We are proud of the diverse, engaged, and collaborative team that we have built. Their combined skills, when brought together with the people we care for as our North Star, result in growth, development, and better outcomes. We believe in fair and equitable pay, good benefits, work-life balance, training and development, and opportunities for growth — all within a safe, diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment.

77%

of our employees are women.

13,500+

U.S. employees participated in self-directed training on digital platforms

 

 

1,129

employees impacted by unforeseen disaster or hardship situations received financial assistance through our CARES Fund.

NURSE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES


At Fresenius Kidney Care, we recognize the heightened stress and exhaustion our nurses face given this unrelenting time and have developed a multifaceted approach aimed at recruitment and retention.  Our efforts have included:

  • Implementing The Caring About Renal Excellence (CARE) Award, an annual frontline nephrology care team recognition program that celebrates those who have exemplified mastery in one of the following clinical pillars: quality and safety, growth, clinical leadership, clinical excellence, and patient experience. During Nephrology Nurses Week, 250 nurses received The CARE Award, which included an all-expenses paid trip to the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) National Symposium in May 2023.   

  • Launching the redesign of our nurse preceptor and orientation curriculum to strengthen clinical leadership and onboarding of new nurses.  

  • Offering benefits and healthcare options for our care teams and our nurses. For example, we've placed an emphasis on the development of wellness programs that support both the physical and emotional well-being of our nurses. 

  • Developing university relations teams that introduce students to nephrology nursing earlier in their nursing program and created placement programs that bring students into the dialysis units to introduce them to and get them excited about nephrology nursing as a great career option. 

  • Sharing opportunities for tuition reimbursement programs and other college reimbursement stipends that are available to employees.  

  • Raising awareness about nephrology nursing in the community through strong strategic partnerships with industry partners like ANNA. 

  • Enhancing the development of nephrology nursing professional advancement pathways for our more than 18,000 nurses. 

CREATING A DIVERSE, EQUITABALE, AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE


 

We’ve built a nurturing environment that welcomes every race, gender, age, ability, lifestyle, background, and cultural tradition. From advancing policies and programs that encourage inclusivity, to endorsing a diverse range of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), we’re creating a workplace that helps us meet new challenges, provides a broader view of the world, and enables us to deliver the best possible care to all patients.

“Working at Fresenius Medical Care has allowed me to be the best Stacie I can be. Knowing I can be myself fully and authentically at work allows me to be more productive, creative, and strategic. As a member of several Employee Resource Groups, I’ve had leadership opportunities that have allowed me to grow, share my ideas, and collaborate with others across the organization. Although I’ve only been an employee for a few years, I’ve grown more here than with any other company. I’m looking forward to what the future holds — it can only get better!” 

Stacie Holt-Eley, Manager, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs, Fresenius Medical Care

 

 

SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES


When an unexpected tragedy or emergency occurs in the life of one of our employees, they can turn to the CARES Fund. With a dedicated call center and 48-hour turnaround, this employee hardship fund provides financial help to eligible employees when they need it most. In the spirit of the Fresenius Medical Care Family, donations are driven by employees to help each other in need.

 

IMPROVING EMPLOYEE HEALTH

All employees are encouraged to work toward a happy and healthy self by participating in initiatives like our digital wellness program. The program inspires employees to focus on nutrition and healthier eating, mindfulness and sleep improvement, stress management, and more. All employees can earn incentives to participate, which can be redeemed for prizes like gift cards. Employees who enroll in our medical coverage can earn up to $250 toward eligible healthcare expenses. In 2022, employees completed more than 62,000 activities and earned a combined $3.3 million in incentives. 

 

EMPLOYEE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING CORNER

Our Emotional Well-being Corner, a resource on our intranet, supports the mental health of employees at all levels. Employees can learn how to identify the signs of mental health needs for themselves and for others, and quickly access resources to support their life at work and at home. Resources include tools to assess work-life balance and stress levels, as well as tools that can help manage a variety of personal needs including support to help handle family situations or financial setbacks, and programs to overcome substance use, loneliness, and more.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) supports all employees and their family members. Our EAP gives employees the opportunity to talk with specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week to support emotional needs for things like anxiety, depression, grief, and stress. They additionally help employees find care partners for loved ones as well as navigate to both legal and financial counseling. Our EAP also offers access to on-demand resources covering topics from coping with a crisis or traumatic event to eating healthy on a budget. 

In addition, all employees and family members receive free virtual cognitive behavior health coaching from home. The program encourages participants to complete tasks at their own pace, ultimately helping improve sleep, manage health conditions, build resilience, and more.

ENHANCED PAID LEAVE BENEFIT EMPOWERS EMPLOYEES TO GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE

Eligible employees who decide to undergo a qualified organ donation or bone marrow transplant procedure receive six weeks of full pay to support their decision to become a living donor. In 2022, we were named to the American Society of Transplantation’s Living Donor Circle of Excellence, an achievement given to companies that support employees who choose to be living donors.

 

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

We believe in leading by example and nurturing an environment where employees feel cared for. By putting our people first, we enable them to better care for our patients and each other. 

