Fresenius medical care...taking over dialysis unit HELP!

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Hello. I am an RN that is currently employed by Renal Care Group. Today we just learned that Fresenius Medical Care has bought out all of RCG's stock and they are taking us over. We were a privately owned unit until our wonderful "doctor" sold us to RCG. About 5 months ago. We got new machines, new computers, a whole new system. We are just getting used to the change when, BOOM, today we learn that Fresenius is buying RCG units. All of them. You have to understand, we are a small unit with 16 chairs, in the bootheel of MO. We are a great team of people. I feel like we can handle change well. But of course no one knows anything. I was just wondering if any of you kind people out there have or is currently working with Fresenius. How is their benefits and what kind? Do they have paid time off? All that jazz.

Are they a good company to work for? I would greatly appreciate ANY info you can give me. I really know nothing about them as a company. Just what I've seen on their website, which is still nothing. Please, I would love some personal info on what you've seen and experienced. Thank you.

Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
Would anyone out there happen to know what medications Patient Care Techs can give and by what route?

It varies by state. Your state's board of nursing makes the determination about what meds you give.

For example, I am in Texas and techs give heparin (IV push) and lidocaine (intradermal). We don't give any PO meds at all. I have a co-worker who moved here from Louisiana and she said they weren't allowed to give heparin but could give Lidocaine. Another co-worker transferred from Mississippi and she said techs could not give any meds at all and couldn't cannulate patients. So you'll have to check with the clinic you plan to work in and have them tell you.

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
I also work for RCG and Fresenious is coming to look at our small 12/chair unit this month to buy. I am an LPN and have been told that they only hire RN's and Tech's. Does anyone know if this is true? I've worked there for 2 years straight out of nursing school, so I have very little experience any where else. However I can do the Tech's job, and do work with the Doc's in the clinic setting 4x a month. My question is should I get out, while the getting is good? Any advice would be appreciated.

Our clinic has an LVN working there. As far as I know they hire LVNs. As for getting out, I have no idea. Dialysis seems like a good gig for a nurse. I'd stick around and see how it goes.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

In regards to PTO, the business unit that I work for allowed RCG employees to take some of their vacation time so that they would not lose their time. But you do have a CAP so if you don't take the time it will either go into ESL bank or twice a year they offer you the opportunity to sell up to 80hrs of PTO to as long as you will still have 40hrs left. In regards to LPN being replaced , it depends on your state laws. In Illinois it will not work with and LPN in a small unit because state law states that an RN must be present in the facility at all times. In the bigger facilites they have more wiggle room because you have enough patients to support having 2 nurses on the shift. I started in a unit that had 39 chairs and it was me and LPN. But I have to agree that I can't see them letting go of a nurse over a tech. But you should check your state nurse practice act and talk with your manager about your concerns. When it comes to medications again it depends on your state. Here in IL PCT's can't pass meds at all they can give NS to treatment nausea and cramping and LPN cannot push IV meds, but I see in clinic all the time where LPN are pushing heparin(go figure). :balloons:

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....I don't understand what made RCG so superior over FMC.....

I am a traveler and have worked quite a number of FMC and RCG units. Imo, a bad RCG unit is better than a good FMC unit.

Profit is not just the main thing w/ FMC, it's the only thing. FMC units overwhelm charge nurses so much with so many reports and paperwork, the nurse does not have any time to know what is going on on the floor, yet she is responsible for all of it.

Most FMS units I have worked at are "upside down" units. Meaning, the units are run by the techs. I'm sure this is not intentional, but as I said, the charge nurses and unit mgr are so overwhelmed with reports, they have no time for pts, or to properly supervise techs and pt care.

Floor nurses @ FMC clinics are overwhelmed with such things as lugging bicarb/acid jugs around, doing water checks, constantly accounting for supplies, running pts as well as doing things for the techs and the techs' pts.

RCG has (had) a totally different view of nurses and nursing. RCG assigned most labor and technical duties to non-nurses. RCG felt that nurses should have time to know what is going on with all of their pts. Working at an RCG clinic, I didn't have to count supplies, had nothing to do with the water system, and had no reports to do. RCG used far better supplies, and there were plenty available. FMC does not provide their pts with cable TV and vcrs, or their own TVs. RCG did. The only FMC units that have these things are units which originally were not FMC units.

RCG units are clean, modern attractive and efficient. FMC units are known for the most part, to be old, run-down, dirty, and out-dated. RCG recocnised and rewarded excellence in both nurses and techs. Techs could become certified tech educators, who are very respected.

Even as a traveler, I always got to really know the pts and what was going on w/ them as RCG units. For example, at one RCG clinic, the soc worker, dietitian and myself worked together daily. We got together and discussed out pt's labs- I knew off the top of my head whose PO4 was high, Whose K+ was high, whose albumin was low.

Together, the SW, RD and myself brainstormed ways to address the pt situations which cause poor labs and dialysis adequacies to occur and continue. We worked together and reversed this. Our unit even got an award, because our pts' albumins improved so much.

I had time to do tons of pt teaching and finally got some thick-headed pts to truly unserstand that their actions affect their health. I was able to get some long time fluid abusers to decrease thier fluid intake, lower their PO4 and K+ levels.

RCG units provided an atmosphere where I was able to grow as a nurse and greatly improve my charge nurses skills, and truly make a difference in my pts lives. What nurse has ever had the time or resources for these kinds of things at an FMC unit?

