registered nurse

clinical research coordinator

senior research technician

postdoctoral fellow

research assistant

Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia

I was drawn in by the reputation and very disappointed. There is a very toxic workplace culture within CHOP.  They place very little value on employee satisfaction. Even less value on process improvement on the ground level. There are some employees who have spent their entire careers at CHOP and are now leaving because the work environment continues to become more and more unbearable.
The most you can hope to gain by working there is experience working with some complex and incredibly sick children and the notoriety of having CHOP experience on your resume. There are "opportunities for advancement", but the amount of red tape and hospital bureaucracy that you'll have to maneuver through to even be a candidate makes it a very difficult task....Unless you know someone and are blessed to be in the inner circle.  If you have chosen the nursing career because you want to affect change and improve care practices this may not be the place for you. Unless you want to have to yell on deaf ears and be told "no" each time you present something outside of the CHOP norm. Overall I wouldn't choose CHOP as your retirement plan, especially if you are a new nurse. This is a place to jump in get your feet wet and jump out before it beats you down. They operate under the idea that if you are unhappy with how they do things, you can leave and they will easily replace you because its CHOP. 
The biggest areas of concern:
1. Patient care
- MANY areas of the hospital are severely understaffed creating horrifically unsafe caregiver:patient ratios. 
- Nurses are redeployed to work on areas and units with little to no orientation or experience
- They have very arbitrary rules that hinder nurses from practicing to the full capability of their licensure (ex. there are some floors where RNs cannot apply O2 for a patient, they must wait for a respiratory therapist to come apply it. (Seriously?!) Also RNs cannot start IVs or do blood draws they must wait for a phlebotomist or a nurse on the IV team to come do it, phlebotomy only rounds certain hours, and the IV team nurses will argue you down about how many reasons they should not be placing a new IV (Ya have ONE job?!?)

2. Pay
- Worst pay for nurses in the greater Philadelphia area. Enough said.

3. CHOP doesn't acknowledge that there is a problem within CHOP!
- Every hospital system has its issues, but this place takes the cake. They truly do not think that their culture and practices are dysfunctional. I cannot say that the executive management has an understanding of what is going on at the bedside but it sure doesn't seem to be high on the priority list because I've never seen "the suits" in the hospital engaging with the staff members, discussing the issues, and/or asking for feedback about a new process or change.

The fact that they cannot/will not even acknowledge the issues creates little to no hope of seeing effective and positive changes anytime soon. The turnover rate at this hospital is incredibly high and it won't change until CHOP understands that if you take care of your employees first, everything else will fall into place.


- A typical day at work consist of reassuring that we have appropriate staffing levels, unit checks, inventory checks, making sure inventory control systems are operational, addressing customer complaints/issues, shift reports, addressing employee issues, shift hand-off's to oncoming management, shipping and receiving inventory, quality control checks, staff meetings with unit charge staff.

- I've learned how to manage staff in a fast paced, evolving environment.

- Due to consistent management changes, I've learned to be more knowledgeable manager by learning all aspects of inventory management to ensure the continuance of operational production.

- As the longest standing manager in my position, I've trained most of  my cohorts in the operational practices of the facilities and lamented the expectations of the customer. This has proved to valuable in ensuring operational continuity.

- The hardest part of the job was adjusting to the standards of the constant management changes. We were never able to follow through with operational models we established under the last manager after months of research and revision. Each managers vision of the department was different, but before we could see the effects of the operational changes we implemented, we were changing models again.

- The most enjoyable part of the job was seeing the satisfaction of the customers we assisted. The staff appreciated our dedication to our mission and the patients care were the ultimate results of our efforts.

