What to expect fron Davita Dialysis Training??

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Specializes in Med-surg > LTC > HH >.

Chello everyone,

I recently took a LPN position with Davita and start the training/education part of the job in a week. I dont really know what to expect. I know some portion is out of town but I dont know yet if its over night. I would just live to hear anything that anyone that has done it could share!! Remember curosity killed the cat so all I can say to that is help plz!!! Meow, lolzzzz.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Thread moved to Dialysis forum.

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Specializes in Med-surg > LTC > HH >.

Thanks

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Specializes in Med-surg > LTC > HH >.

So has anyone done the davita education after being hired? It's like 9-12 weeks so I imagine it is really thorough which I would love. Also did anything new have to go out of town for training? Was it just for the day?? Out of town training is like 50 miles away here. Thanks in advance:up:

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

I am in training now with Davita in the Acutes area. My eventual home unit is small, so we are being trained at the largest facility in my state. I drive 1 1/2hrs each way, each day. For the week long Basic Class, we will be staying in a hotel (thank goodness). I am under the impression that I will be doing my drive for at least another 5 weeks. At least I get reimbursed for mileage and travel time.

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

I just finished the week long Basic Acutes training class. It was very good, very informative regarding theory, etc. There is a test on Friday that you must score at least 80% (you get 2 chances after that to pass). I was overwhelmed with information, but it was good information. The DaVita teammate site has many good references, as well. I have had many "light bulb" moments in my training, even though I have prior HD experience. The hands on part is the best part...I was led to believe by a former manager that I was not a good cannulator of fistulas. I am happy to report that she was wrong! The PCTs I have been working with are awesome...

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Specializes in Med-surg > LTC > HH >.

Thanks everyone, I started with Davita and am almost finished with training. It has been an intense experience to say the leadt. I work with great teammates. Still trying to see if this is gor me. I havent done the LPN training yet. Im not sure if I will stay with Davita because some of it seems too fast paced or dangerous. Or maybe thats because Im just coming out of training.

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

Personally, I find the entire healthcare culture with regard to nursing is scary! Understaffed, especially for acuity, is the norm rather than the exception. I see many nurses who do not seem to understand the gravity of nursing in and of itself.

Dialysis is an intensive area. Learning the machine is the biggest hurdle. You will get "it". I have done chronic/acute dialysis in pediatrics. It took awhile to get comfortable, but I got there. Now I'm doing acute adult dialysis, after a break of a couple of years. Took a few weeks, but it came back! The education at Davita helped me tremendously.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Dialysis, Hospice.
Personally, I find the entire healthcare culture with regard to nursing is scary! Understaffed, especially for acuity, is the norm rather than the exception.

This definitely holds true in the chronic dialysis setting as well as other types of nursing. Every time I work at our Davita clinic, I oversee 40 HD treatments over three shifts, sixteen at a time during the first two shifts and eight in the third shift. A few days ago, I had a patient whose BP is normally stable drop to the 60/30 range and none of the normal interventions were helping. Meanwhile, another patient began complaining of having chills at the end of her treatment but I was busy with the hypotensive patient so she left without us drawing blood cultures and ended up going to the ER later that day and being admitted for sepsis. Oh, and there was also a patient with an intradialytic BP of 215/108 at the same time. And I was the ONLY nurse in the building!

My FA reminds us RNs often that we are responsible for seeing that the techs do things properly and according to policy and procedure and that they are working under our license so we really have to be on top of it and watch what they are doing at all times. Give me a break. I don't have time to watch what they are doing, I'm just trying to keep my own head above water.

I got back into HD a few months ago with such high hopes and I am already trying to figure out an exit strategy. When I worked in a chronic unit a few years ago, I had ten patients, max. Sixteen at a time is not even safe as far as I'm concerned and I really feel like my license is in jeopardy most days. I wish it wasn't so, but it is. I really just want out. What the heck happened to safe nurse/patient ratios and putting the patients' safety first?

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Specializes in Peds Critical Care, Dialysis, General.

WestieLuv....You just stated all the reasons I didn't want to work chronics. I love acutes, though. Your work load can vary, depending on the number of spots you have and the size of your program. Our acutes is small, but we are a sister unit to a larger facility and can pick up time there if they have a need. And I love doing mobiles...one on one. It can be intense if your patient tries to do some naughty (like drop that pressure and the unit RN has to get levophed).

I also tried regular floor nursing and found that was not at all for me! I love intensive care as well.

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