Stay away from the hype with this "new upcoming" company
There is alot of unnecessary hype surrounding this up and coming company. Unfortunately, because i was so desperate to find a job I bought into what many other reviewers and the company's website said. Let me break down the major pros and cons that others may not have told you about so that you're fully informed before you accept the position.
*Interview process- (pro- speedy) The interview process was very fast and thorough. I applied online one day, had and interview with a recruiter the next day and then 3 more phone interviews that same week. By the beginning of the next week i had an in person interview and then a week later a second in person interview and was offered the position within two days.
*Offer and acceptance- (con- salary and benefits) I was told by through the job listing and interviews that the hospital where the position would be located required an individual with a RN nursing or Masters in Social Work degree, however the actual job qualifications through Davita were only a high school diploma. This became important when salary negotiations came into play. Despite RNs and Master of Social Work degrees making $55,000-$60,000 salaries within the local hospital market, Davita would not pay me (an individual with a Masters in Social Work and 10 yrs work experience) any more than $40,000 because they said the position qualifications were only for a high school diploma. Despite multiple discussions, including that the hospital would only accept a RN or
In the majority of the clinics in the Atlanta-Metro area Dietitians are not provided with adequate support to achieve clinical outcomes. In DaVita people capable of believing inspiring rhetoric and unable to process it’s disconnect from actual practice are supremely happy "teammates." DaVita's CEO is the highest paid in this category of healthcare companies. He is a handsome, brilliant public relations master, and he has an insatiable appetite for applause. DaVita has learned how to use soaring language, megatrons and constant propaganda to substitute for 401K match, for promotion from within, and most importantly, for staffing dialysis clinics well enough to minimize clinical error and allow nurses/Dietitians/techs/Social Workers to do the patient care that would live up to the core values. DaVita abuses the facility managers to the point that the most competent, patient-centered RNs would never take the job, and when they do, they go back to the floor after a few years, realizing the rhetoric was hollow and they are going to be pounded relentlessly to compromise patient care. To stoke the ego of the CEO, DaVita has begun to recruit regional managers from Ivy-League schools who have no medical background or professional medical ethics--giving Kent Thiry (or KT) the opportunity to pretend he's Steve Jobs mentoring tomorrow's business tycoons. KT has a genius for PR, getting flattering profiles published in newspapers, mobilizing employees to vote for him in various industry p
Prosvery flexible schedule for social workers and dietitians, decent pay. lots of regional and national meetings in good hotels with good food, although you have to attend sessions from 8:00am to 11:00pm
Consclinical service's specialist (css) constantly piling unnecessary work on dietitians, management, people services (human resources)
Great Company in general, Poor Life balance in IT. Slim chance of career growth in IT.
I worked in DaVita IT for more than 4 yrs. This review covers a period of time overlapping the 2010-2013 timeframe, give or take one year before or after. Keep in mind that the situation and corporate environment could be different or changed at this time.
DaVita is a great healthcare company with a nice culture; it pays well too. Benefits are ok, but not 5-star; being a Fortune-500 they could do better.
Co-workers: Called 'Teammates' in Davita, I had the honor to work with some of the best teams I ever worked with, learnt a lot from them, people don't slack in this company, great people, great talent.
Mgmt: Good in general, but as in any large org, pockets of bad Mgmt & deviations from general culture can exist. An issue I saw is way too frequent re-orgs, high-level IT Mgmt seemed they needed to justify they were doing something by coming up with unnecessary and disruptive re-orgs one or twice per yr. ..and then gathered everybody that was lucky enough to not get kicked out during the re-org to assure them that their jobs 'are safe'.
Hardest part: In I.T. you work your 'shoulder' off, frequent long nights, and weekends (everybody understands that "I.T. is like that", and some mgrs used this line sometimes) but NEVER in this company I heard a Mgr. or an HR person say that you could compensate your worked night/weekend by taking a day or two off later on. If you wanted time off, you had to request PTO and burn your PTO time. That was the general policy. Of
I was a dedicated worker going above and beyond to help sister clinics, come in on my days off to disinfect and had a great rapport with all my patients. I gave 8 years of my life to Davita and when I became sick, instead of calling in, I showed up to open..reported my illness per the chain of command only to get worse as the day went on... I was crying it was so bad. I've worked with the flu twice and impetigo where the medical director sent me home himself. Well no coverage was even attempted. So the next day I'm still ill...and ended up telling them yet again I couldn't work under those conditions. How could I give adequate patient care if I'm sick as a dog? I found out real quick they would rather work their sick employees to stay in "compliance" instead of offer that adequate patient care to the weak, sick, and old whose immune systems are more susceptible if being exposed. And for what?? Labor hours,the budget..your responsible for human lifes and their well being while being treated yet y'all don't act like their livelihoods mean anything. Who cares if the patients catch a contagious illness, especially if it could have been avoided. That's what they have float pools for, for instances when your short handed there is a source of backup to stay in compliance allowing the relief and coverage to be utilized to help maintain a healthy clinic without contagious employees coughing up a lung, or blowing snot rockets, vomiting or whatever the case my be. I loved my job and
Proscompany parties were always on point...