Working at Chop when at first I was excited to become a staff member based on the history and culture of the hospital. However, shortly after getting into my training, I learned that the hospital is very unprofessional behind closed doors. The departments are very catty and childish. And if you are not a part of the clicks you will be targeted in other ways. You will be bullied within side the workplace and basically, if you do not conform to the cliques you will be targeted in other ways. There's no workplace moral and if you are not cool with management that means if you are not being an active snitch reporting bad information or good information to management you will be bullied in other areas. There is nothing enjoyable about the job other than a paycheck. If you have to stay to yourself at a job and not even say the common hi and bye you will understand the level of toxic workplace environment that CHOP is. The hardest part of the job is simply just trying to do your job and not get picked on by the certain groups that were formed. I wished that I could say something nice about chop other than the check is amazing but I cant. CHOP is the type of place you work there you get your paycheck and that's it. Dont be friends with NO ONE!!!!! NO ONE!!! Management NOR STAFF is not your friends..... Here and there it will be one person that you could learn from however over all this has been the most toxic work environment that I ever worked in that pays so since it pays the best thing to do is shut up and ignore anyone in your department because EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE IS FAKE. 

Pros:
Decent pay and did not low ball entry level pay like some employers will, great benefits (7.8 hours per pay period which is equal to 5 weeks a year), friendly staff, hard working staff, have right intentions

Cons: Culture of throwing people under the bus, stressful- high stakes environment that could be better mediated without the additional pressure of time and staff breathing down your back. An employee jokingly stated it was a sweat shop. Rings true. Treated like robots. Have to drink coffee to increase productivity. Do not get full 1 hr breaks. Only get 50 minutes, and at times have only had 30 minute breaks. Staff are expected to arrive early, however cannot clock in 5-10 minutes prior, so staff arrive and work, but do not get compensated for this time. Physically demanding job- on your feet for the whole shift. Intense training- more intense than needed. Little to no diversity in clinical administration. Requesting time off is a gamble.  PTO not valid until after 3 months. Under stressful deadlines/runs, staff can be hostile. Look for red flags- hindsight is 20-20.

Advice to management: No need to ask for names of staff that are to blame, but instead consider the fact that the way things are run are to blame. The staff need more support and resources. No need to cut corners in these areas. Do not have staff just work faster and supervisors should step in to help (two do, but the rest don't). Create more of a supportive team environment- not one focused on calling people out on their mistakes in fear of losing their jobs, but praising staff for the other 1,999 medications they did accurately and on time. Teach staff how to talk to each other nicely and professionally when irritated.

As an outpatient dietitian, my typical day involves managing a workload of 6-7 patients, managing patient inboxes, and coordinating with the interdisciplinary team. I enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, and I'm used to spending 9-10 hours at work every day, so that was not too unusual. The clinical nutrition management there changed between 2022 and 2023, and the culture now is very toxic. Unsupportive to say the least. They reward you if you complain about your colleague and are brutal once you are on their radar. They play favoritism, and once they are out to get you, it's a matter of days. They are seasoned in torturing you until you make a mistake and set you up to fail. This was my dream job that came crashing down. The work culture there crushed my soul. I have over 9 years of experience as a pediatric dietitian and was made to feel I knew nothing and wasn't doing anything right. The exact days between their first email comprehending areas of improvement and my last day at CHOP were 5 working days. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who isn't prepared to be brutal and go behind their coworkers to save their job. Every dietitian is looking out for themselves, so expect zero support and help from colleagues. 

A typical day at work is patient care and management. Communication with doctors, parents, patients and other staff. Knowing how to stay calm under pressure and still provide great care. I learned how to be a good ICU nurse. From mentors inside and outside the unit, I learned the basics and also put in the time off of work to study and research my field. Management at CHOP and especially in my unit was in turnover. We were recently introduced to a new manager who seems to have good intentions, but management still does not seem to be there for the nurses or staff. You feel on a island a lot of the time and it effects work place culture. Everyone looks out for themselves and does not feel like a team atmosphere and management makes it feel worse. There is a divide between senior and new nurses, but i tried to bridge that gap by becoming a mentor and making myself available to new staff. The hardest part of the job was navigating the politics of the unit and the stress and lack of help put on staff by management (not only unit but facility management). They run CHOP like a business and the employees are expendable and are hurt in the process. Nevertheless, the most enjoyable apart of the job was patient care. Interacting with patients and families at a difficult time in their lives and doing my absolute best to help and advocate for them, so they can heal was why I kept coming back.

