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

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2007

Agree with pp, it would be difficult to be trained for a weekend-only position in dialysis (most chronic units are closed on Sundays, so you would only be able to work Saturdays - unless they also cover a hospital, where you could do acute call. However, this requires even more experience than basic dialysis nursing, which takes at least a year to become proficient at).

However, I have seen some seasoned nurses catch on extremely quickly (all had previous ICU experience), one was even trained for a hospital acute position in only 6 weeks and was then on her own! So you never know, if you're good with machines and "catch on" quickly, it may work for you. I know one thing - the companies would certainly love an RN who is willing to work every Saturday (giving the other RNs a break).

I would advise you to contact the clinic managers and see what they have to say. Best of luck to you!

DeLana

iriskkerry · Oct 23, 2007

Decided to put my quandry here, for obvious reasons. I need to know what other RNs would do if faced with this dilema. In July '07 after a year of sharing a charge position in a 'hellhole' clinic I was sent to a fulltime acutes position in a hospital in the city I live in. It was not my first choice but the clinc here had no openings and I live 10 minutes from this hospital, so, I thought I would give it a go. Within the first week on the job I realized the toughest part of the job was going to be the nurses on the renal floor. I've never had a problem getting along with coworkers, ever, but these people would be an exceptional challenge. They would sometimes ignore you when you asked them a question, refuse to assist in transporting a patient to the tx room, take forever to bring the heparin/saline to initiate tx. It was the strangest thing? I felt given time we would grow to a 'cooperative' state. So I tried extra hard to be exta kind, complimenting everytime someone helped me, trying to be helpful to them.

I was warned that they could be harsh by another nurse who had held this position. As a matter of fact, a few nurses have left because of this. After my third week on the job(each of these weeks were 50-60 hours) I was told that someone had placed a complaint about me with the charge nurse. I verbally reviewed it with her, there was no documentation shown to me, and I discussed some corrective actions on my part and we let it go. My supervisor came, discussed the complaint, the corrective actions I took and said that was fine, it happens to everyone when they first learn this job. Then she told me "you need to watch your back, the charge nurse just told me that perhaps you're just not a good fit here" That's a direct quote. We found it odd because of course we don't work for the hospital, we work for Fresinius,

Fast forward another two months some 150 treatments later I return from a week's vacation (first one in years) to find a message on my answering machine telling me not to go to the hospital the next morning, instead to meet with local Clinic Manager and Regional manager at the clinic at 1pm. It just so happens that this acute clinic has now come under a different scheduler and my former supervisor is no longer in charge. The Regional Manager (the one who sent me to this job to begin with) has taken over the schedule and when she went to the hospital to post the schedule this charge nurse asked her if she was aware of the "complaints" about me. well of course she was not, so this nurse tells her about the same issue handled in August and throws a few more vague, undocumented and FALSE accusations in for good measure.

So, at the meeting this manager simply tells me that I am suspended WITHOUT pay until she can complete her investigation and she has no idea how long that will be because she 'has alot on her plate'. I am in the state of shock, I excuse myself and I return home. I wait 4 days, call the Clinic Manager who tells me she has heard nothing from the Regional manager and does not know what to tell me. I am now facing the week w/o ant pay. So. I call Human Resources, they tell me to document what happened and fax it to them So, I typed the info, faxed it in and called on Monday morning to make sure it got there. Tuesday morning I get a call back from the assistant director who informs me that she has turned it over to the Director of Human Resources and that I should just "be patient" as it will be taken careof.

Next Tuesday I call to ask if he has found out anything, or maybe has some questions for me because I have not heard a thing from anyone yet.( The only word I had heard from anyone was my past supervisor advising me to put in for a transfer to one of her clinics to remove myself from what she called "that regime". The clinic is an hour from my home.) I had to leave a message as he was 'out of the office for the day. No call from anyone the rest of the week so I call on Friday, again get voicemail and leave another message. End of week 2 w/o pay.

I pick up the newspaper on Sunday to find my job posted in it. I proceed to cry for the next 30 hours. I cannot believe someone would do this to a peron who works for them. BTW, I have a PERFECT work record up till now. I find the courage to call HR back on tuesday and once again, get voicemail. No matter which extension I try. I finally get a call back on Thursday afternoon! The first thing the asistant asks me is "Are you back at work yet?" I say um, no and furthermore my job was posted in the newspaper on Sunday. So, I ask her what the director has done about my letter? She said "well, he gave it back to me because he did'nt have time for it"So, I she tells me she has been trying to reach my Manager but has not heard back from her yet. I tell her that I am inweek 3 w/o pay and I need to think about looking for another job. She says "WELL I WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING THAT SOME TIME AGO" I said, no, you told me to be patient, that it was being taken care of. She tells me she cannot discuss it any further until she hears back from my manager, that there's nothing she can do until then. I ask her to check my employment staus, she comes back and says you are still in the computer as a fulltime emplyee. Says again that she'll get back to me. End of week 3 w/o pay.

WHAT DO I DO? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?????? :madface:

starbin, BSN, RN · Oct 25, 2007

I am sorry about your situation. don't know what to say. I understand what u might be feeling.

