patient advocate

patient accounts representative

registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

pharmacy technician

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute

Florida Cancer Specialists offers strong pay and excellent benefits, but the culture issues outweigh those positives. Your experience at this company depends far too much on who you report to. A good manager can shield you from a lot. A bad one can make the environment political, isolating, hostile, and deeply unsupportive.

Some executives have held positions of power for years, but from my perspective that seems to reflect their ability to preserve their place through company changes more than it reflects strong leadership. I worked for great people, and I also watched good leaders get pushed out while weaker ones pushed them out to protected their own position. From the time I started, I was struck by how openly executives would speak negatively about former employees and leaders who were no longer with the company. That told me a lot about the culture and the tone being set at the department-head level.

This is not a true open-door organization. Employees are expected to stay in their lane, communication across levels is poor, projects move slowly, and concerns do not move upward easily. To do well in this culture, you need to be the kind of person who keeps your head down and does not draw attention. If you are naturally proactive, outspoken, or full of initiative, that can quickly become a problem rather than an asset. When leadership is the problem, there are no real options. HR did not feel like a resource for employees and after hire it was focused on protecting leadership. Even HR had noticeable turnover.

I loved the work I did for the company, and I appreciated my manager early on, but that changed after leadership changes in my area revealed the broader company culture I had previously been buffered from. From that point forward, the environment felt unstable, intimidating, hostile and heavily influenced by internal politics. Leadership often seemed more focused on protecting themselves and making sure they were visible in the hierarchy than on truly supporting the teams below them.

There are still good people working there, and that is what makes the experience disappointing rather than entirely negative. But the broader culture does not reflect what the company presents itself to be. Good pay and benefits only go so far. In the end, this is not a company I would recommend to a friend. 

I have been working for over 3 years at Rx To Go Pharmacy within FCS. At first, I wasn't sure if I would be able to continue working there because it was a big change from the retail pharmacy world in which I was accustomed. After a few months, I began feeling more comfortable in my position. The company has since been restructured and now has a very successful training program for new hires. The management team really wants their employees to succeed in their positions.

Rx To Go has grown a lot since I've joined. I started in a small team of 5 technicians and now my team has grown to 18 technicians. My team is like my family and I love the fact that everyone is willing to help each other with questions or with a large workload. 

We work with cancer patients to provide them with their oral chemotherapy medications and also to make their continuation of care as seamless as possible. This can be difficult with various issues such as insurance rejections, prior authorizations, and high copays when the patient is needing to start the medication immediately. However, since we have several specialized departments within Rx To Go, we are able to successfully expedite patient's prescriptions and get them to the patients much faster than many of our competitors. 

Additionally, we have a great team of pharmacists who really go out of their way to make sure the patients receive the best care. They are always available to help answer any patient questions or concerns. In fact, a pharmacist is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year since we have an on-call service available. Our pharmacists offer weekly follow up calls for patients on certain drugs that tend to have serious side effects to offer counsel and advice on how to manage those side effects. This helps patients stay on their treatment longer and receive the most benefit from their therapy.

I could not imagine working in another pharmacy after working here and seeing the true dedication that our pharmacists, technicians, and clerks have for ALL of our patients. It's great knowing that all of your hard work and perseverance is appreciated by your co-workers, management team, and most importantly the patients.

My role was not at a clinic.  My role was at a management level in the corporate office in Fort Myers.  It was a toxic environment while higher management would cover it with smiles & lies. You are expected to have FCS your #1 priority over family and personal issues.  You are required to work at least 9 hours in the office and work at home. You will work Saturdays at least every other month. Your stress level was always on high, Every. Single Day.  The expectations were unattainable.  When your department would be close to achieving a set goal, it would change so you would not make goal and lose monetary gain. Management has a very high turnover.  It is all too common to receive email notifications stating an Exempt employee has left FCS, whether at their own will or not at their own will. It was awfully scary to work in this office. I will say the managers who are now gone, were good people; they deserved to be treated with decency & respect. FCS culture will only change for the good, if senior management actually decided to. I feel they keep certain people because big revenue amounts are being made. It's really a shame.  This is not what the true FCS culture is about but somehow, it has amassed into this.There is a fear of speaking the truth. It is guaranteed you will be reprimanded somehow, in some way, in some manner they choose. The office overall morale is so low.  The salary is meager compared to other medical companies.  If you are the current executive member of management, then you can positively contribute to ending this madness in this particular office.  You now have a limited amount of good people who still work there. Medical benefits are very expensive with a high deductible. Overall, I feel this is a good company for patients.  They do indeed attempt to Exceed Expectations for their patients.

