PLEASE HELP...Need feedback on TX hospitals!!!

SICU Queen · Jun 16, 2002

If you go to northern California, try Mercy Medical Center in Redding. GREAT place to work! I worked all of their ICUs, and got pulled to Cardiac Telemetry on occasion. All were wonderful. Nurses were extremly receptive to travelers, units were well-equipped, and staffing ratios were 1:1 or 1:2 in ICU and 1:4 on Tele. And the area is awesome.

Check it out! I went with Global RN.

Brownms46 · Jun 16, 2002

SICU Queen

THANK YOU...sounds like the dream I have been looking for. I just wish I had my CA license already...as I have heard good things about Redding...and this cements my desire to go there!

Again...Thank YOU!... :cool:

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

Can it acutally be true...that no one has been to any of these hospitals...or that none of the people there are on this BB...or even on the Delphi board??? Wow...that is amazing!!!

live4today, RN · Jun 17, 2002

Brownie...I have a daughter who is a LPN who lives and works in Richmond, but I've not heard of Richland Hills before. I could ask her about some places there for you, if you like?

Seems like I saw Denton, TX last night on the T.V. show titled: COPS! :eek: It wasn't a pretty site, so they must have shown the bad part of town or something.

mattsmom81 · Jun 17, 2002

Hi Brownie...you probly figgered that as an agency nurse in the Dallas Fort Worth area, I've worked most of these hospitals!. :)

Actually I've been on staff at 2. North Hills Medical Center in N. Richland Hills and Plaza Medical are both Columbia Hospitals...I worked last at N. Hills...was on staff in their ICU and did charge on their PCU the last 5 years.

I found Medical City in Dallas very unfriendly to agency. I went twice and DNR'd them. I doubt they treat their travelers better.

Denton is north of Fort Worth and more 'in the country' feel...nice staff and manager up there. It was a bit of a drive for me up there from Fort Worth, but I did it occasionally cuz I liked the people so much...they are good country folks last time I was there, which was over a year ago...

Will you be day shift or nights? There's a management shakeup at North Hills...they have a nice little 12 bed ICU that does hearts and a little bit of everything except neuro. There are some nice nurses at that facility and this is the last hospital I was on staff at beforeI had to quit last fall...keep in mind Columbia hospital...money is bottom line. Not bad overall. I will say the docs are my biggest complaint at North Hills....rude and troublemaking. The nurses are nice so I stayed.:) My best friend is still on staff there PRN and she tells me it's pretty hectic.

Plaza...well, I was on staff in their critical care pool for a few years...they work ya pretty hard, IMO, and like to float a 12 hour shift 4 hours in each unit....if you stay on PCU only, if you are comfortable with 2nd postop day hearts and pulling sheaths/getting post angios with 5:1 ratio you will do OK. They have a lot of foreign nurses working PCU last time I was up there to visit. I know the manager and she is a nice person; that always helps! :)

I'm probably getting a bit too free with details on such a public forum...so if you want more data, just pm me or email me at [email protected]. :) Good luck!

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

Mattsmom81..GOD Bless YOU...:kiss:...:kiss:...:kiss: I'm will be emailing you as soon as I can get my fingers to typing...:)

THANK YOU

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

Originally posted by cheerfuldoer
Brownie...I have a daughter who is a LPN who lives and works in Richmond, but I've not heard of Richland Hills before. I could ask her about some places there for you, if you like?

Seems like I saw Denton, TX last night on the T.V. show titled: COPS! It wasn't a pretty site, so they must have shown the bad part of town or something.

:chuckle....Really?? I sure they did...:). But I think I will still go anyway. Richland Hills is about 20mins from Ft. Worth! Thank you soo much Renee for the very sweet offer...and it couldn't hurt to hear her opinion...or possible info she had gained from others..:). For now I think based on what Mattsmom has said...and another nurse who had the same opinion as she on Denton...I think I have made up my mind. But getting as much info as possible is always a good thing...rightr?? Thank you so much Renee..:kiss:

Dplear · Jun 17, 2002

Brownie...

I can tell you all you want to know about Memorial Hermann Southwest here in Houston. I have done agency in to thier ICU, ER and medsurg-tele as well as their SNF unit. Houston is not at all a bad place to work and live. There is alot of nice housing near the hospital to live in. The hospital itself is quite large...over 700 beds. part of a 3000+ bed hospital group here in Houston. They are a not for profit hospital. They have pretty good staffing ratios there...and the equipment and facilities are up to date. They are alos in the midst of a 500 million dollar expansion to all their facilities in Houston.

The hospital used to be a Baptist run group but is now non denominational charity. They are one of the larges provoders of free and reduced price care in the country. If you need anymore questions answered email me at [email protected] I will be happy to answer them. being that you are only 200 miles from Houston...you ought to drive up hwy 77 to 59 and exit bissonet. The hospital is right there on your right. Come up and walk around it and see what you think. ( I know Corpus like the back of my hand...lived there for a year and parents live there now off of Everhart and Saratoga.....I go down there every month)

Dave

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

:chuckle Dave...thank you soo much for the info..but your quote scares me...:chuckle. Nawww...seriously....I will email you, and THANK YOU for the info..:kiss: I came thru Houston driving once on a Saturday...pretty scary folks there..:chuckle

And I live very close to your parents..:)...in fact we have probably passed each other on the road...:)

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

Also Mattsmom...I worked NICU there at Medical City in Dallas back in the early 80's and I came away with the same feeling. They left me in a separate room with four babies...two on tracings! A doc came in and said...WOW they got you stretched out don't they!!! They had the nerve to ask me to do a double near the end of my shift!!! TWO nurses relieved me coming on for the 3=11 shift...and I had worked Days by MYSELF!! Docs coming in, MOMs calling, coming in to visit. And you know what the charge nurse response was when I told the agency about this??? Oooh we forgot she was just an LVN!!! GRRR:( Yeah that was the reason I was overwhelmed...right!!!

The two nurses who came in wanted to know why I hadn't changed the TPN line..and were being pissy. They later apolozied...seeing I was the only one there all morning!!!

Brownms46 · Jun 17, 2002

I have just found out the Denton position has been taken:(. Anyway...I'm going to wait and hope something else comes up that I like. I still have two weeks here...and things can change quickly. I think I will wait one more week...and then make my decision at that time. I have been offered more money for Houston...but I just hate the traffic there! :eek:

Dave an Mattsmom, I have emailed you both, and its from my yahoo.com mail address...:) Thanks again.. :cool: