registered nurse

patient services representative

nursing assistant

registered nurse - operating room

licensed practical nurse

Cayuga Medical Center

I was staffed through a staffing agency to fill a position here, but I can say it was an awful place to do work of any kind for Medical Information Services. At the outset I will indicate I was forcibly removed from this position, something I'll indicate more on later in this review.

At the time of this review, a consultant was brought in to assess MIS, budget expenditures, and likely keep the hospital from spending too much. However, the consultant in question had what appeared to be minimal IT knowledge, and as far as I could tell, was far more efficient at using buzzwords than technical knowledge. They were also much more hard pressed on discussing plans than executing plans, and as such, much was talked about, little was actually done.

Which brings me to my next point, Call Center and Technician work was not segregated, The workers in place before the contract was put in place and I was brought on board, did not like answering the phones too much, as such, there was little actual field work being done by us contractors, which was indicated as a large portion of our work load in the job description. Existing IT staff was able to offload the call work, as such, I and one other colleague were stuck in a supply closet heated heavily by a server instead of a cubicle, or a desk. It was as makeshift as could be. In fact, the other MIS employees were also shoved into another utility closet just across the way, so it was not just the contractors, but in any respect, planning wasn't done in any intelligent way. A result was very little communication, and what communication was performed, was "hold please" (Walk over to other employees) ask question about system, be told answer or create ticket, go back, fix issue or create ticket, end call. It was wildly inefficient, especially since we were never really ACTUALLY encouraged by management in the way of getting out into the hospital and learning the place to do anything but answer the phones. Only one employee ever willfully asked us if we wanted to come help with work, and for that bless him.

To compound issues, about 90% of the time vacations and meetings prevented important issues from being up-scaled to the correct person. On many occasions, IT would get flak from users for not having an issue fixed, on one instance a problem with a fax system resulted in nothing being done for about 3 work days as the person designated to monitor and fix that system was not in. No-one else knew how to fix it. No redundancy, if that person were to quit, the company would be in serious danger if the system became unstable. Meetings for management were persistent, long, and often just laying out information which was often relevant to only a few people. Leaving many user issues unsolved or un-escalated until a time in which one of the reps were available, (again because there was little cross training and redundancy). This resulted in a miserable experience on the phone, and was compounded further on what was to come next.

Hours were changed in mid contract to later, to keep my job I was to do this, but I was reluctant, allowing something like this a month in would likely snowball and add more to the contract not stated. It did, After the man who hired us was let go, (a long time head of the MIS dept) our jobs continued to degrade to call center workers instead of Field Tech/help desk hybrids. Where we'd simply come in and make tickets, let others finish them and then go home. The next thing was the deletion of a special line we used to support a program. Now there was only 1 line used for the helpdesk, us as new employees had no training in the system the other line was for, and as a result always forwarded the call to a person who knew how to fix those issues. Now, as a result users had to go through an extra layer to get to a person to fix their issue, again, the issue being compounded by the fact that often the teams designated to help with these issues were either in meetings, or absent, only this time, there was no way to fix the issue on our end, or relay the ticket up the chain, because we did not know which person in the complicated system had what privileges. So when we made a ticket, we had no idea who to give it to, since up to this point, the MIS section I was in never dealt with this program, neither did my bosses. This was changed to the official system one morning with no notice to us at all.

At this point work was a dread, it was almost impossible to help anyone, and those I could help were few, and that was because I could remotely connect. The software we used to keep track of tickets was heavily substandard for the scale of the work being done, and difficult to use, compounding things even further. We had few tools, the company provided very basic ones (we were expected to get our own really, and each tech really had their own toolkit they got themselves). 

A girlfriend of 8 years was diagnosed with a form of cancer (Stage IV) while I was there. As you might expect, my overall performance suffered, I was upset, and downtrodden, after a very short time, I told the consultant in a meeting we had personally (she effectively was my boss at the time) the news. She did not indicate I could have a day off or take time to work through my grief. Since this was not family I was lead to believe that work was still something that needed to be done, and time off wasn't in the cards. The next day, (so I was told by a colleague who worked there) that consulant put in to terminate my contract. The next week, I was told that I was not allowed back in a meeting with my contract manager, on the non specific basis that I had done "something inexcusable". My contract manager was not given much more than that. 

The work itself was difficult to perform due to poor planning on management's part, the management were often locked in uneventful meetings, people were often unavailable when needed, accommodations were poor for employees, and Due to the way termination was handled, with low feedback of my problems while there or why I was let go was not in my opinion very professional.

