Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX

Boomer MS, RN · Apr 14, 2016

If you have a passion for serving the underserved and marginalized (ie: see PinayUSA's post above), the population at Parkland will be fulfilling for you.
Parkland is well known as a cutting edge hospital who has a history of many problems that they are now working hard to correct. It is rumored to be a pretty tough job on some units and a superb education on most all of them. I suspect if you can survive a few years at Parkland you can survive just about anywhere. It is a covetable opportunity for you and I congratulate you on being selected.
Ignore what PinayUSA has to say. He isn't a nurse and his opinion has little to do with nurses, what we do, what patients are like or what Parkland is about.

I second these comments. Although I am unaware of any problems at Parkland, I know that many inner city hospitals struggle to care for the disenfranchised. I have worked in three inner city Level I trauma centers, all which I would loved. Your learning experience will be invaluable. Only you can decide, of course, but nursing is a difficult job, although rewarding. You'll find your way with time. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Bmaxjackson · Apr 14, 2016

I should not confirm where I work, but I have intimate knowledge of the Parkland system. Some of the responses that I've read are mostly correct (and some are an example of Dallas ISD educational failure). Parkland is the county hospital for Dallas. The population varies greatly, but a good portion is indigent or around the poverty level. However, they are also 1 of 2 Level 1 Trauma Centers. They receive about 60% of the trauma calls locally, but they can stretch all the way up to Oklahoma. They are a fully recognized burn center and are second only to the armed forces in volume of burn cases. They have been partnered with the UT Southwestern system for decades and serve as a teaching institution for their medical students, residents, and fellows.

Also, Parkland has very recently addressed the staff turnover issues and that issue alone has been made one of the top three priorities of hospital administration. Many leadership changes have been made in the last 3 years and things are improving dramatically.

Last, but not least, Parkland has a brand new state-of-the-art campus that opened across the street from the old campus. It boasts over 2 million sqft at a price tag of over $1.27 Billion. Our infection rates are significantly below national average (which is quite a challenge given the nature of our population).

Does Parkland have some wrinkles? YES. Does it have a sometimes poor reputation? YES. Would I work there? YES, undoubtedly a one of a kind experience that will bolster your resume and challenge you everyday . There is nothing "normal" about Parkland.

rearviewmirror, BSN, RN · Apr 14, 2016

Congrats on your achievements. If you last a year or two at parkland, I can assure you can go ANYWHERE in the dfw ed. That's probably the only pro I can think of. Parkland forces 2 or 3 year contract on new grads so you can't leave if you agree to be hired. Considering how brutal and crazy the environment is, something to really put into consideration. I worked in deep South and downtown Dallas before and let me tell you personally I completely believe in socioeconomics and education of clientele. If one does not believe that, I will first doubt whether they actually worked as a bedside nurse.

Ed nursing is hard enough even when you have patients clientele that don't "act up" and give you hell on your shift being demanding and ridiculous. Now parkland is conglomeration of crazy demanding entitled people plus heavy heavy volume, resulting in high likelihood of your brain aneurysm to start growing and pop without moment's notice. I will ask myself if I am considering parkland ed, do I really truly enjoy helping people to the point that all that bad things don't matter. If I had other options I would definitely not start in parkland, most preferably somewhere in North Dallas like Plano, Lewisville Frisco, Southlake, Richardson or not go more south than presby Dallas. I recommend staying away from South Dallas. My two cents :) good luck!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 15, 2016

If I had other options I would definitely not start in parkland, most preferably somewhere in North Dallas like Plano, Lewisville Frisco, Southlake, Richardson or not go more south than presby Dallas.

In my opinion the 'upscale' patients and their families in places such as Southlake and the Park Cities are more difficult to deal with than the undereducated ones from the 'downscale' areas.

Along with the sense of entitlement, there's also a sense of passive aggressiveness. The wealthy patients and families are the ones who tend to smile and nod in the presence of the nurse with no indications of dissatisfaction, then complain to hospital administration the very next day about the 'horrible' care.

Passive aggressiveness at its finest. Give me Oak Cliff (the 'hood) over Highland Park (the rich enclave) any day and any time.

PinayUSA · Apr 17, 2016

"Staff" infection?
Are you a nurse?

