[Bluehair]

Hi guys!
DH is pursuing a job promotion that MIGHT have us move to Bakersfield. Not positive yet, but it's far enough along to make me muse about work there. I worked in Ventura county about 6 years ago at a CHW hospital there, vowed to never work at another CHW hospital again after that experience. Am I going to have to eat my words now? Which hospital in Bakersfield would you recommend?
Thanks for the info!!!

[Sheri257]

Don't know that much about Bakersfield hospitals but, I wonder if I can ask you a question.

Was the CHW hospital in Ventura union? Because there are two CHW hospitals in my area that have gone union in the last couple of years and, from what I've heard, it's improved things.

[Bluehair]

The hospital had been smaller and had a really friendly, close staff when CHW took over. It immediately went down-hill. They fired a number of middle management, people the staff really liked and trusted in some cases. It got pretty ugly for a while. The union had just been voted in when we moved (left the area due to DH job). It was THE MOST adversarial relationship between a hospital administration and the employees I had ever seen, before or since. If I recall there were about 5 CHW hospitals all working on unionizing state wide at the time, all for similar reasons. It left a really, really bad taste in my mouth.
That is good to hear, tho, that it improved things in your area. Maybe there is hope....

[YoungWiseWoman]

Originally Posted by Bluehair

Hi guys!
DH is pursuing a job promotion that MIGHT have us move to Bakersfield. Not positive yet, but it's far enough along to make me muse about work there. I worked in Ventura county about 6 years ago at a CHW hospital there, vowed to never work at another CHW hospital again after that experience. Am I going to have to eat my words now? Which hospital in Bakersfield would you recommend?
Thanks for the info!!!

What is CHW?

[arpeggiated]

CHW is Catholic Healthcare West.

San Joaquin Memorial is an Adventist Health hospital. I work for another of their central valley hospitals, and I LOOOVE it! We actually get treated like human beings instead of just warm bodies.

Bakersfield itself.... well, The Boy lives there. It gets hot. That's really all I know. It's not too far from SoCal, so vacations are easy.

[Sheri257]

Originally Posted by Bluehair

If I recall there were about 5 CHW hospitals all working on unionizing state wide at the time, all for similar reasons. It left a really, really bad taste in my mouth.
That is good to hear, tho, that it improved things in your area. Maybe there is hope....

Yeah ... it does seem to be nasty when the union first goes in anywhere, really .... but, from what I've heard from some of the nurses who work there, things eventually settled down. A couple of nurses aren't happy with the union but, most of them I've talked to said it made a difference for the better.

It's interesting that you mention the management problems because, it seems like the same thing happened at the facilities in my area, which is why the union got voted in ... in the first place.

Anyway ... sorry to get off topic but, I was just wondering what your experience was.

[tntrn]

My son and his wife live in Bakersfield. It's growing by leaps and bounds and they tell me that there are lots and lots of medical office buildings and the like being built. It does get hot, but Lake Buena Vista is close by. My son owns a wakeboarding school, in addition to his mortgage brokering, and they spend a lot of time, in the water.

I know one physician there, but no nurses. My son has had knee surgery there, my DIL's sis has had a c/section and more friends have had two babies. I've heard no complaints from any of them.

[Halinja]

I've had clinicals in the Bakersfield hospitals. There isn't a single one I wouldn't work in. Oh, I haven't had a clinical in San Joaquin, so I can't comment on it, but all the rest have been great. I haven't seen any of the eating their young business.

I like the town of Bakersfield. But the air SUCKS!!! Worst air quality in the nation for ozone pollution, third worst for particulate matter. Go to the lung association web site and read up on it. Then go read a few journal articles on the effects of pollution short and long term. It can scare you. I did a study on our air in school and it kind of creeped me out. Not to mention the 105 degree summers. You come driving over the hills from anywhere else and you see the bronze colored air. Sometimes its bad enough that I can SEE the air in between me and the house across the street.

Oh, look up coccidioidomycosis too. Prevalent here.

That aside. Its a nice town. There are some decent schools. Compared to parts of California, its affordable. The people are nice. There is a college and a university. I love my neighborhood. And I'm leaving. But not because of Bakersfield.

Three of the hospitals are building new towers/wings. Growth means opportunity!

[arpeggiated]

Oh yes, Valley Fever. Doesn't touch the natives, slaughters the immigrants

All the agribusiness has given us nasty nasty nasty air...

And since all the gunk from the Bay Area and LA area gets sucked into the Valley and trapped between the mountains........ it's a terrible cycle.

Fog can be bad as well.

[Jokerhill]

I have been in Bakersfield a long time and there is good and bad in all the hospitals here. CHW Manages Mercy, Mercy southwest, and for now Memorial (contract is almost up, so who knows what will happen there). CHW has new employee contracts already in place and that is a good thing. I see you do ICU so I'll talk about that The Heart hospital, memorial, and San Joaquin all have a lot of cardiac patients, Mercy and Mercy SW mostly have geriatric and medium level patients. The county hospital Kern Medical Center(lower pay) is the trauma center, not a lot of cardiac but everything else. All of them keep to the patient ratios for ICU so no problem there. Jobs are abundant for RN's a population explosion has created jobs everywhere. So if you want an office job M-F its here as well. If you are moving here housing prices are going down be careful and make a deal. My advise is take a 13 week travel assignment at first, the pay is great and you only have to stay 13 weeks if you don't like it or don't get along with the staff. I have friends in most of the units in all the hospitals and the general consensus is go to the Heart for the pay, CHW for the benefits, KMC for the experience, and SJCH for a mix. for more info you can PM me.