need info from CHOC nurses

Haunted · Apr 4, 2008

Hi
Im a NICU-RN working at illinois for 6 months. Got interview scheduled 1st week of April with CHOC. need info on orientation? pay rate? hospital management? nurse/patient ratio?
Do you think that i would have bright future at CHOC? Need your advice
Thanks:typing

Some of my friends from nursing school went to CHOC right after graduation because they loved peds and CHOC boasted this wonderful orientation. I believe it was 3 or 4 students who went there. They all left after about 3 months due to the administration and the stress. They fanned out and scattered to the wind. A specialty hospital like CHOC may be a blessing for parents of kids but from what I gather, you are, as a nurse better off among a well rounded medical resource unit like a regional hospital.

The pay at CHOC is deceptive. They will manipulate your hours without telling you. Your benefits will change without your authorization. They will float you to units where you have no training. It is not a place for a new grad unless you have a BSN or above.

You would have a better experience at a regional facility like UCI, Missin or Saddleback.

Do your homework though. Schedule a tour of each facility before you agree to a position. If they agree to giving you "all access" then they have nothing to hide. From all the feedback I am getting, no one is having a bright future at CHOC. Let me know if you need additional information. I just returned from California and worked with some agency nurses who had input from working at CHOC.

If you want a good experience in that environment, insist on the CHOC/Mission location. You will have much more support from nurses who are very proactive towards patient care and ethics.

KrazeKazeRN · Dec 15, 2009

Wow. Really?? I thought that CHOC was a great place for nursing. With them being Magnet status and all. What units did these nurses work in?