registered nurse

patient care technician

senior clinical nurse

surgical technologist

licensed practical nurse

BayCare Health System

I started off as a PCT at Mease Countryside hospital. I worked on a cardiovascular telemetry floor. Anyone who works tele can tell you - it's a heavy floor! Honestly, this is where I learned the grunt work, and learned time management. Staff was a little clique-y when I first started, but was sad to see me transfer. The nurses that start off as techs are usually the ones who will help you out in a heartbeat! 
Once you become a PCT, you are able to do a little more than just the basic CNA duties. These include blood sugars, and foley insertions (as per orders). I had a hard time getting lunch coverage during some days, but quickly learned to prioritize. Learning what you can do before and after your break is important, and communicating your plan to your nurses is even more important. Make sure you take a lunch break. You will burn out! 
The hardest part of the job was the shift wars between days and nights. People seem to think night shift props their feet up and eat bon bons all night. The most enjoyable part of the job is making friends with other techs! 
I ended up transferring after a while to a different hospital. I now float all over instead of staying on one floor, AND I LOVE IT. If you aren't fond of working with a particular person, chances are, you won't have to deal with them very often. After a good few months, I proved my worth, and everyone loves working with me. Staff is great! I love working near ICU. If you ever want to learn anything, those ICU nurses will be the first to volunteer. They're also incredibly appreciative of any help you offer. They may only have 2 patients, but they do EVERYTHING- bathing, toileting, medications, charting, etc. - on them. I also love the ED. The nurses have a tough exterior, but warm hearts. You can't BS an emergency room nurse!
If you're optimistic, you'll learn a little from everyone. 
Health insurance benefits are okay, and discounts on various things are a plus! I got a $3k discount on my new car through one of the benefit programs they have for working with the company. I also get a 25% wireless discount. 
Once transferring, I also received a pay increase due to a change in my employment status. Staff techs and nurses earn a little less than pool techs and nurses. Only major differences are health insurance (depends how long you've been there), PTO and a few slight perks. I'll take the money over the PTO and perks! :) This is the best company I've worked for- ever. It's my first hospital job, and I plan to be here for a long while.
They're very strict on education (CEU's, etc), and promote within the company! They're more likely to hire a new nurse grad who was a tech with the company before an outside source. They offer tuition reimbursement, and also have grant programs for those wanting to pursue a nursing career. 
If you're looking to apply, apply to many positions. It took me over a year of applying to finally get in, but I was persistent. 
Good luck!!

In house security gig that tends to be paid at the higher ends of industry average ($10-$12 /hr) vice pay at contractual residences ($8.05-$9.00). All pay is base pay, then add in differentials for nights and weekends. No overtime opportunities, outside of mandatory training [NAPPI, Hazmat]. Annual pay raises and bonuses are nice but not extravagant, in-line with 5%-10% of base. 

Great job to fill the interim between another fulfilling career with advancement opportunities.... or a killer choice for a second job and/or retirment job. CANNOT beat the pay and benefits with any other Unarmed Security gig in Florida unless it's a Government Contract or with Armed/TWIC/Security Clearance combinations. Baycare promotes from within, mostly, and does have a great culture of taking care of their employees. Just choose your Hospital Group wisely for your desires, within Baycare System, as each does things slightly differently. 

Each Hospital group is different in management (e.g.  St Jospeh's, St Anthony's, Morton Plant Mease, Winter Haven are all "Baycare" but are run differently).  St. Anthony's and St. Joseph's are Security Department's with handcuffs, investigations, and the management's support of doing real security work.  Morton Plant Mease is the illusion of Security for compliance sake. No experience at Winter Haven as they are recently acquired to Baycare.

General attitude for all of them, though, is "show-up, do work, don't reinvent the wheel."  Additional training in Hospital Hazardous Material receiving, Patient/Visitor control techniques (NAPPI), and IAHSS Basic certification at all hospitals. Continuing security training education programs only at St. Joseph's and St. Anthony's. Morton Plant Mease is mainly concerned with Shuttle Bus Driving and completely hands-off approach at all times, hence Illusion of Security.

Daily job is mix between fixed posts, roving security (foot/vehicle), and response to codes/staff member requests. Limited report writing, if any. Hardest part of job is dealing with Rock-star mentality of some Clinical Staff (nurses, doctors, technicians) and being the lowest end of budgetary concerns [Morton Plant Mease mostly; St. Joseph/St Anthony have slightly better support].

In my personal experience, BayCare has changed a lot over the past few years, and not for the better in certain departments. If you’re considering the Nurse Helper role, I think it's only a good fit for two reasons:

You’re looking for a starting point to become a nurse or PCT.

You’re okay with staying in a non-advancing, stable position.

