dilemma between FMC and Davita...which one?anyone?

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Have you worked for either of these companies before or are working for them at present? What was it like? What about your compensation? What is the starting salary? sorry for these many queries ... I am asking such because I would love to continue my career as a dialysis nurse and need some enlightenment regarding these matters...Hope to hear from you coz I'm going to have an interview with DaVita next week and waiting for Fresenius also...Thanks...

I'm with FMC and love the training I received. Didn't have to go on my own until I was completely ready. I work in the acute setting and enjoy the one-on-one.:yeah:

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As far as I am concerned, 'a facility is a facility is a facility'. Much depends upon those working in the unit e.g. team work, supervision of staff, continuing education/training and how staff are oriented, especially that related to 'patient-centered' care. Although some say Davita has a wonderful training program, there are many Davita facilities that have been cited, during inspections, for such practices that clearly show a lack of adequate training. I have also heard that FMC has a great training program. Again, each unit, imho, has its' own unique culture and I would not even venture to say one provider is better than another, to be honest. The bottom line is that staff are all adequately trained, esp new RNs and techs. :nurse:

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Dialysis.

Frankly it does not matter which one you work for it will all depend on your CM/FA and the region you work for. I worked for Frensenius(FS) for 4 years and now work for Davita and they both still have some of the same challenges. But a lot of that has to with the how our healthcare system is in the US. I train pt's to dialysis in the home and I am experiencing some of the same things I experienced in the chronic setting at FS. It is all about getting the private pay pt's regardless to whether they are good candidates or not, just like getting a horrible pt in the chronic setting. Just make sure when you go on the interview that you get a true tour of the facility. Also make sure to ask about the nurse to patient ratio and look to see how many nurses are there that day as well as technicians. That will give you a hint as to what you will have to look forward to. To sum it up for me, FS trained me well, but the pay was lower, benefits are better than Davita, but you don't get any bonuses unless you are in management. At Davita pay is better, benefits not the best, they have 401k but they don't match and their insurance in Illinois sucks(CIGNA PPO), FS(BCBSPPO). However they do give bonuses, but that does not mean that you will get the bonus, depends on how well your area does. I love training pt's but it was suppose to be 1:1 training, but now I am training 2 patients at a time(that's very difficult because I have to train them to setup their own machines, cannulates themselves, care for their CVC, administer their epogen, troubleshoot their machines, and draw their own labs). Just a few of their duties. It is nice not being in a chronic setting, but being the only nurse training in a clinic can get overwhelming, very hard to get days off, training can last 3-5 weeks average or longer and you are the everything as the RN in responsible for the entire training. So just make sure you get a true picture of what your day to day can be like. GOOD LUCK:nurse:

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You can also obtain a copy of the most recent inspection report for the units in your area, by contacting the state agency. You can also ask the FA of the unit you would like to work at to look at the report. Generally, it has been my experience that the facility does not even show the survey reports to staff, just the FA and maybe the charge nurse. Techs, often, do not even know the specifics of deficiencies, esp those leading to negative outcomes. What they are told is that 'you must do A, B, and C, from now on', without explanation of why. Always of interest to me that nursing homes had to post, throughout the US, their most recent survey report in public view, but dialysis facilities not.

The culture within the dialysis unit is unique unto itself, for sure. It is one environment that I have seen, more patient retaliation, fear of patients, as well as staff, to speak up when they observe incorrect practices, etc.

RenalRuth:nurse:

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.
Frankly it does not matter which one you work for it will all depend on your CM/FA and the region you work for. I worked for Frensenius(FS) for 4 years and now work for Davita and they both still have some of the same challenges. But a lot of that has to with the how our healthcare system is in the US. I train pt's to dialysis in the home and I am experiencing some of the same things I experienced in the chronic setting at FS. It is all about getting the private pay pt's regardless to whether they are good candidates or not, just like getting a horrible pt in the chronic setting. Just make sure when you go on the interview that you get a true tour of the facility. Also make sure to ask about the nurse to patient ratio and look to see how many nurses are there that day as well as technicians. That will give you a hint as to what you will have to look forward to. To sum it up for me, FS trained me well, but the pay was lower, benefits are better than Davita, but you don't get any bonuses unless you are in management. At Davita pay is better, benefits not the best, they have 401k but they don't match and their insurance in Illinois sucks(CIGNA PPO), FS(BCBSPPO). However they do give bonuses, but that does not mean that you will get the bonus, depends on how well your area does. I love training pt's but it was suppose to be 1:1 training, but now I am training 2 patients at a time(that's very difficult because I have to train them to setup their own machines, cannulates themselves, care for their CVC, administer their epogen, troubleshoot their machines, and draw their own labs). Just a few of their duties. It is nice not being in a chronic setting, but being the only nurse training in a clinic can get overwhelming, very hard to get days off, training can last 3-5 weeks average or longer and you are the everything as the RN in responsible for the entire training. So just make sure you get a true picture of what your day to day can be like. GOOD LUCK:nurse:

