FYI for CO nurses - UCH and PVHS are merging

U.S.A. Colorado

Published

Interesting, huh?

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
Well, I'm not a nurse there, but I work there. I also am a student and do my clinicals at another hospital 45 miles North. I reiterate, there is a reason they get 4-6 THOUSAND applications a month.

45 Miles North: 5-6 patients per nurse during the day, 6-7 at night ALWAYS. It is not uncommon to hear a nurse drop the f-bomb. Nurses seem too busy to actually spend any time with their patients. They do an EMS rapid assessment, give meds, on to next patient. By the time you're done, its time to start over for noon meds. This is reflected in the U.S. News report of hospitals in the nation, low patient satisfaction, higher mortality: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings

Here: 4 patients at day, 5 at night. Never. Ever. More than that. Higher patient satisfaction, better mortality/morbidity rates. It is not uncommon to see someone from Sr. Management in the hall. They come to the floors to ask what is going on, what is good, what is bad, what can be improved. I'm not sure if I bumped into someone from Sr. management up north if I would know who they are... here I do. Because they're on the floor, and often.

I'd like to know what direction you think they're going. You may have a better perspective than I as I've not done nursing clinicals there as of yet.

I have done clinicals at 3 of the 4 local hospitals in our region. Your statement of saying in absolute terms that they NEVER EVER have more then that on ratios is simply not true. I did my senior practicum on float at PVHS and we took 5 patients from the day nurse and got another admit shortly after quiet a few times.

I am assuming your are talking about Cheyenne in saying up north. I never did clinicals in Wyoming, but I have spent a lot of time at NCMC (also magnet and winner of awards), McKee and PVHS. After that experience my attitude on where I wanted to work changed greatly.

PVHS is so focused on all their awards they are forgetting about their nurses. This whole census managed stuff they have started is screwing a lot of the senior nurses if they want to move to another area and screwing a lot of new nurses coming aboard out of hours. I am not saying they are a bad hospital. I was a patient there before for a week and I received great care, this was 4 years ago. But I feel they are losing focus on the very people that earn them those awards. The nurses. Of course people are going to keep applying for jobs there and probably won't quit anytime soon. They need their jobs and with the economy the way it is and jobs so hard to find, no one is going anywhere and people are going to keep applying. I guarantee you most hospitals are receiving a mass amount of applications of month. Read these boards on how many people can't find jobs. The problem with that though is the facility starts devaluing the nurses because they are easily replaceable. The hospital I work at has finally realized that. They have finally realized that they have to take better care of their nurses because a happy nurse makes for a happy patient. (not just nurses but that is the grunt of what we are talking about). In doing so their retention rate for new grads has sky rocketed. A lot of the nurses are happier. You can feel it just when you walk in. It's really telling. I was so bummed my third semester when I had to go do clinicals at Banner because I was gung ho about PVHS and that's where I wanted to work.

Until I actually did my clinicals there and I saw such a dramatic difference in the attitudes and moods of the nurses.

It's great that you are so passionate about the place you work. I am passionate about the place I work. It's easy to copy links and website statistics, it's different when you actually get in there as a nurse and see that things aren't always what they seem.

Had I been doing my job search and PVHS offered me a job, I would have taken it. I would have made the best of it. I would have taken just about anything to get me into a hospital. But I was extremely happy that I got in at the hospital I WANTED to work at first and wasn't stuck somewhere I wouldn't have probably been happy at in the long run.

Specializes in Informatics.
I have done clinicals at 3 of the 4 local hospitals in our region. Your statement of saying in absolute terms that they NEVER EVER have more then that on ratios is simply not true. I did my senior practicum on float at PVHS and we took 5 patients from the day nurse and got another admit shortly after quiet a few times.

I am assuming your are talking about Cheyenne in saying up north. I never did clinicals in Wyoming, but I have spent a lot of time at NCMC (also magnet and winner of awards), McKee and PVHS. After that experience my attitude on where I wanted to work changed greatly.

PVHS is so focused on all their awards they are forgetting about their nurses. This whole census managed stuff they have started is screwing a lot of the senior nurses if they want to move to another area and screwing a lot of new nurses coming aboard out of hours. I am not saying they are a bad hospital. I was a patient there before for a week and I received great care, this was 4 years ago. But I feel they are losing focus on the very people that earn them those awards. The nurses. Of course people are going to keep applying for jobs there and probably won't quit anytime soon. They need their jobs and with the economy the way it is and jobs so hard to find, no one is going anywhere and people are going to keep applying. I guarantee you most hospitals are receiving a mass amount of applications of month. Read these boards on how many people can't find jobs. The problem with that though is the facility starts devaluing the nurses because they are easily replaceable. The hospital I work at has finally realized that. They have finally realized that they have to take better care of their nurses because a happy nurse makes for a happy patient. (not just nurses but that is the grunt of what we are talking about). In doing so their retention rate for new grads has sky rocketed. A lot of the nurses are happier. You can feel it just when you walk in. It's really telling. I was so bummed my third semester when I had to go do clinicals at Banner because I was gung ho about PVHS and that's where I wanted to work.