A typical day as an infusion nurse:
Prepare for the day by stocking and cleaning anything that was not already done the night before. Stock the nursing station,IV carts, IV supplies,blankets,snack station,etc. Spike and tube bags. Review the list of incoming patients and prepare paperwork (pt teaching materials,consent,etc) for new patients or new regimens for existing pts. Each nurse takes a chart as they come in- he/she will assess the pt and review the orders, get permission from the Doctor to proceed. He or she will then gain peripheral or mid-line access. Prepare the pre-meds (anti-nausea,Benedryl,etc). Have orders double checked and turn them in to the on-site chemo pharmacy. Take another chart. Each nurse will take a total of 7-12 pts each day; depending on the census. Pts are monitored closely during infusion. Switch bags as needed until the treatment is done. Pt teaching is provided as needed. Refer to needed resources such as nutritionist or social services. End of day- clean all chairs and work surfaces with appropriate cleansers. Plug in the pumps. Clear any obvious debris and make sure area is safe. Restock supplies. The day is VERY fast paced and you will be on your feet 90% of the time. Team work is ESSENTIAL. Patient safety is always a priority. The nurses do get close to the patients, and feel a great deal of sadness when a pt is deceased, but he/she must hold it together and be strong for the next patient. You have to find a way to deal with the sadness and not let it overwhelm you. It is an amazing job and I would highly recommend it to any nurse that has a true love for their patients, and a strong desire to help them get through a very difficulty time in their lives.

While working at Florida Cancer Specialists as a Clinical Research Coordinator, I fine-tuned my time management skills, increased my nursing knowledge base in Oncology & experienced nursing in a fast-paced, ever changing productive organization. In a typical day, I would screen multiple patients for phase I/II Oncology clinical trials as well as assess, collect data and treat ongoing patients enrolled on clinical trials in accordance with specific protocols with the management team under the supervision of the sub-investigator. My team members were very "team" oriented and weekly team meetings were held to discuss ongoing as well as potential patients for clinical trials. In my role, I operated as a liaison between patient & physician for managing medications, health-related patient complaints & financial resources in assisting patients in individual-based cancer care. The hardest part of my job was becoming close with patients during caring for the family unit and observing their deteriorating condition which was frequent.  The way I best handled this emotionally was knowing I gave the family/patient  exceptional goal-specific & individual   nursing care & emotional support the patient would not have received if not otherwise enrolled in a clinical trial- Often, patients would feel as though they had their own "24hr personal nurse" in constant communication with them. I feel this gave the patients ^ families great comfort especially while dealing with cancer as a whole. This provided me with such a unique job satisfaction as I have not experienced before & that was the most rewarding part of this nursing role.

When I was hired, FCS management knew that my phlebotomy skills were weak and understood that I had no experience in the field of oncology.  So to my surprise they hired me anyway through agency. There was a lot to learn and the nurse to patient ratio on most days was ridiculous.  I was told that I would get 3 to 4 weeks training and after a week I started to feel confident that I would be ready. On my 6th day I was completely and accurately filling out all computer work, navigating my way through patient charts, successfully accessing ports, starting IV, drawing blood, hanging IV medication. On days 7 and 8, I was doing all of these tasks mostly unsupervised which gave me a feeling of confidence.  Surely my preceptor wouldn't let me do these tasks unsupervised if she was not confident in my skills...right?  After being told I would receive upward to 4 weeks training, on day 8 after I got home, I received a phone call saying the FCS no longer needed my services with no explanation at all. They couldn't even tell me face to face. Only 8 days! I turned down 2 jobs to take this one because I felt it was the best fit for me. I was wrong. I was never late, never absent and I did everything asked of me and then some. I made great strides in only 8 days and was very upset. 2 weeks before Christmas! I played things over and over in my head trying to make sense of what had happened.  There is no rhyme nor reason. I'm sure I will never know. Their loss for sure. I am loyal, trustworthy and take my job very serious and am not afraid of hard work. What a terrible experience!

FCS, formerly known as an exceptional workplace, has undergone significant changes since the previous IT management team. Unfortunately, the current environment is characterized by favoritism and a toxic atmosphere, a far cry from the previous working conditions.