Consnot having a generator when power goes out, having to return each patient with a hand crank, or when a patient codes and you go balls to the wall with 911, cpr, chest compressions and pure adrenaline but in a bad way because you know whats at stake
This company used to be a halfway decent place to work for but over the last few years the RN's and PCT's are incredibly overworked and underpaid as the patients are now being admitted to the clinic in very serious condition because they are being released from the hospitals way too early...it's all about the money after all. So here it is, all the problems (cons) you need to know before making a decision to work for Davita because there aren't many pros: One big problem is often times if an employee calls off sick they have no one to replace that person, so everyone must pick up that person's slack making for an already tough day. Time is very limited on how much time you actually have to start a patients treatment, and it's ridiculous as they do not allow any extra time for the techs to properly tend to patients who say arrive in wheelchairs and require special equipment to help them to their dialysis chair, or say if a patient starts bleeding, or has an accident on the chair., etc. This causes a back up, patients get angry and you will be constantly apologizing. You will be constantly rushed, frustrated and reprimanded as they tend to micromanage the employees (management goes through your charting and tells you what to say). You will barely have time to have a sip of water and if they call a meeting it usually goes on and on and the afternoon break gets missed. The days are long and grueling and the patient ratio is way too high for both nurses and techs to perform the j
ProsOccasional free lunch
ConsNot enough time between patients/ often short staffed
I worked for DaVita as a dietitian. The pay + hours (more flexible than current job) were the main attraction. Not that the hrs are THAT flexible...the recruiter said "you can leave at 2 if you have a dentist appt, work the hrs you need to as you are the respected professional at DaVita". I didn't need that much flexibility, but great, good to know! Well, the recruiter lied...the hrs are a straight 8-8.5hrs w/same start and end time each day. Some clinics the RD gets paid for lunch, other clinics they do not get paid for lunch. Since the dietitian is one of the only positions that does not punch a time clock (along w/Social Worker and FA), the dietitian's time in/out is scrutinized by all of the other positions that DO punch a time clock (RNs, PCA, AA, etc.). I was looking for a position in which I could work 8:30-4:30 most days, 9-5 occasionally for school drop-off, etc. It was not flexible. Hrs were either 7:30-4:30 OR 8-4. No different than my current job and ultimately, was not the reason for me to leave the position. You know that bad feeling you get, deep down, that you question whether you should pay attention to it? Well, pay attention to it! I should have. The feeling started during the completely unprofessional interview process (bashing other employees, gossiping, not checking references, etc). If I had listened to my gut feeling, I would not have worked in a place that. ethically, makes me cringe. DaVita does too many blood draws yet at the same time will not chec
Prosgetting to really know the patients
Conseverything else
4.0
Patient Care Technician | Sparks, NV | Dec 21, 2019
Overall a good environment, depending upon where you were stationed.
Davita overall for me, was a great company to work for and advance myself and my career ambitions. My primary outpatient center was a good location that I would gladly receive treatment at myself or with a loved one. However, it was very evident that it was not always the case depending upon where your primary center was. The center I was trained in had a very punitive culture and unjust individuals who would personally threaten you if you challenged their perceived authority in any manner. And while bad eggs exist in any environment, I know that person continued to work there long after I was leaving and felt it safe to finally speak of my experience to my manager. I could also regal multiple episodes of individual stories from other centers with horrid experiences ranging from wretched environments, to outright unsafe practices.
I will say though, that my primary center was among the best I had ever worked at (overall having worked at six centers in my career), and had even heard of in my time there. As with all things, your direct management often makes or breaks your experience, and mine was exceptional.
Davita as a company wasn't exactly perfect or great, but was definitely not a bad place to work. Many times I would notice that new policies and practices were aimed at financial gain as opposed to overall best outcomes. Toward the end of my time with Davita I definitely noticed a trend more toward profit than patient outcomes. Again, it all depends upo
Run (don’t walk) far far away, if you’re looking for a long term career here.
