LA County Hospitals

[HeyWhatsUP]

Pros and cons of working in LA County Hospitals? (E.g. Harbor UCLA, LAC+USC, Rancho Los Amigos). How are the work environments? How are the new grad RN programs? How do they differ from Private hospitals and reasons why you'd prefer one over the other? I know many people are interested in LA County for the benefits-- but how about if circumstances causes one to leave before the 20-25 yrs for retirement benefits?

Any info would be appreciated! Thank you!

[willowita, ADN, RN]

From what a manager told me, the patient population at the county can be shocking to those unfamiliar. It's the underserved of the underserved so by the time they get to the hospital, they are complex cases. There are language barriers, homelessness, mental health issues, substance abuse, lack of support, jail patients, etc. I went to County school so did all my clinical rotations within the system. For me, it was fulfilling to serve people who really needed it. I'm trying to get a job there now. But I can definitely see why some wouldn't want to work there. Also, private hospitals pay more, though benefits at the county are better. That's the only perspective I can offer.

[Redsox07]

I worked at Harbor UCLA Emergency Room as a new grad RN. It was extremely difficult. I had a preceptor that was a very bad teacher and was very frustrated when I asked questions and (I felt) often disrespectful to me when it just wasn't necessary. I sought out help from the nurse managers that had first interviewed me and they were not at all "friendly" when I was interviewing for the position. That experience taught me to be a better teacher and manager with new hires and inexperienced staff.

I wonder if they have improved it since then (this was back in 2007). I ended up leaving and going into chronic dialysis for a few years. I have also worked some acute dialysis at L.A. County Olive View and it was fun to meet UCLA Medical students.

For some, it is probably a great place to work. You'll learn a lot. It's going to be a place where you're never going to have the latest fax machine (for example) and they'll count each penny when it's time to upgrade computers and stuff. I think if you looked around, though, you might find about the same kind of pay & benefits elsewhere like the V.A. or Kaiser.

Best of luck. Try and get an interview and speak with staff there. They are looking for good people. Some of my nursing school classmates got jobs out of RN school at L.A. County and learned a great deal but I think some of them ended up leaving because it can be crazy busy at times.

[Crystal74]

Hello, I was recently hired at county. I was just given my start date. I was wondering if you could tell me what orientation is like and if there are any furthef test required.

Thank you

[willowita, ADN, RN]

Hey Crystal. My biggest piece of advice is be patient. You will show up to your unit during orientation to basically introduce yourself and familiarize yourself with the layout and where everything is. Don't be surprised if they don't want to deal with you yet or if you don't get a preceptor until the last minute. It's nothing personal. It's just County time and culture. It eventually all gets sorted out. The orientation with your hire group will be more structured and easier to go through. They review everything you will need to know and there are some tests on some basic meds and hospital policies. Which area did you get hired for?