Anyone ever work for Kaiser Permanente in CA?

Creamsoda, ASN, RN · Jan 24, 2009

I sent you a PM

ginceasar · Jul 30, 2009

I just finished, actually leaving for a medical emergency, contract at Kaiser Bellflower, in CA. East of Long Beach area. It was awful! I was one of the only Caucasian persons working most days and they treat you terribly! They are just starting to warm up to me and ask me if I need help, this past few shifts!! They sit around and talk while you run your ass off! They float you like crazy, although, I was lucky because the unit I was in really needed me. (being one of the few ICU trained nurses on a step down) They floated all the DOU (step down) to ICU and all the floor nurses floated to DOU and they are not capable of taking gtts and vents and they are in over their heads! Unsafe environment, nobody cares. You serve and fee all your patients, no care techs! The management and supervisors really don't acknowledge you. They will call you at 10pm at night to ask something about charting! They won't pay you for anytime you worked past your 12 hours, which happened half of my contract! They want you to have a DAY supervisor sign it and approve it, when they are gone at 2030??! You are suppose to call for help throughout the day to prevent this. Whatever! So, I will never work Kaiser again, after 7 years of ICU travel nursing. FYI, don't go to the DOU at Kaiser Bellflower. Most of the nurses are not nice and you got the jest of it!

rossallen · Nov 30, 2009

I am a month into a contract at a Kaiser in L.A. This is my first experience as a traveler. My impressions so far are mixed. The orientation period was way too short-8 hours on the unit with someone who didn't really care to teach after 4 days of 6 hour classroom sessions. By not giving you the 12 hour days the first week you get screwed on your pay. In California you get paid overtime for over 8 hours in a day so my contract had a low pay rate for the first 8 hours and a higher rate for the last 4. So your first week you get all your hours at a lower rate.

In L.A. you also have to get a fire card so be sure you get paid for that as well with the class lasting up to 6 hours and costing $35.

They also have put me on low census already and I am not sure I will be paid for this, so make sure your contract specifies what happens in these cases. In my opinion the staff is not traveler friendly. I love the weather though and it is a fun city to be in. It helps to find other travelers to talk with and share stories.

icu_nursie76 · Dec 5, 2009

Here is my story!!! I have been traveling for about 2yrs. I travel with my husband he is a med surg rn and I am ICU. We were VERY reluctant to accept an assignment at any KAISER as well as any facility that makes you take that stupid PBDS test.

Ok so out of shear desperation we accepted a 13 wk contract at the Kaiser in Richmond, Ca.

The pay is awesome and the bay area is beautiful : )

Here is my take on the hospital CONS

1. The hospital is located in a VERY dangerous pare of Richmond, but thank GOD my hubby and I work the same shifts so we always ride 2gether and security is always around and will walk you to ur car

2. The hospital is small only 50 beds. 10 icu 20 tele and 30 med/surg. So the hospital has a lot of "micro mangament" They have a director of each unit and each unit has several assistant nurse mangers whom walk around in white lab coats and don't know much and just knit pick. We refer to them as the "white coat mafia" : )

3. It is like pulling teeth to get the managers to sign ur end of the shift OT.

4. They are balls out with there schedules. They do not allow you to switch shifts with staff or travelers.

PROS

1.. Nice staff. Very diverse and multicutural.

2.. They have break nurses, so in my 12 hr shift a get 30 min uninteruppted break and later on a get an 1hr uninterupted break!!!

3. Thank God I rarely float and when i do the staff is helpful

4. they have a lift team to assist with turning

All in all I think if you go in with a positive attitude at any place it should be good!!!

I always say 13 wks at a time!!!

Good Luck with ur assignment.