Happy2CU

I work for DaVita. Benefits are reasonable priced. There is bonus opportunity, but it's dependent upon your patient's lab values and a variety of other criteria, some within your control, some not. Management will promise you bonus opportunity as a recruitment tool, but depending upon how your hire date falls within the quarter, it will take a good year to become bonus eligible. Depending upon your clinic, you may work extremely long hours, have minimal opportunity to consume food and toilet yourself. Some of the techs in dialysis can be brutal, especially to a "newbie". Some techs resent the RN's and let it be known. It's a tough call. I work for DaVita. I've been employed with them a bit over three years. I feel kind of "stuck"......sort of hate it. Then again, I'm "only" an LPN who does not reside in an urban area. My employment opportunities are limited. But, I'm looking......... Best of luck to you in whatever you decide. Some people love dialysis and some people love DaVita. If you do go with them, try for as much money upfront as you can, because you sure won't be getting it with the company's generous 2% salary increase allotment.

I reread your post..... I would definitely recommend a meeting with your DON and ADON. Call them back today to schedule this meeting. Things need to change with how meds are received and signed for. Your ADON was quick to tell you about "police, lawsuit, losing your license".....yeah,the method for receiving meds needs to change and definitely get personal liability insurance asap.

Just a quick response here. I would absolutely recommend having liability insurance. I'm an LPN as well (work in dialysis). I have mine thru NSO. It's very reasonable, and I feel so much more comfortable having it. I would speak with your DON regarding the method that narcs are received from pharmacy. I worked at a nursing home once.....when we signed for meds from pharmacy we were signing for each specific med. Meaning we would physically inspect each packet and sign as received. I wouldn't be comfortable signing for narcotics without physically seeing them. Best of luck to you. Glad everything worked out okay. Hugz!!

Cannulating without gloves........ I can tell you that I would not be working there. If there were no gloves, I would not accept my assignment and I would leave the building. That's beyond horrid.......we run out of some supplies sometimes...... but gloves. ??? Terrible.

Yeppers...... I got absolutely nothing as well. Actually I would have appreciated the book. It's waaaaaay better than nothing...at least they are thinking of you all in some aspect.

Ditto to what all of the above posters have said. She is dangerous, she is a threat to your professional reputation and livehood. What a very unhappy and sad person she must be. Take action with management now!! Best of luck to you.

I don't wear my wedding/engagement or any other rings to work. I did for while..... Just choose not to now. Doesn't mean I love my husband any less. Just feel it's safer for me and my patients. Personal choice.

They should be fine. I trained a blind man to do his own peritoneal dialysis at home. The training look considerably longer than training other patients with vision, but he's doing great. I agree with the prior poster, honesty is best.

Obama all the way!!!

I once worked with a woman I hated giving report to. She wanted everything presented in a very specific was......she was a tough one. I never felt my report was good enough for her. I also felt like she didn't like me...... anyhow...... On my last day of work at that facility (I was moving out of state), she literally started bawling, crying, she was going to miss me, I was such a great nurse and friend. Yeah, seriously. Blew me away. She gave me a nice card and a nice gift. I guess she liked me after all. In a way, her demanding of report a specific way certainly did make me improve my report giving skills. So, she did help me grow as a nurse.

Warm prune juice with some melted butter in it ~ about a teaspoon of butter. That will do the trick!!

I've worked with Pentacostal nurses/MAs etc who wore skirts due to religion. Up north I worked with a young woman who would occasionally wear a white skirt with socks and tennis shoes in the summer......she said it was cool and comfortable. Last summer I worked per diem at a local nursing home for some extra $, there was an agency nurse who I believe always wore a skirt.....not sure of her reason for doing so. Personally I'll stick with scrub pants! :-)

The 4.25 solution that your patient was receiving is the "strongest". It removes both fluid (usually a fairly large amount) and toxins in a short period of time and "generally" should only be used when patient is fluid overloaded. 2.5% solution removes both fluid and toxins. The 1.5% solution removes toxins only, generally little or no fluid removal and is used to maintain your patient or for a patient who is dehydrated. There is also a fluid called Extraneal (icodextrin) which is different than the other three because is used once per day and stays in the peritoneal cavity for 8 - 16 hours. Generally someone who is fluid overloaded and is using the 4.25% should see a decrease in their B/P as the fluid they have on their body decreases. If your patient is pulling off 3.2 liters of fluid per day with the 4.25, it may seem like a lot, but he/she may be waaaaay fluid overloaded and it may take a while. Also depends upon the residual renal function your patient has. I would definitely recommend contacting the nephrologist to clarify the order based on pt weight, B/P etc.

I remembe when I was in nursing school and doing my clinicals. At the time, at age 45, I was an older student. One of my clinical instructors was a brilliant (and very young) woman in her late 20's. I was dressed in my student attire, all white, the school patch, hair off of my collar, etc. My instructor was wearing basic nursing scrubs. My instructor followed me into my patient's room. I was to be observed doing a procedure....can't recall what exactly. I introducted myself as a student, introducted my instructor as Miss Last Name and proceded ahead. At the end, the patient smiled at me and thanked me. He then turned turned to my instructor who all the while had been standing quietly off to the side. He smile at her and said "And all the best to you young lady. You'll make a fine nurse someday". Ahhhh, when I corrected him and apologized for the confusion (smile), he said that he assumed that I was the instructor because I was dressed all in white and had patches on my uniform and "looked more like a nurse". And yes, I got an excellent grade from that instructor.

I would ask the school if I could at least have the pin that I paid for and skip the pinning ceremony the school is planning. It's nice that you and your classmates are doing something special on your own. My LPN pinning was held in the school, very crowded, not enough seats for everyone, it was crappy and kind of an embarassment to be honest. I wish I would have skipped it. Tell them you want the pin you paid for, do your own thing and enjoy your special personal pinning with your family and classmates. Congrats!!