Probably, give ur resignation and look for a job somewhere else. Make sure to put someone who is supportive and understands your situation (and you trust) as a reference.

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 25, 2007

I would definitely get another job. You are still technically employed by them. When you look for other work just tell your potential employer that you don't want them to contact your current employer. That way you have some money coming in and you don't have a black mark on your record.....yet. By the time they get around to giving you a black mark you're already established someplace else and it won't matter. Who knows how long it will take them to get this mess straightened out. Loyalty in this day and age will get you nowhere.

You're definitely getting jerked around for whatever reason, and you are also definitely a victim of bullying. I work for Fresenius and we have a nurse who bullies people and runs them off all the time. Obviously she has issues but unfortunately you can't reason with people like that. She can't see that good help is hard to find, and when we get a good employee we should do our best to keep them around. By some miracle I was able to get on her good side right from the start and she hasn't bullied me. There were times when she tried, but I gave back as good as she dished out and told my boss IMMEDIATELY when it happend so at least she heard my side first and it was documented. Nothing ever came of it - bullies rarely follow through - but I made sure I was covered if I ever needed to make my case.

Move on and chalk this up as one of those horror stories you can tell people later. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

iriskkerry · Oct 26, 2007

Hi and thank you for your responses. After waiting 24 days, I finally got a call today from the clinic manager.She asked me to meet with her and the Regional Manager tomorrow @ 3 PM. I never recieved a return phone call from anyone @ Human Resources, which is so sad because that is where we are supposed to turn for help when we need it. I don't know what they will say tomorrow, but, I know what my patients think of me,so, that will get me through this torture I guess. I will come back tomorrow and post the results of the meeting. All she said when she called me was "We have come to a determination" ????????? Thanks again for your thoughts. It helps to know what others in the field are thinking. :uhoh3:

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 26, 2007

Hi and thank you for your responses. After waiting 24 days, I finally got a call today from the clinic manager.She asked me to meet with her and the Regional Manager tomorrow @ 3 PM. I never recieved a return phone call from anyone @ Human Resources, which is so sad because that is where we are supposed to turn for help when we need it. I don't know what they will say tomorrow, but, I know what my patients think of me,so, that will get me through this torture I guess. I will come back tomorrow and post the results of the meeting. All she said when she called me was "We have come to a determination" ????????? Thanks again for your thoughts. It helps to know what others in the field are thinking.

Please let us know what happens. What a horrible situation.

Thinking of you and sending supportive thoguhts your way.

iriskkerry · Oct 26, 2007

Wll I'm back. They fired me. Here are the two reasons they gave. 1. The staff of th hospital where I was assigned to do acutes by Fresinius (assigned in July by the woman who just fired me)does not want me back there? 2. They found 3 treatments that were ordered to be 3 1/2 hours long and they were 3 hours long. I told her that in training I was specifically instructed to run them 3 hours, that the order was written that way to cover the Doc with medicare and that everyne runs them 3 hours. Did not matter, they only looked at my records and of course asked me specifically who told me that. My response was I would not tell them so as not to get anyone else in trouble, but, they can simply go back and look at treatment sheets other than mine and they would see that this is industry wide, common knowledge. Albeit unspoken. That did not matter either and they began to blame human resources, said they gave them no choice.

I have spoken to a couple of acute nurses and they can't believe that this happened either. They are aware of this unspoken rule. One of them, who just happens to do acute in another hospital for the same doctor said "Well, it must be an individual thing then, 'cause we do it here".

Feel realy bad. Hard to get up and start over now but have to. I was hoping they would offer to put me back in the clinic they pulled me out of to do this job, but, no offer was made.

I also spoke with someone on the flor of the hospital where they said "they didn't want me back", she has heard NOTHING of this sort.

Anyways, neeed to get over the crying binge and hit the pavement. I wonder what it is like to apply for a job when you've been fired by your last employer, anyone got anyadvice on that one? Heart is broken. Thanks again for your input.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Oct 27, 2007

(((((IRISKKERRY))))

I'm so sorry. It sounds to me like someone didn't like you and they were just trying to think of ways to get rid of you.

I hate Fresenius. I think they are one of the worst "health care" companies in existance. They have treated many great nurses like crap- and that includes both you and me.

I was basically fired from a FMC unit as a traveler after I told the "acting mgr" who had never seen the unit- that the standards of care at the unit were unacceptable and that staff were falsifying documentation all day long. She basically told me "you'll never work in this town again."

Well, I have worked in that town again, doing dialysis several times. Do you have the option of becoming a traveler?

Being a traveler really keeps you out of the politics and BS.

I'm sorry you're hurting.

iriskkerry · Oct 27, 2007

Thanks for the warm reply. Everyone who knows my work ethics is shocked by what happened . Yes I have often thought of traveling, but, my first move is going to be to have this removed from my record. There is one law they cannot get around. It is discrimination, by that I mean you are not allowed to treat one employee differently than another. I know that acutes ordered 3 1/2 hours are run 3 hours by EVERYONE in the industry. Not everyone, everytime, but they are. It is more the rule than the exception. And, that is what I was instructed by my trainer!. They simply would not open those records or ASK the other nurses what they do. And the other point they fired me for??? BECAUSE THE NURSES ON THE FLOOR WHERE WE DO DIALYSIS DON'T LIKE ME????? I know the Human Resource manager at the hospital and will be filling her in on Monday. Perhaps this is not the first time they have encountered this difficulty with this nurse? So, I will be speaking with a lawyer first, to help me expedite getting this off my record.

