Mayo clinic or Scottsdale healthcare system?

Hoozdo, ADN · Dec 22, 2006

Anyone working in Mayo clinic or Scottsdale Healthcare System in Arizona? What can you say about working in thoose hoapitals? Thanks!!!

You have to wear all white when you work at Mayo. That makes them an automatic rule out for me. :trout:

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Dec 22, 2006

You have to wear all white when you work at Mayo.

:eek: What? Are you kidding?

No way.

Hoozdo, ADN · Dec 23, 2006

What? Are you kidding?
No way.

Yeah, Arizona Heart Hospital is ALL WHITE too! :trout:

ivan57 · Jan 25, 2007

I know people who have worked at Mayo, and besides the wearing white factor...they hated it!! I guess that Mayo places themselves above anyone, and their rationale for everything is "Its the Mayo way of doing it". And Scottsdale Healthcare...better, but still would not work at either one. There are many other better hospitals in the valley, believe me!

Kabin · Jan 25, 2007

It all depends where one is in their career. If you're in the money mercenary phase and in good health then you're better off chasing the highest pay. If you're thinking about retirement....

Most either really love or really hate Mayo. I've never heard ANYONE call it a bad hospital. A quick check of the public report card will set the record straight.

In the ICU they say Mayo is where nurses go to retire. They have great benes including a pension. The downside is they don't lead the pack in salaries.

Most med-surg floors are a 4:1 patient to nurse ratio. The ortho floor tries to make a 3:1 goal.

They also try to keep up with technology but that's mostly for the latest diagnostic or surgical equipment.

Mayo has lots of history and with that comes high expectations and occasional attitude. New employees are assimilated into the culture (a.k.a becoming Mayo-nized). There's no perfect nursing work environment but I suspect Mayo's is one of the better.

KatieRN04 · Jan 26, 2007

In the ICU at Mayo, I recently saw something that made me think. I saw them give a RN a pt who ended up getting a transplant that day. The transplant was not expected, and they thought the pt would go to med-surg, so they gave the RN this pt. Then when the pt ended up getting a transplant, some of the other RN's got in the per diem RN's face about "your getting the transplant?" The thing is, these nurses didnt help one bit when the pt was being pre-op'ed, but they were all concerned when this RN who is experienced with transplant pts got her pt back post-op. When the RN said she was experienced with transplants, thay said, well, familiar the "Mayo way" Come on, give me break, every hospital has policies and procedures, but overall, taking care of a transplant pt is the same from one place to the next as far as the basics go.

Also, the pts families at Mayo expect miracles, because "it is Mayo Clinic", but the Mayo in AZ has along way to go before it will be as big as the one in Rochester. And the one in AZ was denied Magnet status.

Kabin · Jan 26, 2007

I've noticed they're slightly overstaffed in critical care. I've heard nurses wanting OT are unable to get much or worse yet aren't getting regular hours. Guess that's a bit different than some valley hospitals where they can't hire staff and instead have to pay big bucks for back to back shifts. I'd rather have a family member cared for a nurse working on her/his first shift.

Mayo's ICU orientation/training is lengthy whereas I'm told per diem folks get about 2 days of computer training/orienting. Part of ICU training covers organ transplants.

Mayo Clinic Hospital AZ is a far cry from Rochester. However, many of the docs are Rochester trained so success rates should be comparable. Many of the core nurses came from Rochester too. The smaller AZ facility also lacks a few medical specialties like OB, peds, and psych.

I've heard hospitals are beginning to realize Magnet status is nearly impossible to achieve these days. It's said those hospitals that received Magnet in the last few years would be unable to get it now. Mayo Clinic Hospital AZ was devastated when they didn't get it. They spent lots of time and money tweaking processes/procedures, jumping through hoops and in the end they thought they had completed all requirements. Late last year Mayo Clinic Rochester said they wouldn't reapply for Magnet status. Guess that puts it in perspective. I'm guessing the Magnet process is another ineffective ANA effort.

KatieRN04 · Jan 27, 2007

Kabin, I am not saying Mayo is a bad hospital, they have thier good services, as well as other hospitals in the city. The nurses are great as well as other hospitals in the city, except I will have to agree with ivan57's comment "I guess that Mayo places themselves above anyone, and their rationale for everything is "Its the Mayo way of doing it". " because basically that what I was trying to get across, "Thats the Mayo way of doing it".