RCG respected and valued nurses. FMC does not. I mourn the loss of RCG to FMC.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

The bottom line is their is no longer RCG and unfortunatetly it is only FMC or Davita. Don't get me wrong as I stated in my earlier post their are a lot of things that FMC definetly needs to change, but what company doesn't. If FMC does not meet up to your standards then definetly don't work for them. But I do know of FMC clinics where the nurses have been able to educate and focus on the patients. But yes you have to very creative. But I don't know of any place where in regards to paperwork that there is not a tons of it:o. I know that they are finally putting out the chairside which in electronic charting. Hopefully it will help. But I do agree that a lot of uncessary duties are put on then nurses that need to be supervised by other departments. Hopefully one day they will get it right. I just wanted to put out that every organization has it flaws and that not one is perfect. So assess the situation and location and decide if it best for you or move on. Also FMC is making improvements in services that are provided to their patients. They do provide their own TV's, their is VCR to play movies, their are brand new facilites as well as those that have been renovated. So some facilites or states may need to catch up and hopefully some of the RCG philosophy will rub off on them.

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The bottom line is their is no longer RCG and unfortunatetly it is only FMC or Davita. Don't get me wrong as I stated in my earlier post their are a lot of things that FMC definetly needs to change, but what company doesn't. If FMC does not meet up to your standards then definetly don't work for them. But I do know of FMC clinics where the nurses have been able to educate and focus on the patients. But yes you have to very creative. But I don't know of any place where in regards to paperwork that there is not a tons of it:o. I know that they are finally putting out the chairside which in electronic charting. Hopefully it will help. But I do agree that a lot of uncessary duties are put on then nurses that need to be supervised by other departments. Hopefully one day they will get it right. I just wanted to put out that every organization has it flaws and that not one is perfect. So assess the situation and location and decide if it best for you or move on. Also FMC is making improvements in services that are provided to their patients. They do provide their own TV's, their is VCR to play movies, their are brand new facilites as well as those that have been renovated. So some facilites or states may need to catch up and hopefully some of the RCG philosophy will rub off on them.

Some FMC units no longer even provide gauze or tape for their pts. The FMC Flagstaff, AZ unit is one such place. Pt's are required to provide their own gauze, tape and band-aides.

All their staff has quit. They were 100% travelers (even the unit mgr) when I was there. Even the travelers don't stay. Many break their contracts and run for the hills. I have seen this at three FMC units.

IMO, FMC does not really even understand what a nurse is. A nurse is just a work-horse to them.

I won't work for FMC.

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I won't work for FMC.

I won't either. I worked with some great folks at FMC, but my employment there caused too many ethical dilemmas. :o

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I also work for RCG and Fresenious is coming to look at our small 12/chair unit this month to buy. I am an LPN and have been told that they only hire RN's and Tech's. Does anyone know if this is true? I've worked there for 2 years straight out of nursing school, so I have very little experience any where else. However I can do the Tech's job, and do work with the Doc's in the clinic setting. Any advice would be appreciated.

I work for FMC and as far as i know we do not hire LPN's. I think this is a bit too late, oh well, sorry

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

I work for Fresenius elbow-to-elbow with an LVN. I will (hopefully) get my LVN license in the next couple of months, and my boss assurred me that I will get LVN pay once I have my license. I have traveled to other clinics in the Houston area to help out, and those clinics also have LVNs working there.

So, yes, Fresenius does hire LVNs. I don't know if it is up to the discretion of the individual clinic or the company as a whole, but our clinic most definitely hires LVNs.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

Your best bet would be to talk with your clinical manager. Considering that you are in a small clinic may present a challenge. Here is Illinois, I mostly see LPN's in larger units because it is more than one nurse that needs to be there because of the number of chairs and it does have to be an RN. But in smaller clinics it is not possible because of the state laws here in Illinois, that an RN can only be in charge in a dialysis setting. Check your state laws, and if they are the same then maybe finidng a clinic with more chairs will be your answer if you want to stay in the field. Hope this helps.:)

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Hello Nurses, I would like to have some questions answered by experienced dialysis nurses. I retired several months ago to babysit my new granddaughter during the week. I have a prn position in a long term care facility but, have always wanted to try dialysis nursing. There are several clinics in the city where I live. I would only be able to work on weekends. Do the free standing clinics provide weekend training and how stressful is dialysis nursing? Thank you for the help. Judy

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
Hello Nurses, I would like to have some questions answered by experienced dialysis nurses. I retired several months ago to babysit my new granddaughter during the week. I have a prn position in a long term care facility but, have always wanted to try dialysis nursing. There are several clinics in the city where I live. I would only be able to work on weekends. Do the free standing clinics provide weekend training and how stressful is dialysis nursing? Thank you for the help. Judy

I don't know about other dialysis centers, but as for Fresenius the training is five days a week for six weeks. Then for several weeks after that you work with a preceptor. Finally you work with the clinic manager or other charge nurse to learn nursing duties.

They might let you work just weekends. In my experience though, it's extremely difficult to learn dialysis working just weekends. There is a very long learning curve in dialysis. It takes six months to a year before you feel like you know what you're doing. I am not a nurse, but worked as a tech for a year before dropping down to just weekends when I started nursing school. Even after a year I felt like I was learning all over again when I came back the next weekend after being off all week. It might not be that way for everyone, but that was my experience.

If you're willing to give the time for six to eight weeks to go through the training, they might be okay with letting you work just weekends. You'll have to ask them though. I think it's up to the clinic manager.

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