St. Mary's Medical Center,Long Beach Ca

U.S.A. California

Published

Anyone who have worked,currently working or knows someone who works in this teaching hospital? I received a phone call from one of their recruiters today and he set me up with a phone interview with the director of the telemetry dept. there, i just said yes, even if i already have an offer in a nursing home here in sanfran where i live, im just waiting for their call for the orientation date. Anyway its just a phone interview, the interviewer may or may not like me. I got interested because for one its a hospital, then they provide relocation assistance, they have 5k sign-on bonus, they're union, they have salary increases twice a year (i dont know if that's true though, that's what the recruiter said) and its a new grad position and long beach is a nice area to live. Now im confused, i dont know if i can still back out from the nursing home if i choose to accept the hospital's offer if they like me, the nursing home here has a good reputation though, they're jewish-owned and they have good benefits as well, though it doesnt include a sign-on bonus.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, CCU, teaching.

I did some student rotatioins at St Mary's in Long Beach and it was a nightmare. Bad staffing, almost all registry nurses because they could not get regular staff since conditions were poor. I saw some of the scariest things there like running out of insulin for an entire floor and not being able to get anymore and reusing iv connectors on different patients! The layout of the floors are horrible, it was certainly not designed by someone who was atually going to have to work on the floor. It's a huge rectangle and you get patients on different sides. It's also in a rough area of Long Beach. This was in 2002, but from what I've heard things have not really improved. You might want to tour the hospital before agreeing to work for them.

Karen

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I did some student rotatioins at St Mary's in Long Beach and it was a nightmare. Bad staffing, almost all registry nurses because they could not get regular staff since conditions were poor. I saw some of the scariest things there like running out of insulin for an entire floor and not being able to get anymore and reusing iv connectors on different patients! The layout of the floors are horrible, it was certainly not designed by someone who was atually going to have to work on the floor. It's a huge rectangle and you get patients on different sides. It's also in a rough area of Long Beach. This was in 2002, but from what I've heard things have not really improved. You might want to tour the hospital before agreeing to work for them.

Karen

Thank you for giving me this info i really appreciate it!!! I actually emailed the recruiter before i slept last night that i have to decline the job opportunity he's offering me at st. mary's, because i talked it out with my husband and i think we're not yet ready to relocate at this time because i just arrived here in the US coming from the Philippines and we dont have savings yet, so its still best for me to start work here first in sanfran then maybe in the future when i have enough savings and want to live in another place then i can do that. The recruiter was really trying his darn best to convince me, he said there's 5K sign-on bonus, relocation assistance, twice a year increase in salary and so on so forth and these benefits are all being offered to a new grad, it sounded so perfect. The thing i didnt like though i was asking for a med-surg area, but he was insisting and convincing me to try telemetry and set me up right away with the director at the telemetry dept. But anyway its okay, the DON of the nursing home that i applied to here in sanfran called me up today and i will be starting work on feb 13, they have a good reputation and they're privately owned not chain and they give 31/hr pay for new grad, lesser than a hospital new grad pay here in the bayarea which is 36/hr, but for a foreign nurse and a first job here in the US thats more than enough, and besides its tough for a new grad foreign nurse with no US work experience to get into hospitals here in the bayarea.
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Great to hear that you got the job!!!!

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Great to hear that you got the job!!!!

thanks suzanne! im excited at the same time nervous because i havent had clinical exposure for a while, my last was in 05 so i know its gonna be overwhelming at first for me, but its ok everything is like that in the beginning, i just have to adapt myself and i really hope and pray ill be given a supportive preceptor.

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Hi! I'm from the Phils too. I am currently looking for a job in the bay area, Can you tell me the name of your nursing home, i also want to apply there.

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I delivered at St. Mary's... postpartum experience (as a patient) was great! Would go back there anyday.

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St. mary's was ranked top 30 (#28) the best hospital in CA in 2012.

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