nursing assistant

nurse

charge nurse

nursing supervisor

registered nurse

Goodwin Living

Working at Goodwin House, I noticed that the commitment to high quality standards was not the only commitment made by working there. The commitment to working for each other was what made my experience in Goodwin House's Dining Services department so worthwhile. As a beginner in the field of cooking, I worked my hardest to learn everything I could to be of use to my team (head chef, replaced by head chef Campbell, Lead cooks Howard and Nerissa) who supported me through every struggle and accomplishment I had. From guidance and support, to critiques on my creations, my coworkers helped me to become a valuable asset to the team. My work quickly improved thanks to their help, and my duties expanded from serving plates and checking labels to preparation of entrees and side dishes (and my favorite, omelets). 

On an ordinary day, I would start my shift at 4 o'clock. I would begin by helping to prepare the serving line where food servers would bring table orders for me to serve up. After preparing the line, I would begin assisting with loading food carts, taking temperature sheets, and ensuring that there were plenty of bread rolls in the warmer. At dinner time, coordination was key. As the line server, I had to coordinate with servers to get meals out the door with the food in the best condition. I also had to coordinate with coworkers at food prep tables to replenish the lines food before we ran out of anything and delayed a residents meal. Upon closing, my duties were to clean up the line, help prepare food for the next day, and check the walk-in fridge for correct food labels and expiration dates. Expired food would obviously be unacceptable, so ensuring we only kept the highest quality food in the walk-in was paramount. 

The hardest part about this job was ensuring that I kept my head straight and cool, a fast paced environment is the breeding ground for disaster. However, by staying calm and collected, coordinating these tasks was a breeze. After all, a team environment requires team members to stay cool and to communicate effectively, otherwise if one person is in a bad mood, the whole team will be affected. As a team, we identified tasks and potential problems, established how we would handle the problems, and dealt with it. As I said before, the commitment was not only to the quality of service, but also to each other. That is what I loved most about my job at Goodwin House, the team was like a second family.

A typical day at work usually starts for me @ 4:00 or 4:30 pm. depending on what time they have you scheduled to start your shift. I've learned everything there is to know about the whole dinning server position and how it differs from a working in a regular restaurant. Working @ Goodwin House Inc different because you are serving senior citizens and have certain guidelines you must follow, because a lot of residents have allergies to certain food or take medications or have illnesses and are not allowed to have alcohol beverages or have to drink Alcohol Free wine. My co-workers are great. I can honestly say I have a good relationship with everyone I work with here @ GHI, Its a mixture of college students and high school students so you can imagine how lively the dinning room must be. The hardest thing for me is being perky/happy/polite when I  didn't want to come in. management is very good there is never a time when I need something or have concerns I can't talk to them and express my feelings about an issue. My supervisors as well as their bosses are very down to earth people who take your cares and concerns about the job seriously. The best part of this job is If I don’t want to go to work there is always someone to work for me. Waiting tables is notoriously flexible. The restaurant is full of people who fall somewhere between “I never want to work” to “I will work five doubles in a row.” (Guess where I fall…) Sometimes things come up that make it impossible for us to make it to our shift. It might be an audition, school or a hangover. When these situations arise, all it takes is a quick note on the bulletin board and someone will almost always take your shift for you. You can’t do that at most jobs. It can be a dangerously easy habit to fall into though. I gave away four Thursday shifts in a row once and when they new schedule came out for the next month I was no longer working on Thursdays. I demanded I get my Thursday shifts back and as soon as I got them, I gave the first one away to some new girl so I could watch the finale of Project Runway.

I want to first say I love this company and I really feel the residents value the employees. On the other hand The Director of the Home Care Departmart brings down the quality of the company. Her leadership is executed by fear and intimidation. SO many of the CNAs/GNAs would enter the office in tears. They are often over worked and when they would express their concerns of just simply being tired and fatigued, MC would spark the fear of them losing their job into them. Even employees that have hours and hours of PTO would not be able to utilize their time off without having to explain to the director what exactly the time was being used for. Even though its called personal time she would deny the request if she didn't deem it reasonable. She would go as far to make her staff cancel or reschedule dr. apps and surgeries.
The director would give her staff false promotions and titles like manager but would never truly give them the opportunity to manage. It is all just formalities. Everything and every process is ultra micromanaged by her. She makes you feel as though you're incompetent to fulfill simple task with stone aged procedures.
Between the directors condescending remarks & ridicule, constantly being talked down to, finding a fault in everything and never truly valuing her staffs ability to do their job without being micromanaged by her, it made for a TOXIC work environment. She played the staff against each other to the point that the tension in the room would be so tense it became unbearable. She lacks the value of understanding a healthy work and personal life balance. I felt like I was always working. Even on my off days I was On-Call. 
Everything you do can't be based around work. You need some vital "ME" time. Lack of personal time creates unnecessary anxiety.
Parting ways was the best thing I could of done for myself.
 Thank God!