Beyond that, the role can be frustrating. In my time there, it often felt like staff who didn’t fully pull their weight were rarely held accountable, regardless of how often concerns were raised. Leadership dynamics also made it difficult at times—some charge nurses were challenging to work with and communication didn’t always feel respectful or supportive.

The HR department, which I had found helpful in the past, now felt less engaged when it came to handling workplace concerns. I also noticed patterns of favoritism, especially in the Staffing Resource Office and shift assignments. It often felt like the same people received more desirable placements, while others had limited choice.

One of the more discouraging issues I personally experienced was around pay. It was tough seeing new hires come in at higher rates than long-time employees—especially when some weren’t even fully trained yet. That kind of imbalance made it hard to feel valued.

As a helper, you’re typically assigned to sit with one patient for 12 hours with little change throughout the shift. In the past, helpers could assist on floors, which made the role feel more dynamic. From what I could tell, the company may be slowly reintroducing that element, which I see as a positive shift.

While there were a few truly kind and dedicated coworkers, the overall atmosphere often felt emotionally draining. Expressing concerns or standing up for yourself didn’t always seem encouraged. In my experience, staying quiet and just doing your job was the expectation.

This is just my personal reflection, but I hope it helps others decide whether this is the right fit for them.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Some of my co workers were great people.  They were ready to help the team at anytime.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The micro managing, bullying, retaliation, and pure gaslighting from management.  The manager and director have favorites that they will see nothing wrong with and will even assist them in micro managing staff.  HR is a joke and will do nothing for you as everything is at managements discretion in their policies.  They'll tell you they promote good work life balance and as soon as you have a personal issue they start the micro managing and bullying.  Horrible morale in the shop due to this kind of behavior from management.  I wish the best for the coworkers that tried to actually do teamwork and were punished for it. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is extremely stressful.  Management will gaslight you into believing they are on your side and will behind your back work with certain favorite employees to isolate and micromanage you to find mistakes and holes in your work.  This makes staff morale very poor and almost all employees feel like their job is in jeopardy at all times.  They praise teamwork and punish you for doing it.  The manager will tell you once your PMs are done he doesn't care if you put your feet up at your desk.  What he doesn't tell you is it's only for certain people and they will make example out of you.  This is how they keep everyone in line, constantly feeling like your job is in jeopardy.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Understaffed, overworked, and underappreciated.  Only days that were calm were days that management was not onsite.  However, that is going to change as the new team lead is one of the managers favorites.

The company is fantastic and the people in charge of the offices are always professional and seem sincere in their desire for quality patient care. I do feel the normal pressure to maintain low numbers of visits which is sometimes frustrating. This job requires a lot of independence- way more so than most home health. You completely manage your schedule and work with coworkers if you are unable to complete visits. You assign COTAs for treatments on their schedules. The documentation system and scheduling computer system is relatively easy to pick up if you are used to computerized documentation. This home health is not TKAs and other basic needs for the most part but rather medically complex cases and you are expected to know the diseases, review medications, and perform a wound dressing change for a temporary one until a wound nurse can get out. The training is phenomenal at the office level but field level I wish that I had had one more day or a slower schedule on my training days so I could follow along with questions. Still, every time I called in when stuck, someone picked up the phone immediately and walked me through. Meetings are professional but we do laugh and enjoy working together. The system tells you who your teammates are for that patient and it is common to call to give information of changes. The 24 triage nurse has been phenomenal. Overall this is by far the best job I have ever had. I feel like my education and clinical judgment are respected, that I can make decisions and not have negative consequences, and that there is truly a team atmosphere for each patient. Work always has some negatives but this job works to fix them if you speak up. I am prn for personal reasons but would take a full time position in a heartbeat.

Baycare seemed like a great place to work and I was really excited about the opportunity, but that quickly changed when I realized the expectation outlined during the interview process was a misrepresentation of what was really expected. In your 40 hr work week, they will book 40 hrs of patients, leaving you to use your unpaid time to complete the required documentation. They sell you a “70%” clinical expectation but the unspoken part is they will book you over 95%, leaving you to hope for no-shows each day. They continue to add new clients to each therapists schedule, even when the next follow up appointment isn’t available for 2+ months out. The therapist has minimal to no say as to what age of patient they receive and they pretend to care about your speciality focus, but in reality they book anyone and everyone on your schedule, leaving you to explain to the patient that you are not a specialist in their exact need. 
Things they also don’t explain in detail during the hiring process: they don’t offer paid holidays - they will close the office, but force you to take a day without pay or use your PTO, but be warned, you aren’t eligible to use PTO until you have been there over 90 days , so don’t start a new job during the holiday season unless you are able to afford the forced days without pay. 
The low level managers who you will report to really have no power or authority because they are taking orders from the higher level managers. In my experience it felt like the priority was about quantity of people seen (billable hours) vs. quality of work performed. 