Also, in regard to the Magnet status, it seems to me in my practice, that hospitals buy the magnet status by spending many hours putting together exactly what the Magnet committee wishes to see.

Anyways, besides stating facts that sound like something a commerical would say, I just just voicing what I saw.

Kabin · Jan 27, 2007

I haven't been in nursing long and what little time I've spent has only been with Mayo. Sorry if my comments sound like a commercial.

It's not as if Mayo does things different just to be difficult or to beat down travelers. Instead they've invested heavily in research and apply that for better patient outcomes. There's a method to the apparent madness.

As far as Mayo placing themselves above anyone it's true as that's the mission statement.

Hoozdo, ADN · Jan 27, 2007

In the ICU at Mayo, I recently saw something that made me think. I saw them give a RN a pt who ended up getting a transplant that day. The transplant was not expected, and they thought the pt would go to med-surg, so they gave the RN this pt. Then when the pt ended up getting a transplant, some of the other RN's got in the per diem RN's face about "your getting the transplant?" The thing is, these nurses didnt help one bit when the pt was being pre-op'ed, but they were all concerned when this RN who is experienced with transplant pts got her pt back post-op. When the RN said she was experienced with transplants, thay said, well, familiar the "Mayo way" Come on, give me break, every hospital has policies and procedures, but overall, taking care of a transplant pt is the same from one place to the next as far as the basics go.
Also, the pts families at Mayo expect miracles, because "it is Mayo Clinic", but the Mayo in AZ has along way to go before it will be as big as the one in Rochester. And the one in AZ was denied Magnet status.

This is a fascinating post to me because I am a liver recipeint from Mayo Phx. Your post is right on, they do have "the Mayo way". I have recieved some of the best nursing care and some of the worst nursing care in the Mayo ICU as a transplant patient. I had a horrendous traveler nurse one day in ICU that could barely speak english. To top it off, she stepped and pulled on my foley and got a needle stick from me (not my fault at all.)

In nursing school I could hardly wait to apply to Mayo as an RN. As time went on in school, I realized I didn't want to tow the line in a place like that. I vowed never to wear white again after school. I didn't want to work in a cliquey place. I did not want to have to cater to patients and do things "the Mayo way". I want to be myself with patients without having to project the "Mayo way".

I don't wear white, and I don't believe in "the Mayo way", and I am now an ICU nurse and have been one year. I was secretly pleased to read that they did not achieve magnet.

Well, I guess that was more than my 2 cents.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Jan 28, 2007

This is a fascinating post to me because I am a liver recipeint from Mayo Phx. Your post is right on, they do have "the Mayo way". I have recieved some of the best nursing care and some of the worst nursing care in the Mayo ICU as a transplant patient. I had a horrendous traveler nurse one day in ICU that could barely speak english. To top it off, she stepped and pulled on my foley and got a needle stick from me (not my fault at all.)
In nursing school I could hardly wait to apply to Mayo as an RN. As time went on in school, I realized I didn't want to tow the line in a place like that. I vowed never to wear white again after school. I didn't want to work in a cliquey place. I did not want to have to cater to patients and do things "the Mayo way". I want to be myself with patients without having to project the "Mayo way".
I don't wear white, and I don't believe in "the Mayo way", and I am now an ICU nurse and have been one year. I was secretly pleased to read that they did not achieve magnet.
Well, I guess that was more than my 2 cents.

My experience with Mayo parallels yours a bit. I had surgery at Mayo Hospital, and I was admitted overnight. Most of the care from my perspective as a patient was fantastic. Until I got this one nurse the next day. I'm guessing that she thought I shouldn't have been admitted for my surgery (it was initially planned as out-patient). She told me that she had had my exact surgery which was unlikely because I had an unusual combo of things done. She then said that after having the surgery she went back to the hotel with her husband. Hint...hint (!) because I was from out of town and had planned on staying in a hotel as arranged w/pre-op. Anyway, after that she stopped my pain meds and I was in a world of hurt.

So - yes. I had a similar experience. Fantastic care most of the time and some really abhorrent care.