Should I stay or should I go??

Hi I pm'd you!

There is an old thread that has recently been renewed, so look at that. Put the DaVita name in the search for more info. some threads are older but nothing has really changed.

Run, run far far away from chronic dialysis...at least, run if you value your license.

The "no holidays" thing they told you is major BS.

No holidays??? - Most dialysis clinics are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Some are also closed on New years day too. We are all open on the summer holidays. The clinics open up on Sundays around the holidays that they are closed on so the patients can get their 3 days in a week.
As for 10 hour shifts, that is what it states on the schedule, but once you get working they end up being 12, 13, 14 hr days.
I don't like to bad mouth companies, I have worked for them all, but ask them about their RN and PCT turnover rate. Find out who their oldest/longest employee has been there.
If you get done now at 7:30 pm and are at home at 8:00 pm 3 days a week - that would be a dream job!
Read other posts regarding the BIG 3 dialysis companies and then make your decision.
Good luck to you and always remember - money isn't everything and the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

Hi
I just want to say ..maybe is to early ....that I feel ok and safe with Davita....so far..after my first day of 'orientation"...but I have a past experience as PCT in dialysis ...so I can see a difference...I used to work
for a private small(only 3 centers in Manhattan) and for a Frsesenius center in Queens....
I used to work like hell 12-16h/day ...when I wanted to stay over 12 hours... as PCT,I taught (6years ago)
that never I will return in dialysis, just because of early start in the morning which was 5:15am (so I should
be awake around 3am)....was infernal and I had 2 full time jobs..in the same time....
But...because I just pass my NCLEX and whithout any other experience in USA as a RN ofcourse...I decide that the most secure and fast way to get a job (specially with economical problems)is dialysis....so ...I am back
but now with RN license and for the first time I am thinking that I am afraid to don't lose my license.
I had a chance to get a job in Fresenius but when I visited a Davia center in Bronx I was very pleased with what I saw...and yesterday was my first day....After 6 years I was surprised to see how fast I recall the mashine system an how to put the information in the computer...and also I saw that with 12 patients we have 2LPN,2PCT and....2RN....the charge nurse who is working every day from 6 to 7.30pm and I will be covered all the time.
Most like I will do meds and ofcourse because we are a team (and somehow I still fell asPCT) I will help much is possible....so far everything is look OK if not perfect...the only think that is start to bother me is the ideea of starting to reuse ...the salary is great for my begining 34/h and all the benefits...the medical insurance is look high but I can stay with my husband's one....so I will keep you posted.Good luck to everyone

Hello, I've been working for Davita for 3yrs now and I really like my job. As a new dialysis nurse getting started at 25/hr is really good I got started at 23/hr with no experience. In regards to the work hours I average 50/week working 4 days. And as for not working major holidays that is correct! What we do in our clinic if a particular holiday say lands on a Thursday we dialyse the patients on Sun. that way staff and pt's are off that Thurs. Remember dialysis pt's either dialyse MWF or TTS. I think you should go for it!!!!

I have heard that some clinics the techs push heparin. does yours? Also, I have heard that reuse kidneys have been mixed up. that scares me. I hope my clinic is not going to be like that!

Hello dRN1,

Yes, in my clinic techs (PCT's) do push heparin. This of course is permitted after the medical director approves it and is in the P&P (it also depends on the state you practice in). At first I was shocked that PCT's were able to do this, but if you think about it, it would be impossible to do it yourself. My clinic has 60 patients per day and only 2 RN's (that does not include CVC which only RN's can touch about 30 out of 60 pt's) so you can see if we were the only one's giving the heparins how hard it would be. "Reuse kidneys" are called dialyzers and depending on the company you work for they many or many not have a reuse program (this is were they reuse the dialyzers). Remember if working for Davita you will have a reuse program but if working for Fresenius or DSI then you will not be reusing dialyzers they only use "dry packs" or single use dialyzers. Getting the dialyzer mixed up is very dangerous, it's like giving the "wrong medication" to the wrong patient, we use "double checks" to verify that the dialyzer belongs to the right patient. Two PCT's must sign the dialyzer before starting tx this is to verifies that the dialyzer belongs to it's owner. Hope this helps!!!!