GWUH

Kevn2bNP · Oct 26, 2009

If you are a new grad, I would encourage you to look elsewhere. GW is a hard hospital to work in as a new grad. I came to GW with a year of experience in New York, thinking I could handle DC. My reply is for the general med/surg floor (the only one in the hospital). Here are my reasons for leaving GWUH after 3 months:

1) I had one week of lecture-based orientation and was placed on the med/surg floor (which I applied for) and was given additional testing at the end of week one on telemetry. I had absolutely NO EXPERIENCE in telemetry and was given a test. I was told I failed the test one month later.

2) A nurse can typically have up to six patients, but there is no weighted ratio for acuity: you can have 6 isolation patients in your 'zone.'

3) I just worked a shift last week -- on a weekday -- where we had NO med techs. That's right, absolutely NO ONE on the floor to help.

4) There is no management support. The floor is in flux with no leadership.

5) There is no physician support -- med students can write orders without any supervision (because the nurse is stuck in a room doing something and doesn't see a med student writing the order).

6) Morale is low -- just this month 3 nurses have left and travel nurses are not renewing contracts.

7) You are assigned to a zone by the charge nurse, who is supposed to rotate you regularly. I have been stuck in zone 3 (isolation central) for three weeks.

8) There is ALWAYS...EVERY DAY...a zone without a tech, which means primary care. You, as the nurse, cannot give meds, ensure safety, and dispense water, ice, deliver meals to isolation patients, and answer phone calls...it is not possible but yet expected.

nursemimi08 · Oct 26, 2009

Yikes! I was thinking of applying there... Are they hiring at this point? If there is only one med/surg floor on the hospital, what are the other floors? Anyone else have some insight into GWUH?

Kevn2bNP · Oct 27, 2009

The fourth floor (south) is the med/surg unit: 39 beds

Fourth floor north is ortho/rehab.

Third floor is cardiology/women's health

Not sure about the others. Each floor has an ICU section.

And i'm sure they are always hiring because it's a brutal place to work.

nursemimi08 · Nov 2, 2009

Thanks for the info! I still haven't submitted an application to them just yet. I want to explore other options. What are your plans? Are you going to stay in the DC area or are you going to go back up to New York? I also have almost a year's experience and I want to make a move. I'm getting discouraged with the economy and I feel like I'm stuck- not an entirely new grad, but not an experienced RN either.

trimeduRN, BSN · Nov 22, 2009

I have been working at GWUH now for the past 3 months. I wanted to quit for a while. It is a tough place to work. But after speaking with nurses at other hospitals, every hospital has their issues. It's what you make of it. It gets crazy at times, well a lot. But until you give yourself time to get use to the unit and the way things work, and set up your own system, you'll be ok. You can never base one person's point of view at gold because we all have different experiences. A month ago, I wouldnt have been saying this. But anyhoo, you never know what is good or not until you give it a try.

mylove · Apr 18, 2010

How is the onsite interview at GWUH? I have done 2phone interviews with them and I am asked to come for onsite interview on the 7th of may. This is for Med-surge/general medicine

Any hint will be appreciated. Thanks