Good/Not-So-Good Hospitals - Dayton Area

wondering the same. Graduate from school soon and am looking at candidates for work

I worked at Miami Valley and Kettering (as a CNS, not a staff nurse) in the late '90s, and was v. happy with both of them as employers. Most everyone else I knew at either hospital was happy working there, also.

Well.....I'd be concerned about Good Sam Hospital's ER, if you're considering a position there. GSH used to have an excellent ER staff, but through a series of management changes, the vast majority of their ER nurses ended up quitting. This happened a couple times over the past 3-4 years. Within the past year or so, they did a heavy layoff, which nuked many of the support staff in the ER (not sure about RNs).

I saw the above stuff happen as a paramedic regularly bringing patients to that facility.

hello, new to this site...just wanted to ask if it's really that bad at GSH??? by the way, i heard that dayton has a very high crime rate???is this true??? how would you describe living in dayton??? i've just been offered a very lucrative position at GSH that is why i'm asking....any response would be greatly appreciated. thank you!

Well.....I don't work there, so I cannot speak from first-hand experience. The rest of the hospital may be in decent shape, but the ER has been in a state of flux for the past 3-4 years. GSH went through a HUGE ER expansion a few years back. Many more rooms/beds. They just couldn't staff it properly. I believe that many of the employees quit as a direct result of treatment by one or two nurse managers (at least one of whom is no longer employed by GSH).

Good Sam's ER had also ramped up to be a Level 2 Trauma Center. This was great, since there is only a single Level 1 center (for adults) in Dayton, and it relieved some of the load. After only 1-2 years of functioning as a Level 2, GSH shut down that program. That makes me wonder about the facility's overall management and sense of direction. Sorry I don't know any people who currently work at GSH, otherwise I'd let you know what they've told me about that hospital.

Personnel cuts/understaffing seems to be the norm in most hospitals in this area. I think what happened at GSH was just the result of one or two bad managers in the ER, rather than any sort of hospital-wide problem.

Short staffing also happens at other local hospitals. A fellow student in my Pharmacology course works at Miami Valley Hospital, and there have been changes at that facility over the years (few people to handle more stuff).

My wife works at Kettering Medical Center/Sycamore Hospital in the Dayton area (non-RN position), and from what I see KMC seems to really care about its employees. Yes, there's staffing issues even at KMC, but it seems to be a decent employer.

As to crime in the Dayton area, yes it happens. Am I afraid to drive through town every time I go there - NO. Crime happens, but the risk can be greatly minimized by just paying attention to what you're doing/where you're going. Good Sam isn't in a great area of town, but it's not as bad as Grandview Hospital (where they sometimes have armed hospital police meet ambulances pulling into their ER at night).

I actually live southwest of Dayton, not in the city itself. There are plenty of decent places to live, and the cost of living isn't too high.

I have worked at Kettering Medical Center for over 16 years and wouldn't work any where else. I am a nurse. Grandview is part of the network, in a kind a bad area of town but the people are really nice there and they care about thier employees, it used to have a bad reputation but it is much improved. The building itself is old and could use some renovation.
Good Sam has problems but this thru the rumor mill. PM me if you want.

thanks to CrufflerJJ and jmgrn65 for all your insight....hearing about dayton through people who actually live there is really great, it's really given me a clearer picture of what to expect.i guess every urbanized city would have problems regarding crime as would any other city. just wanted to ask regarding crufflerJJ's comments about GSH's location...is the community around GSH really bad???what should be i aware of when i start working at GSH???

I take it you don't already live in Dayton, then look around first. You don't have to or probably want to live near GSH. But there are plenty of places that wouldn't be too far away that would be nice to live in. Depends on how much you want to spend. Kettering, Huber Heights, centerville, some parts of riverside, springboro

A little insight about why they shut down the trauma program at GSH. It wasn't internal management. Premier Health Partners (that owns both MVH and GSH) felt there was a duplication of services between the hospitals, so they closed GSH's trauma program, but elevated the status of some of the other features (I think ortho is one, but I honestly can't remember). I found that out when I worked for Fidelity Health Care, which is also PHP-owned.

I did clinicals at GSH on a cardiac unit and I never had any problems, safety-wise. I found that particular unit to have a good atmosphere, helpful administration, and I always felt safe. The employee parking lot is across the street from the main entrance but is well-lit and usually a security guard is around too. I guess it depends how you feel. And like others said, you don't need to live right around there.