Future of PSI, Inc and UHS?

NCindasun21 · Oct 17, 2010

Curious that no one has responded. I think there's so little being said about the merger at the hospitals that we're left a bit in the dark.

bekindtokittens · Oct 20, 2010

I'm another employee of a PSI owned facility who is in the dark. All I've heard is that the changes will be starting with the new year? What changes? No idea.

MentalRN74 · Jan 9, 2011

As a former UHS employee, all I can say is Good Luck to you guys.

NCindasun21 · Jan 9, 2011

Details please? I'm looking for hope...

Hope that we'll go to electronic charting

Hope that management strives to make things better, even if it involve tough change

Hope that serious effort is put into milieu activities

Hope that staff will be held accountable for not following rules, for teamwork, for safety

Hope that those who go above and beyond will be recognize, not only with money,

but with kudos and encouragement, so that you don't feel that everything is for naught

Thanks!

MentalRN74 · Jan 9, 2011

I was a UHS employee for 7 years, with about 3 years of that being in management. Sadly, I wouldn't expect any of your hopes to come to fruition. Sure, they will be discussed. Even planned on a committee, but never followed through on. Google them and lawsuits just to get an idea of the problems they will bring to the table.

Hopefully, I will be completely wrong. Good luck in your career.

twinkerrs · Jan 9, 2011

UHS employee here who was hoping for a job opening to come along in a PSI facility here until I learned about the merger. Not sure what to tell you to expect though.

misssarahRN · Jan 10, 2011

I work at a facility in the NW that was PSI and I was hoping the merger would bring more job openings, but I'm not feeling especially optimistic. If my facility is an indicator, it looks like they are trying to cut costs even more. There have been numerous new orders/policies over the past few months that are just blatantly unsafe. For example,pt. can have mp3 players with wired headphones with no real supervision, shaving with disposable bic razors while refusing to allow them to use there own electric razors (the logic, and i quote, "they are private pay, whatever keeps them coming back and saying good things about us").

Also, in the one year that i have been there i have watched them clean house of almost all the nurses over 50 and replace them with new grads under 35. A lot of the turn over have been full time postions and they have been replaced with multiple part-time and/or per diem employees. I am per diem and will work any available slot. i have talked to several of the remaining full time employees across shifts and units and they are complaining about how it has become nearly impossible to get time off( paid or otherwise), or get their schedules changed specifically because they are the only full time person for that unit and shift. Yes, it's job security, but at what cost to everyone on the floor?

I have also noticed that since the merger took place they have been cutting staffing down to the required minimum reguarless of acuity and go "let's see" by keeping a few people on-call. Since i'm working per diem, mulltiple shifts and units I tend to get cancelled when census is low (I think of it as found money- free time i didn't expect to have). Well since about late september i have been getting put on-call constantly only to get called in an hour or two into the shift. I get there only to find that the entire day had been a sh** storm and no one should have been cancelled in the first place. I have also heard the "let's see" statement straight from the house charges mouth when challanged on proposed staffing. Despite the schedule being completely full, i have seen at least a half dozen new hires over the past 5 months that are all per diem. My theory is that they put together a harem of per diem staff that can be rotated on-call every single day. It only takes a dozen per diem staff to cover it all and they make no promise of workable hours.

The worst part is that cameras are pretty much everywhere except broom closets and pt bathrooms. They are trying to intimidate staff by saying, "we've been reviewing the films and have noticed ... is there anything you want to tell us?" It just breeds paranoia. You shouldn't go home regularly wondering if it's really you that needs to be in gowns.

I have been hoping it was just my facility and/or PSI, but the more time has passed since the merger the less optimistic I am.

macfar28 · Jan 13, 2011

I'm seeing the exact same things here in the southeast and we are not owned by anyone but our so called "non-profit, community" hospital. It's all about money at any cost. Be fiscally responsible of course but it's gone way past that.

macfar28 · Jan 13, 2011

to clarify..my post was in response and agreement with misssarahRN. I will also add I went to work for a UHS hospital for 6 hours..long enough to see it was not a place of safe care. They have since faced several state investigations, a death and a sexual assault.

daisylizzydog · Jan 18, 2011

I also work for UHS for almost two years. Got my experience and time to move on!

NCindasun21 · Jan 18, 2011

Dizzylizzydog,

With so many large corporations taking over mental health, where exactly does one move on to?