Knoxville, TN

ZiggyCLNC · Aug 9, 2006

University of Tennessee hospital is a NO NO. Management does not back you up. They are interested only in Press Ganey and celebrating their 50th anniversary. Morale is down the drain, pay is poor, orientation is non existent. They promise bonuses then tell you "we didn't make our operating budget--but keep up the good work". Staffing is very poor. Medication mistakes are covered up. I could go on and on. Try somewhere sthat your skills will be appreciated and rewarded!

willdgate · Aug 9, 2006

University of Tennessee hospital is a NO NO. Management does not back you up. They are interested only in Press Ganey and celebrating their 50th anniversary. Morale is down the drain, pay is poor, orientation is non existent. They promise bonuses then tell you "we didn't make our operating budget--but keep up the good work". Staffing is very poor. Medication mistakes are covered up. I could go on and on. Try somewhere sthat your skills will be appreciated and rewarded!

I agree:uhoh3:

schnauzermom2 · Aug 10, 2006

I am wanting to relocate to Koxvillle, Are there any Nursing Homes or retirement centers there??? I have worked with geriatrics, Alzheimers Units, also with the DOC,I enjoyed working in Psych at the jail when I was in VA.

I have also worked with psychiatric with adolescents....

Fort Worth · Aug 16, 2006

Stop by UT, visit the floors. Everyone has a different experience. My experience has been very positive. Teamwork, peer support, equip on hand, great learning atmosphere with med students. Mgt issues at the highest level on par with most companies, we have excellent leadership on our floor where the impact on my job is.

cheriet · Jan 26, 2007

Hi. I'm graduating from an associate's degree-RN program this spring and am considering UT, Fort Sanders Regional, Baptist downtown, and St. Mary's. I'd be curious to hear any unofficial opinions on these hospitals from people who work (or worked) there. All I can get from the recruiters is the sales pitch.

I've heard good things about the work environment at Baptist, but it also sounds like that hospital's management is about to change. UT has a lot of residents and other students working there. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? St. Mary's has 8-hour shifts. Do people there like that? Is Covenant Health a good company to work for?

Any opinions/answers for any of these questions is welcomed. Thanks!

ZiggyCLNC · Jan 27, 2007

As per previous posting. University of Tennessee Medical Center Knoxville is not a nurse friendly employer! Management WILL NOT support you. The bottom line is money. While working at a teaching hospital you would think would be a wonderful learning experience--not here. You are not encouraged to be certified. Their education dept. is the pitts! This hospital is known for being very Toxic! The staffing is poor, the mangement is poor, the pay is poor. :nono: Covenant Health is a good place (Ft. Sanders, Park West). They offer quality inservices. Baptist is going through a lot of management ifffffssss. Can't really comment here. St. Mary's is a quality, class act as well. They try to work with nurses scheduling. Quality inservices offered here or pay/time off to attend outside ones.

Good Luck in your endeavors. :welcome: If I may make a suggestion--go to Middle Tennessee--specifically the Nashville area. Vanderbilt and Centennial are great places. The pay in Middle Tennessee is must better than in Knoxville

nurseman1980 · Jan 30, 2007

sounds like ZIGGY shouldn't work at UT. Doesn't seem to like it very much.

I've worked at UT for the last 3 years. Not as a nurse, but in a job with the nurse managers as clients and I've had nothing but support from all of them that I've delt with (around 10). I have a lot of interaction with the nurses on the two units i work close to, and I know it's not perfect out there, but nowhere is.

As far as the hospital caring only about money? It's hard not to care when they don't have any. Why don't they have any? i suspect it's from paying MDs' exorbitant salaries. An economist at BCBS of TN told me Knoxville's market for MDs is an anomaly in that they are paid far more than other markets of similar size. As a result, (Ziggy's right on with this one) nurses here are paid absolute CRAP... and i assume you're going to put more care into your MDs since they cost you so much than you would into RNs that you pay barely anything for.

My bit of advice would be to check into all the benifits that come along with your pay. not just hourly salary, but retirement, days off, scheduling, etc. cause if you just look at salary anywhere in knoxville as a nurse, you'll cry. I know starting salary at UT is $17.50ish/hr and Covenant facilities are around $18/hr.

Sorry that was so long everyone who read through my ramble. hope it was a help.

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

I have heard very good things about St. Mary's from multiple nurses. Not so good about Baptist. I haven't worked either of these places myself, but worked with people who did. I know UT just opened a new NICU if you are interested in that aspect of nursing, they have had a lot of publicity about it; I can't mention how good they are to work for at all as I have no experience with it. I did enjoy living in Knoxville. And wages are low there... but so is cost of living.

perfectbluebuildings, BSN, RN · Feb 11, 2007

PS- to the poster wondering about nursing homes there are several in Knoxville. Also psych care in the Lakeshore facility. Good luck.

mmutk, BSN, RN, EMT-I · Feb 21, 2007

Well I can pass on some info based on the places I have worked.

Baptist- Good working environment, so\so pay, poor management, low self esteem company, good benefits, good educational dept., parking sucks.

Baptist West- Do not apply here, poor working conditions, no security force on campus (because it's faragutt and police are not pretty), poor management, internists that kill patients in their ICU on a daily basis, and no job security.

Parkwest- New clean hosptital, ok pay, nice cafe makes working there a plus, a busy 40 bed ER keeps the Unit and OR hopping. Poor benefits though, and parking sucks there too. But my choice of the three.

Knoxville however is starting to look like Memphis (remember that lawsuit against the hospitals there) UT, St Marys, Covenant, and Baptist have all gotten together and compared pay rates in an effort to keep base pay rates low. I was at a conference in KY one time and they were all sitting together at the same vendor booth. What do you know.. all the hosptials offered the same $17.10 starting rate for new grads... :madface:

Mommy TeleRN, RN · Feb 21, 2007

I can't get over how low the pay is in Knoxville. Over here in West TN it's 20-22/hr and cost of living is way better. Of course y'all have the mountains..but that doesn't put food on the table! Here's hoping all TN wages go up!