tinamacRN

It depends on the individual patient - we have some female patients who have heavy bleeding during their period and we do hold their heparin - with some, we decrease the dose by half - if we hold the heparin bolus, we do circulate 5000u through the lines prior to the patient starting treatment - this helps to decrease the chance of clotting the extracorporeal circuit - hope this helps

It sounds as if you have poor management and many problems in your area - I give you that - but the problems you are experiencing in your area doesn't mean those problems are throughout the entire company - too many times we "throw the baby out with the bath water" and make generalized statements about entire companies rather than being specific that the problems we are experiencing are in "our area"- I can't say if FMC is a great company or an awful company - I can only speak from my experience that I have had in the area I work in - it is the opposite of what you are experiencing - I have always had good administrators that supported me as a clinic manager and allowed me to make decisions that I felt were in the best interest of my patients, staff, and facility - yes, there is "penny pinching" but nowhere near the degree you are experiencing - I have staff who came here from DaVita and they talk about how "bad" DaVita is - once again, they have experience with one area not the entire company - I am truly sorry that your experience with FMC has been so negative - I hope you find a better clinic to practice in, no matter which company it is with - best of luck

Quit

While DaVita's acquisition of Gambro increased their volume by a substantial amount, they are still the second largest provider - Fresenius has 114,570 patients, while DaVita has 95,234 - Fresenius has 1510 clinics vs Davita 1209 - I have worked for Fresenius for 7 years now and have not seen the terrible working conditions that have been mentioned in posts here - for one - you don't "lose" your PTO - if you reach your cap out amount, your PTO then rolls over into your ESL bank - it is not lost -yes, the "company" is concerned with supply and operating costs - what company isn't? Fresenius, as well as DaVita, are "for profit" dialysis companies - The area I work in has received a salary survey with "market adjustment" increases every two years - every employee receives an annual performance evaluation and salary increases as appropriate - the benefits are better than most companies in this area - As with anything else, it's not for everyone - some like it - some don't

I am clinic manager for a 21 station clinic in rural Georgia - I currently have 2 LPNs on staff - dialysis is one of the few areas where LPNs are utilized to their full capabilities - pay depends on location, years experience, etc....pretty much like any other job - currently $14.50 - $17.50 at my clinic - hope you join our field - good luck

I have been a clinic manager of a dialysis unit for 6 years now. When I interview RNs, I ask about their interest in dialysis and just about their general knowledge of ESRD. Most companies have a training period for nurses new to dialysis. I know with my company, it is 4 weeks in the classroom and then at least 6 weeks with a preceptor. It is rare to get an experienced dialysis nurse, so believe me, we are accustomed to training new nurses. I hope your interview goes well and wish you the best of luck. tinamacRN

Yes...I too remember the dreaded 2 day exam - have no clue how many questions...took the test in May and did not receive results until September..talk about waiting!!!!

:yeah: :yeah: :yeah: Excellent.

I have been an RN for 23 years. The last 6 years have been in dialysis. It is different from any other type of nursing that I have done. It has been my experience (and strictly my opinion), that people either really like dialysis or really don't like it. There isn't much middle ground. It has been my experience, that nurses have much more input into patient care in dialysis than in other settings. Monitoring labs, medication dosing adjustments, etc... It is a much smaller treatment setting than hospital nursing and you get to know the patients very well. Most patients dialyze 3 days a week, 4 hours or more, that's alot of time spent with these people every week. The patients come to depend on the staff more so than in other settings. I find it to be interesting, rewarding, and challenging.

It is very sad to hear stories such as yours...but they happen entirely too frequently. I had 17 years nursing experience when I went into dialysis 6 years ago. I quickly found that it was a totally different type of nursing. Three months after joining the company, the DON quit, and I was left as the only RN in the facility with both incenter and acute programs. The staff all had long years of experience and I was the "outsider". Needless to say, I was not welcomed with open arms. It was a battle at times, but I managed to stick it out and carve out my place. I used my index cards, cheat sheets, etc... until I had learned the fundamental skills necessary to safely dialyze patients. I met with alot of resistance, but I liked the field and refused to give in or up. It was definately a trial by fire, but I am so glad I stayed with it. I have been clinic manager now for 5 1/2 years and am very proud to say that my clinic received a zero deficiency state inspection last year. I am truly sorry that you received the negative treatment you did. Dialysis needs caring nurses.