Porter vs Swedish?

[owleyes]

Hi,

I'm new to Englewood area, and would like to find a position, preferably day-shift in Oncology. I worked a few years in an outpatient oncology center and loved it! The problem of course, is that I need employment sooner than later. I would love the luxury of waiting for an oncology position to open, but know that could be a while. I also have med/surg and a home health background, but my experience is rural. I have heard to avoid Swedish at all costs, and that the turnover is high. I have heard that Porter is great. I want to dismiss the negatives about Swedish, because I may have an easier time of getting a job there. Could anyone shed some light on these hospitals. Should I apply for a PRN position in Oncology at Porter to just get my foot in the door- or take a full time position at Swedish to gain experience at an urban hospital? Feeling a little lost here. Any personal stories would be useful. Thanks!

[SC_RNDude]

I worked at Swedish for a little over two years. Leaving for another place was a good move for me. However, I have also heard of much worse places. I think "avoiding it at all costs" is a bit of a overstatement.

I don't think that upper management has a very good appreciation for it's nursing staff or how staffing effects patient care and employee satisfaction (thus the high turnover). On the plus side, there are a lot of great people (nurses, techs, physicians, transporters, housekeepers, etc.) that I miss working with.

[owleyes]

Which unit did you work on at Swedish? The person who told me to avoid it all costs, worked in the PCU. I think I will disregard her comment and apply for jobs there. What is their interview process like? Is it difficult to land a job there due to competition? Thanks again for sharing your insights. I really appreciate that!

[SC_RNDude]

I considered transferring to the PCU, so I am somewhat familiar with it. You have 3-4 patients (the matrix calls for 3 when full they are full) and 4-5 at night. It is the closest thing Swedish has to a step-down unit. Some very sick people. You draw your own labs and do your own ECG's. The techs (CNA's) are trained to do these as well.

My biggest complaint about Swedish in general is staffing. They dont' seem to pay any attention to acuity, and they micro-manage staffing almost hourly. You may have some days with easy patients, and then on another have a full-load of sick, confused, fall-risk,etc patients. It isn't uncommon to find out a nurse is going home, giving you one of their patients, and learning at the same time a tech of the floor is also leaving. And this without anyone consulting you about what is happening with your patients and seeing if you need help. I believe this issue is what leads to the high turnover. It is too bad. There are some great people who are working there.

[owleyes]

Thanks RNdude for your feedback! I applied for a position in Oncology at Porter a few days ago, but was not selected for an interview. Perhaps they list jobs, but hire internally- discouraging. Its a different job market here- and I may need to step things up 10 notches!

[SC_RNDude]

Yes, they like to post more jobs then they really have for some reason.. I recently was on the right end of the equation and was able to confirm what I already knew.. I was offered a job, but the hiring process was held up for awhile because they told me they had to post it for a week. What a waste of people's time, especially that of the job seeker's. Maybe so the recruiter has something to do?

Good luck!