nursing assistant

registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

wound care nurse

social worker

Columbine Health Systems

I have worked for Columbine since 2003 with the majority of my career being at Centre Ave Health and Rehab. I started out years ago as a kitchen aide and thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace and interaction with the residents and fellow employees. As a single mother I knew I needed a bit more income, so I began the training as a Nurses Aide through Columbine and continued to work at Centre once I received my license. I was thrilled that I had the opportunity to advance and create a bit more security for myself as well as my children. I love what I do. I love helping my residents and my fellow employees. I have been treated with respect and given the opportunity to shine in my given career. I became a team lead and trained the new aides that came through our building as well as the students in training to become CNAs. Columbine has set the bar high in the quality of care they give their patients and the opportunities they provide for their employees. You can advance if you work hard and show a passion for what you do. I have since moved into a management position in a different department and have thoroughly enjoyed the change. My coworkers have been very supportive and encouraging as have my supervisors since what I am doing now is totally different. I was given the training I needed to succeed and the time to adjust to the job change. I have now been working in my position now for almost 2 years and have seen more of the business side of things and have a greater respect for those in the management role. There is so much more to running a company than you see on the surface. So my overall review? I love this company. I love the people I work for and those I work with. You can advance and are encouraged to do so. 13 years of my life has been dedicated to customer service and helping those in our community. Columbine Health Systems is a wonderful company and I have been blessed more than I can say. I hope to continue with them for many more years to come. Cheers!

My position was one of the most fun and desired positions at this facility. I was not a member of the direct care staff (CNA, RA, Nurses). The work itself was fun. I especially enjoyed getting to know the residents. Admittedly, I usually only hung out with them during their better moods and not during more challenging activities like bathing or other personal cares. Regardless, the residents were amazing and very appreciative of staff. 

Problems arose when it came to the work culture and management. Everyone was overworked. Pay was not enough to afford a decent living on a single income. People were forced to come in sick and injured to maintain job security and income. This was detrimental to the residents as they are immune compromised. Sickness often spread throughout the facility to staff and residents. Staff would often be put in dangerous/ risky positions or positions out side of their job descriptions. This was something that was normalized and something that we were just supposed do for the betterment of the team and residents. These concerns had been brought to management and was not addressed. They finally started to hire more people to help lighten the load once a resident was forced to report the situation to state. 

The work culture was sort of toxic. There was a lot of gossip and animosity between the different positions. It seemed everyone thought they were the glue keeping it all together and discounted the efforts of the other positions and staff members. There was also some animosity towards people who tried to better the situation by reporting problems. It felt like reporting issues was discouraged for both staff and the residents which I felt really got in the way of providing residents the best care possible.

At the end of the day, this field of work is not easy. The hardest part was seeing the residents suffer due to the decisions from management. The residents were not able to receive the best care possible because the staff were barely able to care for themselves. 

This company suffers from underqualified management. exemplified by my direct supervisor's unprofessional and disrespectful behavior. A significant issue is the lack of confidentiality, with managers frequently discussing employee issues with other staff. This creates a toxic environment with drama and a lack of trust.
HR proved ineffective in addressing these concerns. Management consistently fails to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace.
Instances of theft were mishandled, with management initially blaming residents before acknowledging the true nature of the crime.
Dishonesty and a tendency to push out great employees through negative tactics are prevalent.
Management always fails to fulfill commitments, such as attending large resident events, and regular department meetings, down to ordering things you needed to fulfill your job. There was a clear pattern of favoritism towards certain employees, resulting in unequal treatment and limited opportunities for others.
Employees are consistently underpaid and overworked. Furthermore, the company demonstrates a severe lack of compassion and empathy towards employees facing personal hardships, such as family deaths and mental health issues. This company also demonstrates a lack of consideration for employees with disabilities by spreading their personal business around the building.
Given the nature of the work, one would expect a higher level of empathy. However, it appears that company priorities primarily revolve around budget and profit maximization.

I worked in the management offices and paid only brief visits to the facilities. What I did see of facility staff was overwhelmingly positive.

- I was able to develop genuine friendships here and, as an early careerist, was often mentored by my co-workers and superiors. 
- My boss was very good to me and my compensation was fair. 
- The job itself feels incredibly meaningful because, no matter what your role is here, you are helping to provide excellent care for vulnerable populations. T
- The culture is often fun and relaxed.
- This is a for-profit company and your continued employment at this company is contingent upon you/your department/service line being able to provide value and good ROI. There is a moderate amount of stress that comes with this, but do your best and everything should work out.
- The owner of the company likes to poke fun at the employees. He is also a kind and empathetic man with lots of great qualities.
- There are strong personalities in the management offices and they can be difficult to deal with at times. You have to be flexible and you have to be accommodating or you won't have a great future here. These personalities are also the ones who care the most and make Columbine the great company that it is.
- If you are not thin-skinned and can realistically add value, you will be happy here.

I loved working here because of the residents, not because of my management team and other staff members. I liked maybe 2 other employees because they genuinely seemed to care about you and your success there.
I had worked the midnight to 8am shift and it was fine, but your called a "receptionist" but it's more like a glorified housekeeper. You have to do laundry all night and press the laundry after it's dried. Which is fine, I didn't mind it but the job title is just a bit off. Wasn't expecting to do that. 
Everything has to been done a certain way and if it's not you're basically screwed. You'll get written up, shown how to do things a dozen times and in the end still get terminated. 
You're not allowed to take any days off, if you do you'll get written up, and/or terminated. Even with a doctors note that you were ill. 

All in all. I loved my residents. Didn't get paid enough for all the stuff you have to do as a "receptionist" (glorified house keeper) and you'll be terminated if you take time off. It's good for a mom who would like a job on the side or maybe a college kid who doesn't want a social life.

Every day I come in and help take orders of residents, serve orders to residents, collect dishes afterwards from residents, clean off my workspace, and prepare for the next day ahead. I have learned how to handle food in a safe and cleanly manner as well as how to deal with different dietary needs. 

Management is poor. The managers themselves are hard to get a hold of and don't seem to take their jobs very seriously. Upon leaving the company, I was emotionally gaslit about leaving my position, called my situation disappointing, and had another position held over my head (We would've given you this, but you're leaving). Would not work again if you paid me twice as much.

A lot of people treat this job as an in and out and so there is a decent amount of rushing and fast paced work. 

The hardest part is dealing with your coworkers and food waste when collecting dishes. 

I find myself feeling appreciative of the residents and can see myself making an impact in their lives.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The value of your work is very apparent by the reception from residents. The work most of the time isn't overbearing either although I wouldn't describe it to be entry-level. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Many changes and inventory shortages are extremely common, the relationship between morning and night crews is pretty poor (as is in any kitchen, honestly), and the department is often treated poorly by other departments for little reason.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
While the company states that resident care is the #1 priority, which is vouched for by frequent and regular educational trainings, I couldn't help but feel as though the sentiment was not shared with many from all departments, some going as far as to be distasteful and insulting with residents present. This doesn't describe everyone and there's many who genuinely love their job and those around them but being miserable and irritable is very much part of the culture.

Housekeepers are treated like scum, terrible communication, management is terrible, housekeepong manager plays favorites and treats some employees much better than others expects you to be her lackey and too say and do things to boost her ego, if you dont she doesn't like you, some of the crew members were good people, some were useless and lazy, the residents were mostly fun to work with although I felt bad for them because they at times got neglected because they were short handed or because some of the nursing staff didn't give very good care, too busy socializing, apparently if you get your CNA certification that makes you a brain surgeon so you can treat others like they are beneath you. Work culture was just sad. Building was old always super hot no AC. There were constantly problems with ants coming in from outside. Even the residents complained about the heat in the summer and all they had were fans.   This job experience was horrible.

Being a CNA is very physically demanding, and I would not recommend it to any one who is adverse to cleaning fecal matter, urine or throw up. It is a very fast paced job, and at times you can be responsible for fourteen residents at a time. What this means is you will not sit down any until the end of the shift when you start paperwork, and you will most certainly have people waiting for you to help them. If you can handle all of this then it is a emotionally rewarding job because of the relationships you build with the residents. I met some really wonderful people who cared about me as much as I cared about them. The reward comes when you get to emotionally support these people in hard times. Management can really understaff a shift, which makes residents and resident's family very upset with you, not the manager.

This is a company that supported a Chef who threatened me, and other employees to NOT clock in to establish better numbers monthly, he made it clear overtime wasn't an option. We were subjected to write ups if we didn't comply. HR was notified but still employed the "chef" for quite sometime. I  left on a mutual but able to be "rehired" status. Lies. I drove over a hundred miles to interviews with this company and was always turned down. Instead of saying " We don't want you, you're trouble" they lie, lie, lie. The kitchen I worked in had terrible cooks, filthy. I informed management of that as well..nothing done. So bad a cook cut themselves and left all the bloody mess all over the prep sink. Management did nothing. They support illegal practices by supporting working off the clock to not have to pay for overtime. They will lie to your face and not blink. The focal of this establishment should be care for the residents. They lose that care when they hire and treat employees poorly.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 5 salaries reported	$24.00 per hour
Registered nurse 1 salary reported	$45.49 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 3 salaries reported	$42.33 per hour
Wound care nurse 1 salary reported	$43.39 per hour
Social worker 2 salaries reported	$22.50 per hour

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