The organization's toxic culture can be felt throughout the workplace, with a pervasive sense of favoritism creating an unproductive and demoralizing work environment. This culture has led to a lack of trust in leadership, as employees feel that their hard work and efforts are not recognized or rewarded.

In contrast, the previous management team fostered a positive workplace environment that encouraged teamwork, respect, and open communication. Employees were motivated to work harder and felt valued and appreciated for their contributions.

The change in management style has significantly impacted the company's overall performance. Staff turnover has increased, and morale is low. Furthermore, the company's reputation has been damaged, making it more challenging to attract and retain top talent.

As a result of these changes, many employees have left the company. Those who remain are demoralized and unhappy. The company is no longer a place where people are excited to work. It is a place where people are afraid to speak up and where they are constantly looking over their shoulders.

If you are considering a job at FCS, I would strongly advise you to look elsewhere. The company is no longer the same place it used to be.

FCS is genuinely a good company — the pay is competitive, the benefits are excellent, and the mission of supporting cancer patients gives the work real purpose. On a company-wide level, there is a lot to appreciate here.

That said, I have to be honest about the Radiation Oncology Coding department, because the experience there is a stark contrast to what FCS represents overall. The department culture is defined by micromanagement and a top-down leadership style that creates a stressful, low-trust environment. Coders are not given the autonomy that experienced professionals need to do their best work. Every process is over-monitored, communication feels one-sided, and there is little room for open dialogue or professional development.

A good manager in a coding department should serve as a resource — someone who removes obstacles, provides guidance, and trusts their team to perform. That is not the experience here. Instead, the atmosphere can feel tense and discouraging, particularly for those who have worked in healthier team environments before.

The disconnect between FCS as a company and the day-to-day reality of this specific department is significant enough that I feel prospective employees deserve to know before accepting a role. If you are offered a position in Radiation Oncology Coding, ask pointed questions about management style and team culture during your interview. You deserve a workplace where your expertise is respected.

A typical day here would include checking in an average of 200 patients while balancing incoming phone calls and the demands of the 5 Doctors who we worked with. The team of 5 girls were trained in 4 different positions: check in, check out, chart preparation, and new patients chart preparation. Usually each month we rotated for a fair share of the work. We made appointments for the patients in house and for outpatient procedures and radiology. It could be tough some days working with all women, especially the gossip. The Doctors were not always easy to work with either. But working with the patients made it all worthwhile. I would say that 90% of them were the sweetest people I have ever met, despite being there for a life threatening disease. I made connections with many of the patients and many of them were lost to the horrible disease. It was so gratifying when the treatments did work and we would celebrate the last day of treatment of appointment in the office. I was not fond of upper management. I was granted the position of Team Lead at a sister office but was not transferred even after waiting for four months. However, after putting in my notice the Regional Manager approached me and offered a job working at the Corporate Office because she did not want to lose me and my talent within the company. I was very grateful for this opportunity and stayed there for my last months before moving out of the country.

The actual job isn’t the issue, it’s the people, the micromanaging, the lousy efforts from management - if any. We all know we can be replaced, regardless of what company you go to, but here...it really feels like they’re capable of replacing you fast if you don’t comply to certain things that aren’t mandatory. Let me start by saying, there is a lot of floating required, so if you have an issue with that, it’s best to avoid the company as a whole. No one emphasized that during the hiring process. I learned that I truly didn’t mean anything to management, even though they claimed to like my work. The hardest part of the job is having to deal with management that is super micromanaging. If you love people breathing down your neck -literally- this is the place for you. Make sure you review your position and it’s hours prior to accepting. The most enjoyable part of the job is the actual job. It’s hard to get into the mindset of “get in & get out” when there are so many issues that root from management and trickle down on the rest of the staff. There’s definitely a superiority chain. Theres issues that go on within the office that management is aware of and they do nothing about. They give ultimatums to match their necessities and never stop to think; “What may the employee want?” I learned a lot, nevertheless. There’s division in between departments, no such thing as loyalty.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Patient advocate 5 salaries reported	$44,000 per year
Patient accounts representative 44 salaries reported	$18.93 per hour
Registered nurse 6 salaries reported	$38.67 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 3 salaries reported	$28.67 per hour
Pharmacy technician 3 salaries reported	$19.33 per hour

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