If you are looking for a role/position in healthcare that is within a well-established &  CORPORATE-style environment, then joining the BayCare Health System is for you!

Of all the similar healthcare/hospital systems in & around the Bay Area, BayCare is definitely considered to be a top-notch option among other competitors, (if not THE BEST option!) 

They offer fantastic benefits to their employees and have tons of additional perks & resources that many companies cannot even begin to compete with! 

In addition to this, BayCare Health System offers their employees highly competitive salaries/pay rates that are well beyond any of the averages you will see in the area! 

HOWEVER; despite all the "pros" that this healthcare giant offers, applicants/new hires should be wary of the fact that it is a 10000% corporatized company to work for. 

They have an infinitely high (and ever-growing) number of policies, procedures, regulations, rules, metrics, guidelines, and expectations that the "average worker" may find difficult to achieve/meet and adhere to. 

I felt that this company experienced an even bigger "shift" in the advancement towards a very corporate culture with the addition of their newest CEO, Stephanie, and although this change sat well with many of their employees, I personally found that it was no longer an environment that valued their patients as individuals but rather saw them as numbers and profit. 

Again, this massive healthcare company is top-rated and highly awarded for a reason, but is best suited for only those who can and are willing to comply and thrive in such a setting.  

What is the best part of working at the company?
The company values education of the nursing staff. The benefits offered are decent although not spectacular. The company has a large presence in the area so it’s easy to find a provider regardless of your location. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Staffing ratios were often unacceptable and even unsafe.  Upper management, particularly the DON, showed extremely unprofessional and bullying behavior, including screaming at nurses who seemed to just take a personal dislike to these nurses. I also learned that HR doesn’t help the employees but the company instead.  Very shady and unprofessional liaisons between HR and upper management. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment among the unit employees was always family-like with nurses supporting each other.  Unit managers were generally respected and liked and supported their nurses. However, when dealing with the DON, there was a great deal of back-stabbing and personal attacks and extremely retaliatory behavior and workplace bullying. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day usually just meant walking into your job with the expectation to take care of your patients with the best care possible. However there were often staff shortages that led to improper or unsafe nurse-patient ratios. It was very obvious that dollars came before the patients (and the nurses).

The hiring process was hilarious and fun along with the working environment but not every good time will last. I started with a strong team and quickly learned what was needed to perform the job, but no suggestions are taken and change happens at a snail's pace. There is no such understanding of being streamlined. Many things used every day were very unnecessary and support staff to maintain the multiple systems were very lacking which resulted in an unreliable processing environment with creates too many opportunities for errors to occur. The company has a great motto and enthusiasm for taking care of the patient/customer/guest, but the employees are the ones carrying all the burden of providing a great experience with the worst tools possible and no matter what you had to sacrifice for the company you are treated as a common slattern even though you may be highly regarded as a valuable employee by your peers. There is no reward for any sacrifices made and the unreliable systems used create an unstable environment. The benefits were better than average but make sure you read the fine print. This company is great for getting your hands dirty if that's what you enjoy, but don't expect any exceptions for any extra work that you give. Management keeps changing, but there's no forgiveness. Our new CFO/CEO seems to want to give back, but I was an unfortunate victim of poor systems management but I'm still willing to go back! The team building is out of this world!

I came to Florida from Ohio as a travel nurse in hopes to eventually relocate. My goal was to take assignments in a variety of hospitals and clinical settings as well as network to find out where the best jobs, location, schools etc. were. After a very unpleasant experience at an HCA hospital I was assigned to BayCare, specifically in a small free standing ER, Bardmoor Emergency Center. It was like a ray of light. I found my experience there to be totally opposite from that of the HCA facility. I was welcomed, appreciated and supported from day one. The system as a whole is very well ran. The processes, policies and procedures are standardized and simplified throughout the hospital system. They take excellent care of their nurses. The teamwork and atmosphere fostered professional development and exemplary patient care. My favorite of the hospitals within the system is Bardmoor Emergency Center. The management is supportive and appreciative. They made me feel like a team member even though I was just a traveler at the time. I later hired onto the hospital permanently because of the wonderful experience that I had. I highly recommend BayCare to any nurse who may be seeking employment in Florida. They have a large hospital system that is so standardized that if you understand processes at one facility you can walk into any of them with minimal direction and hit the ground running. It is easy to pick up shifts at any of the hospitals and they offer great incentives and pay.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 22 salaries reported	$43.09 per hour
Patient care technician 3 salaries reported	$17.67 per hour
Senior clinical nurse 3 salaries reported	$46.00 per hour
Surgical technologist 3 salaries reported	$28.43 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 6 salaries reported	$22.17 per hour

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