what's wrong with HCA hospitals?

[NurseNature]

I noticed some others mentioning they would not work in an HCA hospital and I just applied through HCA yesterday. What do I need to look out for or consider when deciding whether or not to work for them?

[SherBearRN]

HCA is a for-profit hospital organization. A lot of the hospitals in the Midwest are HCA facilities. I used to work for one and I will never do it again. When it comes to making a profit or staffing adequate nurses, the hospital will choose the monetary compensation over patient and/or staff needs. The end result? High staff turnover and dissatisfaction. Nurses' opinions are not valued at HCA. Just my two cents...

[at2726]

HCA hospitals are all about making a profit, and not in patient care. I worked for HCA for three years, and I'm hoping I won't have to work for them ever again. They don't really care about staffing issues. They are only interested in how much money they can make.

[Josh L.Ac.]

I finishing up my accelerated BSN at Research College of Nursing and last week we had a panel of nursing managers during our Leadership class, which included the CNO at Research. She handled the aggressive nature of the questions [most of us signed up for the HCA tuition waiver and are starting to balk at the thought of working for HCA for two years] and stated her goal is for Research hospital to receive magnet status within 3 years. Obviously this would require wide-scale changes, which the CNO readily admitted.

So things might be getting better...although I'm already planning to ditch HCA for greener pastures, i.e., pain management, which HCA does not have.

[at2726]

Things may get better with HCA. The CNO over Research is a very good nurse and administrator. She is the type that will actually listen, and she is not afraid to jump in when someone is in need. Before Baptist closed she was the CNO there and she was very good at her job. So things may begin to turn around. There is a pain management clinic on the Research Brookside Campus. The best thing you can do is to take the tuition waiver, it will make a huge difference in your financial status. When I took the waiver I kept saying that I would only stay for two years, next thing I know it was four years later. Take the money, hang in there, and move on in two years.

[Josh L.Ac.]

Things may get better with HCA. The CNO over Research is a very good nurse and administrator. She is the type that will actually listen, and she is not afraid to jump in when someone is in need. Before Baptist closed she was the CNO there and she was very good at her job. So things may begin to turn around. There is a pain management clinic on the Research Brookside Campus. The best thing you can do is to take the tuition waiver, it will make a huge difference in your financial status. When I took the waiver I kept saying that I would only stay for two years, next thing I know it was four years later. Take the money, hang in there, and move on in two years.

I just spoke with several nursing managers today that told me Brookside does have pain management, but unfortunately, there are no capstone slots there...which leaves me with picking St. Luke's East for pain management + ER.

If anyone can change things here at Research, the CNO can. She was very motivating to listen to and she fielded the questions like a pro. Since many of my classmates are going to stay at Research, it will be interesting to see what they think in a few years.

[currentlytx]

HCA hospitals are all about making a profit, and not in patient care. I worked for HCA for three years, and I'm hoping I won't have to work for them ever again. They don't really care about staffing issues. They are only interested in how much money they can make.

Sorry, but welcome to nursing. Bottom line is the $$ everywhere. It can be very dishearting. We do however have to be good stewards of our workplace enviornment, this includes the budget. Without $$ we do not have jobs. Non profit is just as bad. They have to not show a profit so all the management makes $$ and remember the bonuses they get for making sure staff nurses don make$$. just my input!

[currentlytx]

I do not currently work in HCA hosp but was thinking of moving to dfw area and work. It is large area but seems there are lots of HCA hosp. Any ideas? My main area of nursing is nsy, level II NICU (don't care to do III again!) & PP. Prefer not to do PP either but will. Any ideas? THX

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Be especially careful of working for HCA hospitals in DFW - They are part and parcel of Group One.

If you are not familiar with GroupOne - - a blacklisting group used by HCA mainly in DFW area, please use search and read the many threads sbout this group.

[Sean 91]

HCA consistently understaffs to feed the pocketbook of the Frist family and other investors, thus endangering patients' lives and the livelihood of nurses and doctors whose licenses are put in jeopardy. It is not unusual at the facility I worked at on nightshift to have as many as 11-12 patients at night.

[ef0321]

I have been employed at an HCA Hospital for the last 12 years. We have no staffing shortage and no large turnover. The max patients to nurse ratio is 6:1 with the smallest ratio being 1:1 or 2:1. In addition we have a Staff Governance organization that all staff may be a part of. Staff is bringing about some really great changes and our voices are being heard. Our "O"'s (CEO, CNO, CFO, COO) are all really great and are accessible to any of us. They (O's) visit the various units in the hospital on a weekly basis, listening to our concerns.

I love where I work and would not work anywhere else.

[Sean 91]

That's great. Things can change.