Until I actually did my clinicals there and I saw such a dramatic difference in the attitudes and moods of the nurses.

It's great that you are so passionate about the place you work. I am passionate about the place I work. It's easy to copy links and website statistics, it's different when you actually get in there as a nurse and see that things aren't always what they seem.

Had I been doing my job search and PVHS offered me a job, I would have taken it. I would have made the best of it. I would have taken just about anything to get me into a hospital. But I was extremely happy that I got in at the hospital I WANTED to work at first and wasn't stuck somewhere I wouldn't have probably been happy at in the long run.

You are fortunate in that you did get your rotations at so many facilities... your post gives me reason to pause and evaluate. Though, I may not have a choice in this economy... I may, however put more applications out than I had intended, but not too many of us have a choice.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
You are fortunate in that you did get your rotations at so many facilities... your post gives me reason to pause and evaluate. Though, I may not have a choice in this economy... I may, however put more applications out than I had intended, but not too many of us have a choice.

Yes in the end I am very grateful that I did get to experience so many different places. The only hospital I didn't get to do clinicals in was MCR. I heard it is great with all the bells and whistles but the staff there are terrible to each other. (not patient care but screaming matches during report, so much nastiness) So many students put in for MCR since it's the nice new hospital for clinicals. After the first time they didn't put it anymore. They just had such a bad experience.

Banner's ratios are 1 above PVH. 5 during day up to 6 at night. I haven't had that many yet but busy season on my unit will hit hard in the winter.

3 of the students in my class got jobs at PVHS as nurses that worked as BA's and CNA's that were not contracted. They did work there for years. So there could be a good chance you can get a chance there. About 5 nurses did not get jobs that worked there for years as aides.

Your best bet in my opinion to get a job is to get your boards done ASAP. I went and took boards within the week I graduated. 2 days after getting my ATT. I drove to Casper to do it. It gave me a 3 week head start on having my lic. I applied for every job in the hospitals I could. (NCMC has more options because most of theirs say experience preferred) but not mandatory. They hire quiet a bit of New Grads.

It's definitely worth broadening your horizons and looking into other options. If you stay dead set on PVHS and don't put in applications at other places and stuff you might find yourself without a job and other new grads taking the jobs. Then when you decide you might want to broaden your horizons it might be to late.

Anyway, best of luck to you in the rest of your schooling and job hunt. :)

Specializes in Informatics.

I plan on applying to many many places. I did hear McKee had better top-box scores this last year...

I would be tickled to get a job within 75 miles of Ft. Collins. I had planned on Cheyenne but they no longer hire Coloradoans due to too many people from CO working there for 6 months to a year and quitting.

Thanks for the replies and input!

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I plan on applying to many many places. I did hear McKee had better top-box scores this last year...

I would be tickled to get a job within 75 miles of Ft. Collins. I had planned on Cheyenne but they no longer hire Coloradoans due to too many people from CO working there for 6 months to a year and quitting.

Thanks for the replies and input!

Yea I was a little miffed to hear about Cheyenne and how you have to be a WY resident or have 6 months experience now to work there. Miffed because the students at UoW and LCCC do clinicals at NCMC, McKee and PVHS. So it doesn't seem right if they aren't going to allow our New Grads to work there.

McKee won't often hire New Grads, usually NCMC will. NCMC has really stepped up their game in the past couple years and I am really happy there. They are also a Magnet hospital. I feel I am valued as an employee and as a student the nurses were always so friendly and helpful and as a New Grad they have been so supportive and helpful. I have no complaints. Usually the only New Grads to get hired on at McKee have been working there for a long time. It's just because they have less funding with them being the smaller hospital.

I was actually doing Simulation at McKee all day today. They are building a simulation center (way better then nursing school sim labs) and a lot of the nurses and doctors have been practicing there. They have a an entire simulation hospital in AZ that has shows huge improvements in patient care from the people getting training that way. Anyway, it was really cool.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

BTW, if you ever wanted to check out NCMC, they allow people to come and shadow a nurse for a shift. A friend of mine just did that and a previous CI of mine that is a NP there introduced her to a lot of Managers and she dropped off a lot of resumes.

Granted my floor is the best floor in the hospital but it's not a floor a lot of male nurses often want. LOL

Our ED is going through some massive changes right now though so it's a tad bit crazy there.

Specializes in Informatics.
BTW, if you ever wanted to check out NCMC, they allow people to come and shadow a nurse for a shift. A friend of mine just did that and a previous CI of mine that is a NP there introduced her to a lot of Managers and she dropped off a lot of resumes.

Granted my floor is the best floor in the hospital but it's not a floor a lot of male patients often want. LOL

Our ED is going through some massive changes right now though so it's a tad bit crazy there.

I might contact you in December to see about the RN shadow possibility...

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I just realized my typo. My unit is not a unit a lot of Male NURSES want to work. Not patients. LOL

My boss though also is the boss of Surgical, and Oncology.

Anyway, sounds good. I would be happy to help.

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