Very extraordinary workplace with exemplary ideals for staff behavior, relations with residents, and endless opportunities for service. Very welcoming to new ideas and input, very supportive of employee health concerns, good insurance, life insurance, social worker counseling and assistance, educational assistance. Highly trained management and supervisors. 401(k) etc. available.However at different levels most if not all staff required to do amount of work probably requiring two people or more at other organizations. Especially in Dining Services, and to various degrees in other departments, five-star hotel standards are required for somewhat above MacDonalds compensation. Constant juggling of (additional) duties may still bring only a disappointing evaluation and consequent ever-more disappointing remuneration; raises, once possible up to 5% per annum, are limited to half that, so that one works all year for a possible increase measured in nickels and dimes. There are 6 paid holidays plus one personal day of leave as opposed to the larger number associated with the DC area; salaries of staff are "docked" if staff are not present, even in the severest and most life-threatening weather circumstances.  Much is made of employee meals at a  low price--originally they were  free to staff, currently priced at $3.00. There are often many competing/conflicting demands for specific staff services.

I recently worked at Goodwin House Bailey's Crossroads, and I found that nearly everyone I worked with and engaged with truly had a heart for working with the senior population - and I found that most everyone also was very approachable and very pleasant to talk with and work with.  The word, "busyness", comes to mind, though, and I think that this cultural mindset (which is systemic - globally) might benefit from being looked into further to see if, instead, focused employee interaction with the intent of consciously creating periods of "inefficient grace" (when is grace ever meant to be 'efficient') - where time spent for empathic listening could be integrated into the work day on a daily basis.  Kind of like when the life guard blows the whistle and everyone has to come out of the pool for a 10 minute break.  What if something like that were honored each day for the specific purpose of empathic listening - how much more would all staff, at all levels, learn about each other while upholding the corporate values?  Counter-cultural in the workforce, yes, but the benefits could be amazing.

The dining services at our establishment boast an exceptional team of dedicated individuals who consistently go above and beyond to ensure a remarkable dining experience for all patrons. From the kitchen staff crafting delectable culinary creations to the waitstaff providing attentive and friendly service, each team member plays a vital role in the seamless operation of our dining services.

Furthermore, our dining services are led by a team of dynamic and innovative managers who not only possess a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry but also exude passion and enthusiasm for their work. These cool-headed leaders foster a positive work environment where collaboration, creativity, and excellence are not only encouraged but celebrated.

Together, this synergy of talent and leadership results in an unparalleled dining experience characterized by exceptional food, outstanding service, and an inviting atmosphere. It's not just about serving meals; it's about creating memorable moments and forging lasting connections with our guests. With our dedicated team members and cool managers at the helm, dining at our establishment is truly an experience to savor and enjoy.

I never thought I would find a job that has a healthy work environment, genuinely kind staff, supportive manager, GREAT BENEFITS for both full/part time. CEO is present and makes himself available to staff. Truly a blessing of a workplace. I cannot speak for other departments but the Rehab department seems well organized and they all work well with one another. 

I’ve worked for corporations and small businesses and Goodwin by far is the best place I’ve worked. This job is an hour away from my home and I happily drive there everyday and back. I do not mind, I am seen, paid well and my opinion is both asked for and valued. 

Typical Workday - busy but fulfilling it’s a team work type of environment. You can ask for help and not be shunned. It’s typical just offered help if someone see you need it. 

What I learned - Healthy jobs like these exist 

Management - friendly, knowledgeable, willing to provide guidance and happy to do it. 

Workplace Culture - HEALTHY

The hardest part of the job, is running out of space in my schedule to see clients. 

The most enjoyable part of the job is the warm atmosphere I come to daily. 





My co-workers were hardworking, and the facility is beautiful. They offer many good things for the residents, and solid benefits for employees.  Making a difference to the residents, making them happy is a great reward of this place.  If the management changes, this has a great foundation to be a great place to work.
Management will scream at employees in the middle of hallways, call up your mistakes and insult you by name in meetings, and will shift their mistakes onto the lower employees.  They are very into the "blame game."  The priorities continually change, the rules continually change, and written policies are either 1) contradicted by what management says or 2) not humanly possible.  Management will even forget to inform employees of policy and procedure changes, then harangue employees for not following it.  When management's mistakes are pointed out, they will act like they never happened.  They have even harangued employees and find out 1) the mistake they were yelling about never actually happened or 2) that was the wrong employee.  

Goodwin house is a great place to work, the management team is on point. they allow you to wear the any color of scrubs you want but they make sure its decent and professional, they encourage employees to go to school by giving them scholarships, they encourage their employees with out citizen to go get their citizenship If only you are qualified and they support you financially. because they do not want to lose their good workers.they take their work seriously and residents are always very nice to work with. this is just a little out of the lot they do. I will definitely go to work with them if we go back to  Alexandria VA. it's a perfect place to work.

Working at Goodwin House Alexandria I learned many new things,  helped the staff and residents quickly and efficiently as possible. I also learned all about being a great dining room server as well as a fantastic receptionist.  While operating the front desk I came across many unusual requests and questions to which I answered and handled appropriately. Transferred phone calls to the best of my ability. I learned great leadership and communication skills. I formed good relationships with my mangers and supervisors. I got along very well with my co-workers as well. Most enjoyable part was interacting with many different residents and creating a close relationship. One of the hardest parts about working at Goodwin House is dealing with the death of a Resident I grew to admire.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 76 salaries reported	$22.30 per hour
Nurse 4 salaries reported	$41.31 per hour
Charge nurse 45 salaries reported	$42.28 per hour
Nursing supervisor 33 salaries reported	$47.64 per hour
Registered nurse 9 salaries reported	$52.39 per hour

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