Lehigh Valley Graduate Nurses

anise · Jun 15, 2006

I did the OR internship. I thought it was informative and allows the grad preparedness for the tasks ahead. Since then I have left the hospital because I don't care for the way they treat their nurses. They are very concerned with their appearance to the community, but should watch because even the patients complain and console the nurses regarding their treatment. I hear St. Lukes is a nice place to work. I have many friends that are employed there and they love it. Good management makes all the difference!

DZcarrie · Jun 15, 2006

thanks for the reply, anise :)

do you think that the same was true for the other internships? also, how many interviews are there? is it just the one and is it a long interview? are there other GN's that go through the internship with you?

sorry for all of the questions and i really appreciate the info!

Brian F · Oct 7, 2007

:welcome: well, DZcarrie,

I just started working there on Sept 12 and I am in the Critical Care interneship for the ED. I LOVE it and the people are fabulous so far. I have no complaints. The one girl in my internship did an internship as a GN (ER) and she loved it. THe ER is great and they give us a lot of autonomy in our practice. My now internship is 6 months long and we have to take tests and all but they realyl do prepare the graduate for anything that comes through the door. I am speaking about the ER of course. They are very thorough and indepth. The residence and Dr. have also been fabulous and very helpful. I ahve not seen a bad one yet. As for the interview process... I had 2 interviews. The first one is a group interview informal and open, the second is a 1:1 with the manager of the unit. Both are not bad. Nowever, they also watch you in all areas. For instance they had a woman interview for a neuroscience job as a DR. She interviewd great and had all the right refrences and basically had the job...then on the way to the airport she was rude to the security officer who took her (to philadelphia from Allentown) and needless to say..she did not get hired cause she was rude. They are strict with dress code and all, but they are the best in heath care and strive to maintain that image. THey are the biggest hospital in the state of PA and a level 1 trauma center and burn center, with a lot of other specialties in the mix. They have to maintain professional attitudes and people to work there. If your not they will let you know and won't hire you. But ...if you do your job and look and act professional as all nuses should you will not have a problem at LVH. It is an AWESOME place to work in my eyes and I have learned a lot so far! From my first interview on...I knew that was the place for me. You may or may not feel the same. let me know how you do!

CarVsTree · Oct 15, 2007

LVH is a lovely place to work. We ain't perfect though. Our doctors are not perfect. We are a teaching hospital. Our R1's are making big decisions with little experience. You must be on your toes in a teaching hospital. But problems with residents are easily addressed with their senior or the attending.

I worked at LVH as a tech before I became a nurse, so I can't tell you anything about the GN interview process, I didn't have to go through it.

Which internship are you interested in? I did med/surg and worked on TTU (where I started out as a tech) and will begin the RN Critical Care course in November. If your not interested in OR, time on the floors is invaluable. I'm a firm believer in floor experience prior to critical care areas, although many ppl disagree with me. To each his own.

Good luck whatever you do. PM me if you like. BTW, major construction on I-78 & 22 give yourself plenty of time and listen to 1630 am (PA DOT for traffic info). You don't want to be late!

Take care!

CarVsTree · Oct 15, 2007

For instance they had a woman interview for a neuroscience job as a DR. She interviewd great and had all the right refrences and basically had the job...then on the way to the airport she was rude to the security officer who took her (to philadelphia from Allentown) and needless to say..she did not get hired cause she was rude.

Hi Brian,

They've been re-telling that story for years! True/Untrue, exaggerated, who knows. We have nice docs, rude docs, smart docs and ***** docs. Mostly, though we have pretty nice residents. I think I'll be seeing you in phase 2 of the CC course if you started in September. Do you start phase 2 in November?

joy09 · Jan 11, 2008

I have heard positive things from a guy who's wife is in the internship for critical care. He said she is very happy with it and is learning a lot. I can tell you I have been around and there is nothing better for a GN than a structured, well organized internship to start you off. Every hospital has individuals and systems problems but this hospital seems to be much better at communication. I have noticed the better communication, technology, and working relationships among the interviewers during my interview process. You probably will get some perspective if you interview there and then interview elsewhere. Even the recruiter was on the ball. Chances are, the same can be said for other aspects of the organization. Good luck.

gemini901d · May 26, 2008

Well I worked at Lehigh Valley's Muhlenberg (Regional Heart) campus and for a few months and HATED it. While some of the night staff were pretty nice there were a few coworkers, mostly really snotty day shift nurses who made it simply unbearable. If you get in with the right unit you would probably be fine. Some of the other units at least seemed kinda happy and close. That however was not my experience there. I guess that's why that particular unit has had so many problems, managerial and otherwise in the recent past.