DaVita Village

Specialties Urology

Published

Hi,

I am relocating and looking for opportunities with DaVita. Is there anyone who works for this company that could tell me some of the pros and cons? I've been in dialysis a long time, and while DaVita is well known, I've never had much experience with this company. The previous company I worked for had employees that had been working for over 20 years. That tells you a little something about the culture. If I wasn't relocating I probably would've stayed too. Anyway, the position I'm looking at is a FA position.

Hi,

I am relocating and looking for opportunities with DaVita. Is there anyone who works for this company that could tell me some of the pros and cons? I've been in dialysis a long time, and while DaVita is well known, I've never had much experience with this company. The previous company I worked for had employees that had been working for over 20 years. That tells you a little something about the culture. If I wasn't relocating I probably would've stayed too. Anyway, the position I'm looking at is a FA position.

Davita is hard on their FA's. But, there are two types. The type with the clinical background such as yourself. And the business manager. I've seen both collapse under this structure. My current FA is leaving due to the pressure, and he's a business man. They put so much pressure on them to push for better numbers. Better kt/v, fewer CVC pt's, and their pride and joy DavitaRX they are all but harassing pt's with signing up. They pit one clinic against another for rankings. They pit groups and regions against each other. Its no different than any other business really. FA"s get big bonus' for having better numbers. Then if you come up short for a quarter/half year, they blame you like you killed a puppy for fun. Crap rolls down hill. Oh, and they dont really pay that great. Raises are a few % (i was told 1.5% this year but heard that someone else got 2% so my FA lied to me......will be calling him out soon), and as a FA you're likely to never get one unless your numbers are top of the "class".

IF you want to stay in dialysis, just become a floor nurse. Enjoy the time with the pt's. FA's are purely office jobs for the most part, with conference calls every day and sometimes all day.

(1.5 years as a Davita PCT)

Specializes in Dialysis.

As someone who worked for DaVita as a nurse for 3+ years and Charge Nurse for 1 year, I agree with parumph on 98% of what was said. If you go to DaVita as an FA who is also a nurse trust me when I say that it is not mostly an office job. As an FA who is also a nurse you will be expected to work the floor when you are short staffed and coverage can't be found while still being expected to do your job and be on those calls as well. I've worked at clinics that were well staffed and this rarely happened and I've worked at other clinics where they couldn't keep staff so this was the norm. And I personally would never suggest that anyone just become a floor nurse. The floor is brutal on nurses and I am currently trying to get off of the floor as soon as possible. Most days I want to pull my hair out because I feel like the only way I can get everything done is to clone myself. But I believe you can do anything that you make up your mind to do so go for it if that's what you want and good luck!

If you want to be an FA and enjoy your job, it seems to me you have to be an extreme Type A personality who LOVES working all the time, all day. The kind who is okay with limiting family time/hobbies/outside activities and prioritizes work because it is the main focus of their life. There are such people in the world, esp. in the business world. Very driven and focused. They seem to have coffee in their bloodstreams, which is probably the case because they don't seem to sleep very much. THAT would be the ideal FA. Your more "average" work personality who sees work as a means to an end and prefers off time to work time will not fit this job. That's my observation anyway ;)

Remember what they say about buying into the company line: "I owe my soul to the company store."

I've never worked for this company, and I intend to keep it that way.

If I ever meet KT in person, I will pop him in the nose on behalf of all of us who know better.

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Davita in my opinion is a great company to work for, I have worked for bad ones.

I have been treated really well

I worked for another company as a FA and I was worked to death-I think that is the way it is if you choose to be a FA

Davita in my opinion is a great company to work for, I have worked for bad ones.

I have been treated really well

I worked for another company as a FA and I was worked to death-I think that is the way it is if you choose to be a FA

Interesting, madwife.

Thanks for the input.

Just goes to show how much our own personal views are shaped by experiential data. Mine included.

As for me, I try to rely on objective data from external sources, but this is not to say that I always get it right.

Davita is a company that I (based on extensive research) will not work for out of moral conscience, let alone their draconian "Walmart Economics"--a practice that preys on weak-minded government officials and which systematically destroys a healthy capitalist economy. (Thanks, President Reagan.) That said, DaVita has its upsides for both patients and staff, and they do do some things very right.

I work acutes and our FA has 7 hospitals. She is constantly on the road racking up 1000's of miles in a few weeks. She is the best boss I have ever had in 35 years of nursing but I know she wont be around long. The pressure and demands will break her. She lives and breaths dialysis and yes she drank the kool ade. Broke my heart to see her crying because she is just too tired to do anything else.

Raises are 1.5%, but based on reviews, an FA can give some teammates less and others more.

It's funny how many people complain about this, but don't go elsewhere. Most places aren't giving as good of raises or any raise (see: economy) and if they are, you don't get the bonuses with it.

Raises are 1.5%, but based on reviews, an FA can give some teammates less and others more.

It's funny how many people complain about this, but don't go elsewhere. Most places aren't giving as good of raises or any raise (see: economy) and if they are, you don't get the bonuses with it.

Mr Sacdiff,

The glaring flaw in your argument is that there is no where else to go.

This is the whole point of any monopoly: eradicate the competition.

Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.

Davita is another Fortune 500 for profit corporation. Like Walmart.

Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

don't know about employees, but DaVita in general is my nemesis. They refuse to provide contractural certifications and education for the nurses who come to our facility, resulting in JC issues for us. They know they are the only trick in town so ----

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