During the second part of my internship, I gained valuable insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of a Facility Administrator (FA) at DaVita. One of the most important aspects of the role is ensuring proper staffing coverage on the clinic floor. There must always be at least one nurse and five patient care technicians (PCTs) present. We plan the schedule a month in advance, but if we find ourselves short-staffed on any given day, it’s our responsibility to reach out to nearby facilities to see if they have available staff who can assist. Another critical responsibility is verifying that the water system is functioning properly, as dialysis treatments cannot occur without it. Once staffing and water checks are complete, the day is considered off to a strong start.

Each day, I was responsible for reviewing the previous day’s labor report to ensure the correct number of staff were present and that patient-to-tech ratios were properly balanced. For example, each tech is responsible for four patients. If there are eight patients but only three techs, one of the techs may need to be sent home or placed on break until the patient load increases. In some cases, I was also responsible for managing more than one clinic. If another Facility Administrator was on vacation or out of the office, I helped oversee operations at their location as well. Just this week, we had to find staffing coverage for three different clinics because several FAs were out of town. One part of the internship I’ve especially enjoyed is participating in the SPARK program. So far, we’ve covered topics such as leadership mindset and emotional intelligence; two critical qualities for anyone aspiring to be an effective leader. These sessions have helped me better understand the mindset required to lead a team with empathy, confidence, and clarity.