Children's Hospital is a hospital with a wonderful mission and purpose to the healthcare world and benefit of children and families and their health and well being.  Though the environment comes with many stresses and opportunities to grow, it is not without it's quality and care-driven workers across the board.  There may be a bit of cleaning up the hospital has to do in order to increase it's efficiency and cohesiveness, without a doubt it is a place driven by the love of learning to provide quality and cohesive healthcare.  Children's Hospital truly is the founder and responsible leader for Pediatric Healthcare Worldwide.  If you want to be a part of that mission, I would highly recommend this place, but please be aware that no place is what you want it to be without your efforts towards presenting it that way.  If you do work here, do not let anyone tell you this is not what is happening at this hospital.  Sometimes people get confused by their stress and anxiety and it takes them a minute to readjust their perception of the environment and if you present this mission to the people here they will receive it with open arms.  I have had three years of experience of working with my favorite department and wonderful caring co-workers led by a manager who always puts the departments needs before her own and is working towards creating this environment for all to work with.  Thank you for your time in reading this review.  I wish you the best in your endeavors and do thoroughly believe anyone that keeps this mission in their focus, will do amazing things working at this place.

Due to a cervical spine surgery with a long recovery I was to return to my job but due to the fact that i was out for 6mons- they terminated my job. HR did not return calls about my status.
They advertised for positions with my job description but I was never even communicated why I could not get my job back.
A typical day expect a lot of interesting but also things that were at the cutting edge of medicine. Every patient's medication a dosage had to be calculated to avoid any mis-dosages. Its a very stimulating environment as they are working at automation and also simplifying the work by using 5S and Lean technology. The senior management was very demanding and expected a lot from everybody. Co-workers were competitive but assisted others when possible. Hardest part of the job was continual change and poor communications. We had monthly continuing education where 2 credit hours were obtained from the association with a college that approved our CE for creditl
It was enjoyable to be always learning and getting new information about drugs and dosages. Great location for being in a college environment with lots of chances for entertainment and great food.

Supervisor –5/13-6/21/13 & 9/1/13 - 10/21/13 (Business Office)
•	Overseeing all daily operations for customer service department.
•	Meeting with employees weekly to assure all compliance and support service regulations are being followed.
•	Reviewed accounts daily to assure financial programs requirements are met to achieve monthly goals.
•	Assisted customer service reps with complex accounting issues.
•	Designed refund process for business office to assure patient relations and quality remain intact.

CSR (Customer Service Rep) 
•	Service all billing inquiries for insurance companies and family members.
•	Resolve complex account matters using EPIC systems and Chart Max.
•	Assist family members with setting payment options while staying within company guidelines. 


Certified Epic Trainer
•	Conduct educational classes based on requirements for new hires. 
•	Training current employees on program and system updates.
•	Trainer for outside agencies and contractors to assure all CHOP guidelines are met for proper access clearance to EPIC and other systems such as Claim Logic, Paymentus and Navinet. 

Refund Specialist 
•	Review all accounts and finance reports for true credit balances.
•	Prepare documentation for finance to have accounts settled for weekly reports.
•	Handle all escalated refund request from CHOP Research and self pay accounts.

From working here I've learned a lot about CHOP. I was so excited when I got the job here but I learned several hard lessons very quickly. I have more responsibilities at this job that I have ever had in my previous jobs, however I get paid the least amount in my department. There is undeniable favoritism in every department that I've heard about so far. Also most departments are under-staffed or not trained properly. Therefore, one person ends up doing the work of three sometimes or most times. It doesn't matter the situation, they will always demand constant perfection. When I started I was simply thrown into it and then I was constantly being reminded that I wasn't good enough by my superior and beaten down further with every mistake I made (keep in mind I had just started). Almost 2 years in and I haven't been able to take a vacation because of my workload. I'm actually afraid of how my workload will be impacted if I take more than one day off at a time. I would probably get in trouble for becoming so behind. I've heard that some people in other departments are very happy and don't have paperwork coming out of their ears like myself. The most enjoyable part about working here is the reason why everyone works here...because we care about children and want to make a difference.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 14 salaries reported	$49.86 per hour
Clinical research coordinator 12 salaries reported	$56,792 per year
Senior research technician 11 salaries reported	$48,105 per year
Postdoctoral fellow 3 salaries reported	$65,213 per year
Research assistant 3 salaries reported	$20.67 per hour

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