nolaRN9

Ochsner is like any other job. There are a lot of factors that it depends on. What unit you work on, who you work with, the doctors you deal with, patient population, etc. It is a teaching hospital, so you will deal with a lot of frequently rotating interns who are clueless at times. This aspect is something that I like. As they are learning, you get to see and learn a lot at the same time. They also seem to be nicer to the nurses, because often they lean on you for guidance so they don't screw up. The hospital does seem to be one of the lower paying ones in the area, but they do have a "clinical ladder" program. If you participate, you can increase your pay, but it is something you have to reapply for each year. It is a very large hospital, so there are many opportunities to advance and/or make lateral moves to find an area you like. Employees are treated fairly, although there is always room to improve. Like I said, it is a big hospital. Like with any corporation, the people up top will always expect more from the employees at the cheapest cost. There is also the matter of more "customer" oriented than "patient" oriented. Often you feel like we are more worried about getting good survey results than better patient outcomes. I have only worked at Ochsner, so I don't know how it works at other places, but this seems to be a common theme in healthcare no matter where you work.