Salary Pay for Fresenius Medical or Davita?

MA03CNN · Oct 5, 2011

I worked in Fresenius for 4 years from 2003 to 2007 and now I am currently working at DaVita for more than a year now. My salary at DaVita is way higher compared to FMC. One of the things that I don't like about FMC is their health benefits which is Blue Cross. In my own experience, Blue Cross sucks! Ever since I was hired by DaVita, I enjoyed their health benefits because I can choose from 3 different health insurances: Aeta, Cigna, and Group Health. With FMC, you are stuck with only 1 health insurance which is Blue Cross. But DaVita, on the other hand, has 3 options you can choose from. One thing that FMC stands out is their tuition reimbursement program if you want to go back to school. FMC has $5,000 tuition reimbursement benefit whereas DaVita can only pay up to $3,000 annually. I am in the Master of Nursing program and I have to postpone some of my classes due to DaVita's $3,000 annual tuition reimbursement which is quite low with my high tuition fees nowadays. FMC pays the hours that I went to seminar or conference related to nephrology nursing but DaVita does not.

golflinda2214 · Oct 5, 2011

can someone point me in the right direction for learning dialysis? I have always had an interest in renal but just never was in the right place at the right time...but I am now. thank you!

trinnylax0484 · Oct 6, 2011

I know of a magnet hospital in the chicago area that is looking for dialysis RNs with experience and the pay is fair (market index) and benefits good.

Marshall1 · Oct 6, 2011

$27.00/hr (nurse w/no dialysis experience) plus benefits in Georgia

Joni's Mom · Oct 6, 2011

Wow $27.00 per hour without experience is great pay. I'm at $22.84 with no pay increase in site. I was promised an increase after 1 year of service, then my company was taken over. The large company I work for now has no intentions of giving anyone an increase, this company states it all depends on the labs, catheter to fistula ratio even though some frail patients can't have fistula or grafts places, and complience of your patients. So it looks like I will be stuck with beginning nurse salary untill I decide to go somewhere else, or just be happy with the salary that I have now.

Thanks for listening.

trinnylax0484 · Oct 6, 2011

Stick it out for a year and then apply somewhere else. Minimum exp req'd for most places (that require exp) is 1 year. Leaving after 4-5-6-7 months looks bad. One year is acceptable.

Joni's Mom · Oct 6, 2011

Hi,

I now have greater than 1 year and a vase of flowers to show for my one year. We were told that each year will be for instance the Big Company took us over in June 2011 so if your year or years of service come before the next June than no raise or considered raise until after June 2012. My year was in Sept. so no raise or considered raise.

We also had to sign a contract that stated we can not work for another dialysis center for a year after we quit.

trinnylax0484 · Oct 7, 2011

That non-compete contract really isn't that valid since it hinders your ability to work. It wouldn't hold it's weight at all in court. Either way you can work for a hospital instead (not a center) and it wouldn't even apply. What state do you currently work in?

Tish88 · Oct 7, 2011

Quote
Hi,
I now have greater than 1 year and a vase of flowers to show for my one year. We were told that each year will be for instance the Big Company took us over in June 2011 so if your year or years of service come before the next June than no raise or considered raise until after June 2012. My year was in Sept. so no raise or considered raise.
We also had to sign a contract that stated we can not work for another dialysis center for a year after we quit.

First of all, I would never sign a contract like that and I also agree to the statement that the contract would not stand in court. Did they provide you a copy of this contract for you to keep - I would get a copy. If you are not sure, call your states labor relations department. They will give you free advise!!

This makes me laugh, since I have worked for the 2 largest companies, both at the same time and they did not have a problem with it! There is not enough dialysis nurses out there.

One particular hospital I did treatments at had contracts with both of these companies and I would do treatments for both companies....sometimes in the same day.

The doctors would come up to me and ask, "who am I working for today" - they would have a question about a patient - I would just answer them, since I knew all the patients.

Marisette, BSN, RN · Oct 8, 2011

$36.00 dollars per hour plus benefits at FMC, IL, but have worked there over 10 years. It's a good company with good benefits and comprable to hospital nursing jobs in my state. However dialysis jobs are not low stress. You get Sundays off in the chronic dialysis units to recover.

Joni's Mom · Oct 8, 2011

We all had to sign the contract if we didn't we wouldn't have a job. We all felt that our hands were tied. Not many, that I know of, really read the contract, but it does state that we can't work for the competition for 1 year after we give notice. I also got a copy of the contract, which was like pulling teeth. We also were offered the same pay as we already had, no one got a raise d/t the fact that the large for profit company hired everyone on, meaning no one was left go, at least for a year.

I also tried acutes at the hospital and would never go back there. They treated me so horribly when I worked at the hospital, they had me working a 40 hour work week chronic then oncall at the hospital on the weekends, and they never understood the problem. I love dialysis and I like chronics the best.

Wow $36 I'll never see that kind of pay in my lifetime. We don't have FMC where I'm at.

Again thank you all for being my sounding board.

stinkyluk · Oct 10, 2011

I am a new grad as of May 2011 and was fortunate to get hired on at FMC for acutes. Starting pay is $27.50 which seems to be higher than my fellow new grads are making in the hospitals. The benefits are acceptable and there is a choice of two insurance companies. We have a 5 week Theory training and the rest of the 90 day orientation is spent on site at the hospitals. Some days I may only work 6 hours (one patient) and another I may work 16 to 18. In Acutes we need to take care of the patients that are in need. The schedule is 3 days a week/1 day on call and then every other weekend. So far FMC seems serious about training to make this a good experience for the employees as well as the patients.