoulder and an attitude toward RN's though either.

I hope it works out and the people I did not meet are also nice, that makes any job so much more enjoyable when people are respectful and helpful toward each other!!!

[cawkazn]

unfortunately in nursing, nurses act like nurses, meaning many of your co workers are sassy smart ass drama queens. It seems like its almost a requirment to be a nurse is 1) have your license 2) be a total B****