Work there was an absolute misery in the Information Technology field for the helpdesk for me in particular. I couldn't recommend it.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The patients.  And the soup and the fat free ranch dressing 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They only view you as a number, the pay doesn’t match the work expected. One 30 min break, no union to represent the staff. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Expect the unexpected. Expect that when you feel good about how things are running that someone higher up will take your staff to fit their needs elsewhere to ensure you aren’t doing well 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
To be floated to other units where the staff generally don’t want you there and to treat you less than. Running around like crazy to help everyone on the floor because the other staff are too lazy to answer a call bell or opposite where they are so consumed and drowning in there own work that it makes it impossible for you to get help. Expect to stay late to get your documentation done. Because if you are a decent human being you’re gonna be running around like crazy. The 30 mins they allow you to have isn’t long enough to even consume a meal. So expect to be starving by the end of your shift

In the past, I worked for CMC for many years. During that time I was content and felt like the hospital looked out for and encouraged employees to be educated, competent to excelling in skills, caring and involved. 
Returning to the hospital for renewed employment I have found that although people are walking around with smiles on their faces the underlying tension is palpable. You have to be worried about your retention and the environment is not "Just" environment as they strongly promote, and there are serious concerns about retention; you are a warm body. Demands on employees are unrealistic. Skill and Professional level Training is demanded but in being trained in a new position in a new Unit, orientation was pitiful, sporadic and generally unacceptable. It saddens me that no recourse is available and the hospital has changed so greatly in only a few years.

Great learning experience, while learning a new specialty in nursing. However the pay is poor due to the high cost of living in the specific area. Should focus on retention and retaining current staff. Staff having to constantly train and precept nurses because turnover is very high. 

A typical day or evening at work was team oriented.  Enjoyed being able to have fun while I worked.  Great personalities and people who cared about the patients they took care of.
I learned life skills. And through those skills, I gained self-confidence and pride. Every shift I learned from my peers.  The hardest part of my job was the loss of patients.  In healthcare you are privileged to make a difference in others lives. You have some patients that you bond with.  And get close to their families.   Saying good bye, and detaching yourself is part of providing good care for everyone.
To be a part of a hospital that has such dedication to the public, is where I hope to be once again.

Depending on your department you can live your best life or your worst nightmare. I can't speak for the clinical side of things other than to say the turnover rate is HIGH.
The patient access side of the house specifically the ED is a train wreck.
That dept is the epitome of the red headed step child. I think the phrase "Beatings will continue until moral improves" is quite appropriate. Want to feel unappreciated, overworked and underpaid? Come to ED reception. Not enough stress in your life? Come to ED reception. Want your concerns and suggestions ignored by management? Come to ED reception.
If all this sounds to good to be true well then come on down to CMC and  see what we can't do for you.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great pay and benefits, wonderful supervisors, great schedule, opportunities to move up in the organization. All staff and coworkers are a pleasure to work with. Plenty of time off that is easy to use. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Getting tools and supplies purchased. It is a long process. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very diverse. Safe friendly environment. Lots of people willing to help each other. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Start by safety checks and concerns. Look at work orders and prioritize. Check pending emails. Perform tasks in a timely manner. Ask for help when needed. Enjoy lunch breaks. Sometimes asked to work late to get tasks accomplished.

Working as an aid on a busy medical floor as my very first experience in a hospital and was life-changing. I decided to become a nurse after working for a few months as an aid but knew I wanted to look for a better example of patient care and management in a hospital. This was a small hospital and the politics were difficulty for me to swallow even at that early stage in my nursing career. I learned a lot however and did my first night shift ever, which was just the beginning for me and I did not know it then. I am glad I was able to be an aid before being a nurse as I was able to see how hard it is to keep up and take care of everything and not have as much control over what you do and when.

Although I enjoyed my time working for this company, there were serious issues in management. Working with other staff members made it impossible to shine through because your'e consistently put down for trying to out-do yourself. Over-working shows the lack of all other areas in this workplace and there's no appreciation for it. Instead, you are targeted and attacked for any and all circumstances. If you're comfortable with spending most of your day with people you'd need to treat as strangers in order to get through the day, then this job would be for you. But under NO circumstances shall you defend yourself, your work, or your co-workers. It's not tolerated here.

 I worked 8 1/2 Years for CMC. They were, By Far, the Best Employer that I have Ever had! I still Keep in Touch with many of the Staff there-Whom are still Working there Because They Love their Job! I only left Because it was an Immediate chance to Advance from an Xray Technologist to an Mri Technologist Position.
 They are a Very Team-oriented Facility and Always Remain Ample with Staff. Because People Enjoy Their Job there, The Attitudes and Atmosphere are Very Friendly, Happy, and Positive.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 6 salaries reported	$43.03 per hour
Patient services representative 10 salaries reported	$20.38 per hour
Nursing assistant 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Registered nurse - operating room 1 salary reported	$43.50 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 4 salaries reported	$27.57 per hour

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