I have never worked dialysis but have worked other flavors of nursing, mostly hospital.
Interviewed and was offered a 4 days/week position in a chronic clinic for one of the "big two."
I accepted but am now having reservations about moving forward - not because of the salary or benefits - but because of the hours. I was told shift starts at 5 a.m. and ends between 3-4 p.m. most days..which I could deal with...but reading posts on here and elsewhere it sounds like 10-12 hour days are more like 14-16..if this is something that happened once in a while I could manage it but not all the time of working 14 plus hours a day. Overall this job can provide a lot of financial stability for me and my family..I was interested in it as well...because it would be something new. I have no problem working hard but do not want to be spending 14 hours at working all the time. 12 is more than enough most days. I don't want to start something only to be looking for something else in a few weeks or months.
Anyone who works at a dialysis clinic ..your honest feedback would be very much appreciated.
UPDATE: I was contacted by the recruiter again...I explained to her my concerns about why I wasn't willing to move forward with the position..she tells me she completely understood my position but wanted to let me know they have hired another RN who already started, corp. sent someone to handle things that had fallen behind due to staff turnover, the MD who oversees things had his concerns addressed and things are much more stable. She invited me to contact the 2 original people I interviewed with to confirm what she was saying..she said they really would like me to join the company, feel I have a lot to offer them/they me..etc. She said that most nurses find the job easier in some ways then working the floor at a hospital..which is interesting as several said that during the interview with me..she said it's challenging etc. but they work about 11 hours average and its rare for the days to run over that. I told her I would get back with her. The salary is not a problem, nor the benefits..my question..to those of you who have experience in chronics..now that the staffing and MD concerns have been addressed and are resolved or currently being resolved..do you think it would be a better setting for someone new to dialysis?
It sounds better now because it sounds like you will be working with another nurse. You can support each other. You will need to because technicians at the clinic will know more than you in the begining in terms of the technology, dialysis machines, troubleshooting, water systems. There are some excellent techs and some that could take advantage of this situation. The training at the two major dialysis companies in the US is usually excellent. I worked for one company that had a six week classroom orientation, then proceded to train nurses "on the floor" as we called it. The companies are excellent with policies and procedures in place, safety checks for machines and so on. Usually, if there is a problem, there is a policy on how to handle almost any situation. That is definitely a good thing.
The fact that the medical director is aware of the issues is a good sign. Do they have a manager for the facility? If not, they may have someone from a nearby facility temporarily supervising. No facility manager is a negative in my mind, but hopefully, they will hire some one soon.
Should you take this position? It depends on the reasons why you are drawn to this position. Starting any job, can be stressful. New people, a learning curve, potential for overtime. I have never worked anywhere where you don't end up working longer hours than expected occasssionaly, but not routinely. In dialysis it's most likely occasionally because the for profit companies don't care for overtime, but emergencies happen and may require some overtime. That happens in dialysis too.
Are you ready to take on new challenges at this time in your life? If your trying to leave a employer because your working in a difficult situation, it's probably better not to take it. Employment decisions are best made with a calm cool head and long term planning. I learned that the hard way.
When we are under stress, the fight or flight response takes over. Stress can blur our vision. Running away from one employer to another is not the easiest way to remain and maintain your nursing career. Assess your needs and decide what is best for you. Only you can make that decision. Good luck :)
Thanks for all who replied...I am not going to accept the position..there is still too much instability at the clinic - I spoke to the charge nurse Monday who told me the nurse who just came out of orientation left w/o notice, the nurse that was hired in Dec. is resigning and there is still not a permanent FA in place..she actually contacted me to let me know that things were changing once again because she knew I was concerned..she said she would rather not have me start then get started thinking things are one way when they are really another and leave..she said in the 16 months she has been there 9 nurses have come and go and while she likes her job, she said she has never worked for a company where they just won't listen to anything unless it's bottom line money. As much as I would love to move into dialysis..being new to the specialty I would need a more stable situation. It's a disaster waiting to happen there.
Thanks for all who replied...I am not going to accept the position..there is still too much instability at the clinic - I spoke to the charge nurse Monday who told me the nurse who just came out of orientation left w/o notice, the nurse that was hired in Dec. is resigning and there is still not a permanent FA in place..she actually contacted me to let me know that things were changing once again because she knew I was concerned..she said she would rather not have me start then get started thinking things are one way when they are really another and leave..she said in the 16 months she has been there 9 nurses have come and go and while she likes her job, she said she has never worked for a company where they just won't listen to anything unless it's bottom line money. As much as I would love to move into dialysis..being new to the specialty I would need a more stable situation. It's a disaster waiting to happen there.
Dialysis is not as it used to be due to reimbursement and high costs of running a center.
I loved acutes but the work times and on call combined with the constant problems to get enough coverage are bad. And in the chronic clinic it was a daily struggle because the nurses were totally overworked with full assignment and additional duties. The call out rate was so high that it was impossible to have a normal day.
Marisette, BSN, RN
376 Posts
It sounds better now because it sounds like you will be working with another nurse. You can support each other. You will need to because technicians at the clinic will know more than you in the begining in terms of the technology, dialysis machines, troubleshooting, water systems. There are some excellent techs and some that could take advantage of this situation. The training at the two major dialysis companies in the US is usually excellent. I worked for one company that had a six week classroom orientation, then proceded to train nurses "on the floor" as we called it. The companies are excellent with policies and procedures in place, safety checks for machines and so on. Usually, if there is a problem, there is a policy on how to handle almost any situation. That is definitely a good thing.
The fact that the medical director is aware of the issues is a good sign. Do they have a manager for the facility? If not, they may have someone from a nearby facility temporarily supervising. No facility manager is a negative in my mind, but hopefully, they will hire some one soon.
Should you take this position? It depends on the reasons why you are drawn to this position. Starting any job, can be stressful. New people, a learning curve, potential for overtime. I have never worked anywhere where you don't end up working longer hours than expected occasssionaly, but not routinely. In dialysis it's most likely occasionally because the for profit companies don't care for overtime, but emergencies happen and may require some overtime. That happens in dialysis too.
Are you ready to take on new challenges at this time in your life? If your trying to leave a employer because your working in a difficult situation, it's probably better not to take it. Employment decisions are best made with a calm cool head and long term planning. I learned that the hard way.
When we are under stress, the fight or flight response takes over. Stress can blur our vision. Running away from one employer to another is not the easiest way to remain and maintain your nursing career. Assess your needs and decide what is best for you. Only you can make that decision. Good luck :)