Kindly disspell these rumors about Kaiser

cherrybreeze, ADN, RN · Aug 30, 2011

I assume it's not okay to discuss specific companies here. Just my :twocents: .

netglow, ASN, RN · Aug 30, 2011

I used to not believe the scuttlebutt about a facility just because the information seemed so "out there". But I have had people I know to be truthful end up working for some places I've heard about and stuff I've heard through the grapevine has ended up being true. Now I heavily consider this stuff. Doesn't mean it will always be true for a facility, but sure is worth knowing for me at least. :twocents:

79Tango · Aug 30, 2011

Free Insurance for life??/ If thats the case--Who cares about 4hrs of floating & condescending old bags?

heron, ASN, RN · Aug 30, 2011

I have heard, that if you work for Kaiser for 5 years, you will get free insurance for life. true? Or rumor?
Also, I have heard about their 8 and 12 hour shifts. And, if you are on 12 hour shifts, you many times will float for the last 4 hours to make up for a nurse who has gone home after her shift.
And lastly, I have heard of the horrors of lateral violence, with the seniority of their nurses being of most importance when handling assignments, vacations, floating. And these senior nurses are very condescending. Really?
All in all, makes me not want to work for Kaiser. Am I just being frightened for no reason?

It may be just the way you worded the sentence, but when did seniority equal lateral violence?

evolvingrn, BSN, RN · Aug 30, 2011

I love floating.... especially when for the first 8 hours you had a crappy pt load :)

TrafalgarRN · Aug 30, 2011

I have heard, that if you work for Kaiser for 5 years, you will get free insurance for life. true? Or rumor?
Also, I have heard about their 8 and 12 hour shifts. And, if you are on 12 hour shifts, you many times will float for the last 4 hours to make up for a nurse who has gone home after her shift.
And lastly, I have heard of the horrors of lateral violence, with the seniority of their nurses being of most importance when handling assignments, vacations, floating. And these senior nurses are very condescending. Really?
All in all, makes me not want to work for Kaiser. Am I just being frightened for no reason?

Which Kaiser are you talking about? I Work for Kaiser and don't want to get into lots of specifics. But some simple tidbits...its 15 years and you get 100% coverage when you retire. I work in the North so i don't know what 12 hour shifts you are talking about. We have no float pools...and people don't get floated. Lateral violence......how about rewording that. Seniority matters when it comes to things like extra shifts...but vacations is based on who put in their request first and seniority only comes into play when there are many people who have put in a vacation on the same day...and the beauty of it is that they are always reasonable. Assignments are never dependent on seniority but it irks me when some newbie thinks he or she is entitled to some stuff when they have been there for less than a month... No one is ever condescending unless you think you know all.

DogWmn · Aug 30, 2011

I can only talk about my experience with Kaiser, I worked in a Pediatric Clinic and loved it, the other staff, supers and Docs were all great. It was a very enjoyable experience.

Larry77, RN · Aug 30, 2011

The problem is you have Kaiser insurance for the rest of your life...he he. Had to through a little humor in there, we always groan when we have to deal with a Kaiser transfer because they make things so difficult and tend to leave us out of the loop (I am an ED charge nurse in a non-Kaiser facility). We do not have a local Kaiser hospital but have a lot of Kaiser pt's in our community...when we have a Kaiser STEMI we have to make at least 3 calls to get them to their facility, when we have to admit an ICU pt we have to get their "permission"...

There are many, many Kaiser hospitals so I don't think you can get answers regarding your local facility without talking to someone that actually works there--each Kaiser hospital would be a little bit different.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Aug 31, 2011

One of my besties works for a local Kaiser hospital in the ER. Senority plays a majority rule when it comes to getting your requested bid on another desirable shift/work schedule. It also comes into play for who stays and who goes to another floor - however, my friend who works in the ER has NEVER gotten floated in the 5+ years of time spent in the ER.

Kaiser is heavily unionized. Not only are the nurses unionized, but other departments are as well. For example; if you are on modified duty from a work injury and have been designated for paperwork duty or some other non-nursing duties, you are simply not allowed to function in a role that is under another discipline's job function. For example; an RN would not be allowed to sit at the front desk and do intake paperwork for patients coming in to the ER. That is to be done by the discipline that was hired to do that.

Kaiser is an entity unto itself, and there is the "Kaiser Way" of doing things. When I graduated from nursing, I did my preceptorship in a Kaiser ER. There is definitely a, um, bureaucratic way of doing things while in the Kaiser system. This can be both good and bad. Good in that things are systematically done the same way every time, and bad in that things are done the same way every time.....if you know what I mean, jelly bean.

As far as the "lateral violence", I think you'll find evidence of that wherever you go. My Momma said it best: "No matter who you are, or where you go, there will always be people like (insert your example here), so you might as well learn how to deal with them now because you wont be able to escape them."

vanburbian · Aug 31, 2011

Worked for Kaiser for 13 years. 5 years and ins for life is a myth. Trafalgar spelled it out, generally a combo of age and years of service, with a minimum # required for years of service.

Loved the continuous effort to do standard best practice protocols. They run like a well oiled machine for the most part, but as with all hospitals, they have glitches.

Union determines most of that vacation, floating, transferring etc rules.

I in fact did have an in jury and had to do light duty, and I was used in their HR department for 3 months.

Benefits are generally better than most other hospitals, and pay is often at or higher than others in the community.

I NEVER had an issue with my health care, getting an appointment, or a specialty referral. My children had great care as well, and if you have a family, I think it's a great benefits package.

mikeworksRN · Sep 1, 2011

Hey thanks to all who posted. I can now move past the rumor. I think it all stemmed from the newbies that were hired long ago when we all graduated together, and I never found out any different. I work with one of those now, who wants her schedule her way, and she hasn't been around long enough. Anyway, I thank you all, and now I can consider moving with a clear conscience.