santa clara valley medical center

begalli · May 3, 2005

Hi romsy.

You might check out this thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97681&page=1&pp=10&

I would recommend VMC to anyone looking for work in the ICU, burn unit, spinal cord trauma, spinal rehab, NICU, and pediatrics. Anything to do with children or babies, it would be a good idea to have some knowledge of Spanish, but it's not required. The telemetry floor isn't bad either. I would completely stay away from med/surg or the straight surgical floor (somewhat of a step-down) and the general rehab unit (stroke, head injury, etc). That's just my opinion of having known these floors very well and knowing how they were run. It may be completely different now that the ratios have taken effect.

There are a lot of great people who work at Valley. This hospital is unique. The employees have a great dedication to their work including the Doctors. I don't remember if it's mentioned in that other thread, but it's a teaching facility with Residents from Stanford.

If you will be transferring from a county facility in the south, Valley would be good for you to be able to carry over your PERS, your senority, and (I think) your benefits - meaning there's no lapse in coverage.

I would work in an ICU at Valley in a heartbeat if they only did the kind of cardiac surgery we do where I am. They do cardiac surgery but not the transplants and not the patients who require intense technology like VADs.

Good luck in your decision! I'd say go for it!

romsy · May 3, 2005

Hi romsy.
You might check out this thread: https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97681&page=1&pp=10&
I would recommend VMC to anyone looking for work in the ICU, burn unit, spinal cord trauma, spinal rehab, NICU, and pediatrics. Anything to do with children or babies, it would be a good idea to have some knowledge of Spanish, but it's not required. The telemetry floor isn't bad either. I would completely stay away from med/surg or the straight surgical floor (somewhat of a step-down) and the general rehab unit (stroke, head injury, etc). That's just my opinion of having known these floors very well and knowing how they were run. It may be completely different now that the ratios have taken effect.
There are a lot of great people who work at Valley. This hospital is unique. The employees have a great dedication to their work including the Doctors. I don't remember if it's mentioned in that other thread, but it's a teaching facility with Residents from Stanford.
If you will be transferring from a county facility in the south, Valley would be good for you to be able to carry over your PERS, your senority, and (I think) your benefits - meaning there's no lapse in coverage.
I would work in an ICU at Valley in a heartbeat if they only did the kind of cardiac surgery we do where I am. They do cardiac surgery but not the transplants and not the patients who require intense technology like VADs.
Good luck in your decision! I'd say go for it!

THANKS so much for the very informative post begalli.

Romsy