Since 2014, nearly 8,000 leaders have taken part in our Leading with Values experience, developing behaviors that promote greater goal identification and achievement, collaboration, and empowerment of self and others. Ultimately, the focus of a serving leader is on their team and how — together — we serve our diverse customer base. 

 

SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE GROWTH

The Academy is an online learning library powered by Percipio with educational resources to help employees achieve their professional and personal growth goals. With the Academy, employees can earn academic credit toward undergraduate degrees, gain continuing education units (CEUs), and take courses to become certified in a wide variety of subjects and programs. Content includes courses, videos, book summaries, audiobooks, and more. We are committed to developing our talent and providing collaborative learning experiences to advance skills and careers. More than 20,700 employees accessed the Academy’s content in 2022.


 

EDUCATION THAT CARES

Knowledge Pathways is a professional development and continuing education program for nurses, care technicians, dietitians, and social workers that promotes knowledge, understanding, and proficiency in caring for people with kidney disease. In 2022, 2,249 employees completed at least one program.

 

 

NURTURING BETTER NURSING

The Clinical Advancement Program (CAP) represents our commitment to provide career advancement for the clinical nurse. Fresenius Kidney Care is the first dialysis provider to establish a professional development program for registered nurses. CAP provides a standardized clinical pathway to guide nurses in advancing their nephrology career from novice to expert.

 

 

AMERICAN NEPHROLOGY NURSES ASSOCIATION

We work closely with the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) leadership team to provide funding that enables our nurses to become ANNA members, attend meetings, advance their education, and work toward certifications in nephrology.

 

 

THE CARE AWARD

In 2022, we implemented The Caring About Renal Excellence (CARE) Award, an annual frontline nephrology care team recognition program that celebrates those who have exemplified mastery in one of the following clinical pillars: quality and safety, growth, clinical leadership, clinical excellence, and patient experience. During Nephrology Nurses Week, Awarded 250 nurse recipients with received The CARE Award, during National Nephrology Nurses Week, which included an all-expenses paid trip to the ANNA National Symposium in May 2023. 

 

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NEPHROLOGY TECHNICIANS/TECHNOLOGISTS

Our partnership with the National Association of Nephrology Technicians/Technologists (NANT) underscores our investment in education and career development for our more than 21,000 patient care technicians (PCTs) and biomedical technicians (biomeds). We offset the cost of NANT membership dues and underwrite participation in NANT’s DialysisTechConneXion, the only industry conference planned by technicians, for technicians. 

 

 

LAUNCHING A NURSING CAREER

Our Tuition Reimbursement Program helps PCTs launch their career as registered nurses. To overcome the two biggest challenges to earning a degree — money and time — the program reimburses employees for their nursing school classes, provides schedule flexibility, and is available to both part-time and full-time staff. Developed to empower PCTs and encourage success along the way, the program offers an increase in compensation for every 25 percent of their nursing degree completed.


 

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS

In 2022, 2,411 employees applied for tuition reimbursement for degree programs, including 963 for masters and graduate programs. In addition to providing tuition reimbursement, in 2022, we expanded our Student Support resource site which helps employees through the approval process required to conduct research in one of our locations — to all advanced degree students, in addition to those conducting research.

 

 

 

MENTORING PROGRAMS

Our Clinical Mentor Connection Program pairs experienced clinical managers with new clinical managers to provide support, firsthand knowledge, and guidance. The program helps new clinical managers achieve success in their new role through one-on-one coaching and support. The program had 171 participants in 2022. 

Finally, our Employee Resource Group Mentoring Programc had 243 mentor and mentor partners actively engaged in the program. Topics of focus include individual development, career development, collaboration, and leadership.

 

ATTRACTING AND RETAINING GREAT TALENT


Through our recruitment efforts and promoting from within, we go to great lengths to hire and retain talented staff who have a passion for improving the lives of others. As part of our listening strategy, we leverage digital surveys to monitor engagement of our employees. We strive to reach each employee to gain insights on work environment, organizational culture, and overall employee experience.

Our Nurse Residency Program: Transition to Nephrology Practice was developed by the education team in response to the university relations outreach to new nurse graduates. This innovative program introduces new graduate nurses to nephrology with a 12- to 15-month residency focused on developing the nurse resident's confidence and competence in nephrology nursing. This program allowed Fresenius Kidney Care to recruit nursing students and onboard 353 nurse graduates in 2022, with a goal of 389 more in 2023.

 

FIRST YEAR FOCUS PROGRAM

Our First Year Focus program aims to improve the selection, onboarding, training, and development of new employees, and create a world-class employee experience. In 2022, First Year Focus impacted 12,055 clinical staff.

FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY


SCHOLARSHIP FUND


Our scholarship fund grants children and grandchildren of employees scholarships worth up to $3,000 per year. In 2022, we awarded 400 new scholarships totaling $1.2 million and 754 renewals totaling $2.1 million.


THE KIDNEY KID

Our online “edutainment” program, The Kidney Kid, uses superhero-themed games and activities to teach young children about their kidneys and staying healthy.

 

All sustainability data is from Fresenius Medical Care North America for 2022 unless otherwise noted.

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