I used to enjoy working for DaVita, and the people I worked with were friendly. However, there is a huge problem that lies with the management and upper management. DaVita is too corporate for its own good and forgets that it is a healthcare company. They are trying to manage it as a business entity and not a healthcare entity, which puts patients at risk and makes employees depressed. There are too many unrealistic responsibilities that DaVita keeps adding to each type of teammate (social worker, dietitian, nurses, etc.), with neither a pay increase nor increased staffing. How am I supposed to deliver quality patient care if I am the only dietitian for 60 patients and also have a ridiculously large amount of behind the scenes work to do to satisfy the corporate side of things, as well as required ongoing training every year, all with only part time hours? The patient to staff member ratio is ridiculously high because DaVita refuses to hire more people nor can they hold on to the people they have. I feel that I am being utilized inefficiently and inappropriately. Management only cares about numbers and doesn’t understand the nature of human behavior. This could be said of all healthcare entities these days, unfortunately, but I feel like DaVita is way more over the top than other places I’ve worked. Unrealistically over-the-top.
So glad I won’t be with DaVita much longer, seeing as I am being forced out with no notice due to them hiring a full time dietitian and thus my posit
ProsOpportunities for free CEUs to maintain credentials.
Acute(hospitals only) and chronic(outpatient unit) extremely different.
I worked in acutes for 12 plus years. Overall it was a great experience. The best thing was total autonomy and one-on-one patient care. We traveled to five different hospitals and found out our assignment the night before. The worst thing about it was some management that had virtually no dialysis experience, with a few that tried to micromanage. In the past two years it got worse because interventional radiology in all hospitals tended to push dialysis patients to the end of the day(to fix their dialysis access).Also, after covid happened, we had to spend many hours at the bedside in total PPE. Scheduling was difficult if you had a family or children because you never knew exactly when you'd be home. Plus we had to be on call once or twice a week, many times getting called in to do the patients that interventional radiology couldn't get to during the day.
I recently transferred to a chronic unit because of the unpredictable scheduling of acutes and it was a terrible experience!!! In their defense,it may have been partially because they didn't understand the huge difference between acute and chronic dialysis responsibilities.Because the two modalities are so different the learning curve was steep and they wanted me independent in 6 weeks and were 'disappointed' that I wasn't. I had to learn a new computer system and dialysis machine and basically oversee 12 patients' treatments as well as their pre and post treatment assessments and give IV meds. That would have all been acce
This company overall isn't a good company to work for. There are several areas of concern with this company. If you're a quality driven employee this might not be a suitable company to work for. The education aspect of this company is very good however staff tends to be overstretched and overworked that the education learned is at times compromised along with quality. Some business practices may be contrary to their very own core values, ie. encouraging the purchase of refurbished parts, problem solving may be delayed due to costs. Also this company is very proactive in reducing costs however the implementation of these changes are expected along with duties expected without exceeding 40hrs. There's a cult like atmosphere whereas reality is associated with the local level and fantasy is associated in the corporate level.
Management can act in ways of retaliation, lack credibility and integrity. Free thinking, realistic and practical employees may be seen as going against the grain. Most managers are about the numbers instead of quality and efficiency. They may also tend to be more concerned about their own objectives instead of the employees working for them. Also management may often delegate employees to do something they may not know how to do themselves. Your work and your ideas may be given credit to someone other than you. Salary employees tend to work around the clock answering or making phone calls, sending or receiving emails and begin to impose a
ProsProfit sharing, education driven
ConsNo 401k matching, minimal 1%-2% average annual compensation increases
Questions And Answers about DAVITA
How often do you get a raise at DaVita?
Asked Oct 9, 2020
Yearly
Answered Nov 15, 2022
Yearly
Answered Nov 14, 2022
What is the best part of working at DaVita?
Asked Nov 29, 2019
Taking care of patients. Having co-workers treats you like a family.
Answered Jul 3, 2022
The patients
Answered Jul 2, 2022
What is the promotion process like at DaVita?
Asked Nov 8, 2020
You receive one performance review a year and are able to receive a raise then. Usually very small.
Answered Nov 14, 2022
Non existent
Answered Nov 11, 2022
What is a typical day like for you at DaVita?
Asked Mar 15, 2020
Very busy, as soon as you clock in you are constantly busy, patient care and setting up machines, cleaning, documenting, plus daily duties to keep running smooth. Not to mention, the patients are ill, they need full attention, and staff is usually short, the hours our long and start very early.. Have your running shoes..
Answered Nov 14, 2022
Busy
Answered Oct 27, 2022
Why did you leave your job at DaVita?
Asked Mar 20, 2017
Poor Management, as someone mentioned before they’re scared to speak up. While I worked there various employees had issues with each other that made for a toxic environment. Nothing was ever done. Hours were too inconsistent. You get your hours based on the census. So if there’s a low census you’ll have little to no hours. When there’s a high census you’re at work all day, and or being called in multiple times. More cons than pros in my opinion. It’s just too much, unorganized chaos for sure!!!!
Answered Jan 19, 2022
Unprofessionalism, favoritism, management rude and unfriendly. I was there for 4 months and very chaotic, short-staffed and disorganized.