Yep I think it's the management that sets the tone for the clinic you work for. I had a wonderful manager in the chronic unit, and switched to acutes later. That manager left and the staff there tell me things are not the same - which is to be expected - but things overall have deteriorated.

I always say I can't say much for the company but I love my coworkers so I stick around.

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Specializes in Mostly: Occup Health; ER; Informatics.
... Always of interest to me that nursing homes had to post, throughout the US, their most recent survey report in public view, but dialysis facilities not.

...?:confused:

"To help ensure that these patients [ESRD] are receiving quality care, CMS has been reporting comparative clinical information at the facility level since January of 2001 on its Dialysis Facility Compare Web site (http://www.medicare.gov/Dialysis/Home.asp)."

per http://www.cahps.ahrq.gov/content/products/ICH/PROD_ICH_Intro.asp

The requirement to post quality data was at least in the 2005 Rule for Conditions of Participation, if not in earlier ones.

Perhaps it is the lack of publicity about this site that is the problem?

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I have never worked for Da Vita. I've worked @ two FMC clinics. They work their nurses like dogs.

I hear you there girl and treat you like one also

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(Long time lurker,first time poster here...)

I've done chronic and acute hemo and pd for over 25 yrs. in 4 states. I've worked for small physician owned units as well as the big companies. I totally agree with the above posters who say that rather than the company your personal and financial well being at work is dependant on the local level management.

I currently work for a Fresenius acute program. I came to it because in my area they had a better reputation for quality. A note to newer nurses: never work in an enviorment that is unsafe for your license, y'all worked too hard to get it.

We live in an area that was directly hit by Hurricane Ike . Fresenius took care of its employees unbelievably well. Many of us lost power for up to 3 weeks, the company(Fresenius) delivered generators, gas and ice to our homes. They gave us meals, they delivered gas for our cars when the service stations were out of fuel. Fresenius has a relief fund that has been sending checks to all of my co workers to cover the deductables for home repair that insurance won't cover (several thousand per person.) Obviously, right now I'm thankful and loving them. The other

big dialysis company in town didn't take care of it's nurses like this.

Again, I believe it's about local management.

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(Long time lurker,first time poster here...)

I've done chronic and acute hemo and pd for over 25 yrs. in 4 states. I've worked for small physician owned units as well as the big companies. I totally agree with the above posters who say that rather than the company your personal and financial well being at work is dependant on the local level management.

I currently work for a Fresenius acute program. I came to it because in my area they had a better reputation for quality. A note to newer nurses: never work in an enviorment that is unsafe for your license, y'all worked too hard to get it.

We live in an area that was directly hit by Hurricane Ike . Fresenius took care of its employees unbelievably well. Many of us lost power for up to 3 weeks, the company(Fresenius) delivered generators, gas and ice to our homes. They gave us meals, they delivered gas for our cars when the service stations were out of fuel. Fresenius has a relief fund that has been sending checks to all of my co workers to cover the deductables for home repair that insurance won't cover (several thousand per person.) Obviously, right now I'm thankful and loving them. The other

big dialysis company in town didn't take care of it's nurses like this.

Again, I believe it's about local management.

Thank you for sharing this information re FMC taking care of their employees. This certainly is to be commended. I have not heard of this before and with all the media attention, etc., nothing was ever said. It is truly heartfelt to hear that FMC took care of employees in this manner. RenalRuth :nurse:

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This is my first time posting. I am looking for advice as to how to break into dialysis nursing after 15 years of psych and private family pracitce nursing. I have seen advertisements for both DaVita and for Fresenius and have mixed feelings after reading the posts on these forums. Both places sound negative. How can I get the training and experience? My other interest is research but I have the same problem---no experience. Can anyone help?

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Specializes in NICU.

I am highly discouraged about a lot of stuff after reading on here, although you have to remember. Most people remember the bad stuff, not the good. So, they will blog about it. I think your job is what you make of it. Pro's and Con's to everything. You can never know if you like something until you try it! :-)

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