No

Just had too many relative go there and get infections, Most don't make it out once they check in

PinayUSA · Apr 17, 2016

PinayUSA, your comment is very distasteful and prejudice. I have high respect for nurses who are employed by Parkland or JPS, who care for patients despite their social class and the basis for how they are able to seek treatment..

My wife worked for JPS, it was great. They had unlimted funds. She would not work on Fridays, and it was common for them to call her to come work on Fridays if they were short on staff. They would offer her $100 bonus to come to work, We lived about 1 hour from Fort Worth since JPS is also in the Ghetto area of Fort Worth, she would only have to work about 8 hours and get paid full shift and daily pay, it pretty good little deal.

I like JPS they took a young girl who never worked day in her life and gave her a $4 hour raise after like 3 months

When I used to drive by JPS I would always thank the taxpayers for their donations to me

PinayUSA · Apr 17, 2016

In my opinion the 'upscale' patients and their families in places such as Southlake and the Park Cities are more difficult to deal with than the undereducated ones from the 'downscale' areas.
Along with the sense of entitlement, there's also a sense of passive aggressiveness. The wealthy patients and families are the ones who tend to smile and nod in the presence of the nurse with no indications of dissatisfaction, then complain to hospital administration the very next day about the 'horrible' care.
Passive aggressiveness at its finest. Give me Oak Cliff (the 'hood) over Highland Park (the rich enclave) any day and any time.

Give me the nice houses with people working for their future, instead of a bunch of ghetto hood rats who have learned to live off Section 8, sling dope, and have no desire to better themselves.

Oak Cliff ain't the hood, Hood would be South Dallas behind Fair park or Pleasant Grove........

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2016

Give me the nice houses with people working for their future, instead of a bunch of ghetto hood rats who have learned to live off Section 8, sling dope, and have no desire to better themselves.

Do you have an overbite from the silver spoon in your mouth?

Plenty and I mean plenty of people living in the "nice houses" have never known poverty. They have never actually had to work for where they are. They can easily ride the coattails of their forebearers. If they were actually placed in a situation wherein they had to get by on their merits alone, many would not survive.

On the other hand, a lot of people in Section 8 do have jobs. Some have more than one job. But because you can't work full time, feed your family and pay for housing, they require government assistance.

As for slinging dope? Um, how many of those rehab facilities exist for celebrities? Where do you think they purchase their drugs?

Furthermore, they are still PEOPLE. Don't judge others because they sin differently than you.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2016

Give me the nice houses with people working for their future, instead of a bunch of ghetto hood rats who have learned to live off Section 8, sling dope, and have no desire to better themselves.

70+ percent of public assistance recipients work for a living, including the so-called 'hood rats' who live in Section 8 housing. It's a myth that the vast majority stay at home to watch soap opera shows and eat Bon-Bons all day.

In fact, the vast majority work and earn a paycheck. The caveat is their pay is not high enough to cover their living expenses. Low-wage employers such as WalMart and McDonald's benefit from having the government subsidize their workforce.

Study: Majority Receiving Public Assistance Are Working Poor | Here & Now

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2016

No
Just had too many relative go there and get infections, Most don't make it out once they check in

Then why are you posting on a nurse's web site? It's STAPH infection, not "staff." And your hyperbole is not helpful.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 17, 2016

70+ percent of public assistance recipients work for a living, including the so-called 'hood rats' who live in Section 8 housing. It's a myth that the vast majority stay at home to watch soap opera shows and eat Bon-Bons all day.
In fact, the vast majority work and earn a paycheck. The caveat is their pay is not high enough to cover their living expenses. Low-wage employers such as WalMart and McDonald's benefit from having the government subsidize their workforce.
Study: Majority Receiving Public Assistance Are Working Poor | Here & Now

I also wanted to add that many of the CNAs and patient care techs with whom I've worked have received more than one form of public assistance.

These CNAs work hard for a living, but their incomes are so low that they often qualify for Section 8 housing, SNAP (food stamp EBT card), Medicaid, and other forms of assistance. Again, the lazy soap opera watcher who lives completely on the dole is a figment of politicians' imaginations.

traumanurse66 · Apr 17, 2016

I would also like to add that as an Educator, I train and orient many PCAs and Techs in the ED and yes, several of them receive public assistants and work two jobs.