Other than clearing my record my only hesitation with traveling at this juncture is won't 13 weeks take me al the way through Xmas? I might miss all 3 holidays with my family. I need to pull myself together and get something right away because I'm broke now. I mean, it's been 3 weeks.Agency work for awhile I guess. Thanks again.

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 27, 2007

Oh my God! I can't believe they did this to you. I am so sorry.

I have been booted out of jobs because people didn't like me, and it sucked. Over time I've learned to more political, be nicer and cover my ass. I've also learned to see the signs a lot sooner and start making plans to get out before they can gang up on me. If nothing else, use it as a learning tool. From now on you'll learn to recognize that feeling in your gut in plenty of time to make a change.

I work for Fresenius but I have a FABULOUS boss. I would take a bullet for this woman; I'm not kidding. She has bent over backwards to adjust my schedule while I'm in nursing school. She gets on us about "policy" but she's also realistic enough to know that sometimes she just has to look the other way. I do my best to meet her at least halfway with things. But I also know that some of the rules are insane. She just lets us know that we can make our own choices. If we choose not to follow policy, she won't back us up if we get caught. If we follow policy and get dinged, she'll be our biggest advocate.

But that's to her credit, not the company. I think that's true of just about everywhere I worked. The right boss can make a sucky company bearable. You can work for the best company on the planet, and if your supervisor is a naval-gazing task-master, you're screwed.

Natkat, BSN, MSN, RN · Oct 27, 2007

Hellllo Nurse, I'm interesting in being a travel nurse for dialysis. I have a few questions. I'll send you a private message.

DeLana_RN, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2007

Thanks for the warm reply. Everyone who knows my work ethics is shocked by what happened . Yes I have often thought of traveling, but, my first move is going to be to have this removed from my record. There is one law they cannot get around. It is discrimination, by that I mean you are not allowed to treat one employee differently than another. I know that acutes ordered 3 1/2 hours are run 3 hours by EVERYONE in the industry. Not everyone, everytime, but they are. It is more the rule than the exception. And, that is what I was instructed by my trainer!. They simply would not open those records or ASK the other nurses what they do. And the other point they fired me for??? BECAUSE THE NURSES ON THE FLOOR WHERE WE DO DIALYSIS DON'T LIKE ME????? I know the Human Resource manager at the hospital and will be filling her in on Monday. Perhaps this is not the first time they have encountered this difficulty with this nurse? So, I will be speaking with a lawyer first, to help me expedite getting this off my record.
Other than clearing my record my only hesitation with traveling at this juncture is won't 13 weeks take me al the way through Xmas? I might miss all 3 holidays with my family. I need to pull myself together and get something right away because I'm broke now. I mean, it's been 3 weeks.Agency work for awhile I guess. Thanks again.

I am so sorry this has happened to you! I'm just now getting caught up with this thread, I was going to warn you to resign before they could do just what they did... fire you. I saw where this was going (suspension without pay is a very, very bad sign) and your regional manager sounds like the superb---- I used to work for - you can't reason with a sociopath.

As for getting another job, I don't think you will have any problem. FMC will most likely not give a future employer anything but the dates of employment; BTW - never assume that HR works for us (the employees)! Far from it, they are merely the enforcers, doing what your manager wants them to do. They are not a resource or advocate for us (other than for benefits problems, etc.), at least not officially. It sounds like they were trying to warn you when they asked why you hadn't started to look for another job yet (they knew what was coming).

Also, I don't know if I would pursue the discrimination thing; I work in acutes (although for a hospital-owned unit) and have never heard of a rule that 3.5 hour tx's are routinely shortened to 3 hrs. Even when I did on call acutes for Gambro a few years ago I never heard that (OK, I didn't do that for long while I worked for Gambro).

We have an agreement - in our written protocol, so we are covered - that we can shorten tx times by 10% if necessary (e.g. pt problem, machine problem - NOT our convenience). For anything else, we have to contact the neph. (whose philosophy is as much tx time as possible - within reason, e.g. at the end of our shift they may order a shorter tx).

Legally, I don't think you can get anywhere with informal agreements that are contrary to written orders. And don't expect anyone to back you up on this (they will deny they ever told you or are doing the same thing; never mind the tx records, nobody will bother to dig these up. And still, the doctors' orders - and your official, written protocols - are all that matters. I'm not trying to discourage you, but I'm afraid that's what you will hear from a lawyer.

Again, I don't think that this termination will be a problem for future employment (this kind of injustice has probably happened to most nurses - I was forced out of my very first job by an evil head nurse!). I think agency work is a great idea, especially at this time of the year when they really need the help.

Wishing you the best of luck, please keep us posted!

DeLana :icon_hug: