health screener

screener

order picker

registered nurse

temperature screener

HCA Houston Healthcare

I will start by saying that I do not believe that most hospitals utilize Social Workers to capitalize on their experience and knowledge, and this hospital is no exception.

Social Work turnover is a frequent occurrence here, as it is in most hospitals. During my time there, I witnessed 5 other hard-working, compassionate Social Workers go elsewhere due to feeling underutilized.

Unfortunately, the management here is not very supportive of employees, particularly the Social Workers. This might be because of an inherent lack of understanding in what Social Workers know and do; I am not sure. However, I do know that you are placed in a different department and managed by nurses only, so there is a definitve disconnect between your skillset and the expectations, more so than some other local hospitals, I surmise. A frequent mantra of the management here was "there is no division between Social Work and Case Management" which simply is not the case.

Case Managers here have an RN only for the most part (an Associate's degree) which is a degree in nursing. Unfortunately, you will frequently hear "I need a Social Worker" by the Case Management staff, which to me is inappropriate language for what we can offer. I often felt as though I was an assistant to Case Managers during my time here rather than a valued member of the team with a unique skillset and outlook.

This is not an enviornment where you are able to hone your counseling skills. There is more of an emphasis on quantity than quality and there is a focus to maintain profits and save money. This is not an innately negative trait of a company, but I think most Social Workers tend to envision themselves in a different sort of role where they have time for more meaningful and personable interactions.

There are no LCSW's that can provide supervision, no intern opportunities, no covered CEU opportunities, no support groups, and no compensation for obtaining a higher level of licensure. The pay is higher than most jobs for Social Workers, but it is often said that other local hospitals do pay much more.

What Case Management means in this particular hospital:
-Doing discharge planning
-Going back and forth between floors to cover different units when a Case Manager is off (which is every day)
-Working with patients who have suicidal or homicidal ideations and/or other psychiatric issues
-Attending weekly discharge meetings
-Setting up transfers to other hospitals
-Setting up home health, rehab, nursing home, durable medical equipment, etc.
-Making APS/CPS reports often

Holidays:
There are some occasions in which management will grant a holiday off, but this is taken out of your Paid Time Off accrual.

Weekends:
You will have to work 2-4 weekends a year and be on unpaid on call for a week as well. That essentially means that you have to work all of the referrals (30-100 a day) that come up on that weekend day, because you will be the only person in the hospital handling referrals. Holidays are the same way, only usually there are more people there to help. Sometimes, you can get off early on a holiday.

Coworkers:
There are approximately 25 Case Managers and 4 Social Workers. There are 4 floors and an inpatient rehab and Social Workers are assigned to a floor and have 2-4 Case Managers that they are expected to assist. It is a fast paced, busy job. When you have to cover other Case Managers, which is several times a week, it can become extremely busy. You are discouraged from socializing with other Social Workers so that there will not be a division in the team.

Pros:
Some pros of the job include getting free lunches two days a week, a new CEO who is very interested in renovating the hospital and updating it, interesting clients and cases, and more pay than many Social Work roles.

I would not recommend this hospital due to the way they structure the Social Work role and the lack of understanding about Social Workers.

I can only speak for the experience within my own department, as I'm sure other areas within WHT are wonderful, but this the WORST job I've ever had and I've had several in my decade as a sonographer. I cried more often than I cared to admit from things that transpired here and it broke me down. The Ultrasound department is one to avoid if you are any seasoned sonographer with self respect unwilling to be talked down to or "mean girl'd" by management/coworkers. This department is notorious for a revolving door of sonographers who get their experience and get out of dodge because they just can't stand it and they pay is LOW for the area. Expect coworkers to stab you in the back, throw you under the bus, and management to not back you up at all. The patients here have a very high level of expectations and want to be entertained, as is understandable with OB, but know that any difficulties you have with patients you will be written up for and not even heard. 12 family members in your room with children beating on your chair or yanking on cords while you're trying to concentrate and not miss things. It will be your fault if you do miss something or don't seem happy all the time. You will be worked into the ground and expected to take an 1.5 hour long exam 30 minutes before your 10 hour shift is done. If you do have a RARE moment of downtime, and are seen sitting in the tech area a certain secretary that's been there forever, will go tell your manager "they're sitting again" and then you'll be given something to do like vaccuuming out your US machine (no, not kidding, I actually did this). You will be walking to the bathroom or getting a drink and the same secretary will tell you there is a patient waiting for you. Can I have 5 minutes in between to collect my thoughts? Apparently no. Also, some of the radiologists talk to you like you are gum on the bottom of their shoe, like you are a complete idiot. If you try to stand up for yourself it will be much worse, so you just have to take it. There are some cool ones, but the mean ones really make it miserable. Combine this toxic work environment, patient volume, leaving late constantly, poor management, low pay, and mean radiologists, makes this for one really difficult place to work. I could barely stand it for one year and got out. While I really appreciated the experience I got here and saw some very interesting cases/learned a lot, I would never go back and could never recommend it to anyone past a newly graduated sonographer just to get their experience and get out. PTO was average for a hospital system and health insurance was good/affordable, so that was a nice perk. Pay was way way low. I moved on elsewhere and am making almost $7 more an hour FT.

A typical day at work would be clocking in and assisting a patient that has signed in right away. The appointment type can vary from a mammogram to an appointment with pre-admit testing. The time frame that we should register a patient is from 15-30 minutes or it can depend on the appointment type. 
For example; mammograms,x-rays, and blood work should only take no more than 10 minutes. I'll explain why, so now let me walk you through a basic registration.
A patient is registered through chronological order in the time they sign in. Once a registrar becomes available they can head to the greeter and notify them," Hey, I'm ready for a patient." Once a patient is sent to your desk you greet the patient and ask for their I.D and insurance card (if the patient has health insurance) and begin the registration. I learned how to to use a medical software called MediTech which is a series of categories such as inpatients, outpatients, etc. It's also a questionnaire, I'd compare it to a written application for basic information of the patient. 
As I'm reaching the end of the patient's account, I note the account of certain things that occurred throughout the time in registration; the amount of money that was collected or the arrangement if the patient is not able to pay full amount due, the items that were provided and scanned in our scanning system. After noting the account labels are printed out and also forms that will be signed by patient and registrar. 
Paperwork is scanned in filed in a designated area and the patient is sent to the correct department for scheduled appointment. 
I'd have to say the most enjoyable part of my job would be meeting funny people and laughing throughout registration. 
The hardest thing i was very concerned about was verifying insurance and putting an armband on a patient. Making sure it doesn't get stuck to the patients skin.

Pre-registered patients to ensure quality registration with necessary demographic and financial data documented in an efficient manner. Verify insurance payer health plans, coordinate insurance and pre-certification information for scheduled and unscheduled patient encounters. Utilize internet, telephone, and fax to obtain patient benefits and eligibility. Facilitate communication between patients and physicians to obtain the required information for verification and pre-certification purposes. Verify coverage and calculate co-pay/deductible amounts. Educate patients on fiscal obligations before, during and after their visit. Assign audit diagnostic and procedure codes to patient records using CPT, ICD-9 and HCPCS coding. Review medical records to indemnity diagnoses and procedures. Code all diagnostic and operative information from medical records using ICD-9, CPT AND HCPCS coding classification system. Examined medical code books independently and check for accuracy before submitting. Work collaboratively with patient’s account departments to ensure code accuracy.

I learned some new and emerging technologies. my responsibility was interesting and challenging. There is always something new to learn in the healthcare industry.

The management was very supportive and helped me grow.

The hardest part of the job was the working with some of the insurance companies. Some of them very small and close early, close for lunch and some keep you on the hold for a very long time.  

The most enjoyable part of the job was helping people and working with my friends and co workers. they were all team player and they were fantastic. We get the job done on time and under pressure.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There is nothing good about working for them.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They have eliminated every ancillary job and require the nurse to do everything: order their food which rarely comes as requested, draw all labs, answer phones and do paperwork (they eliminated secretaries at the height of covid when half the nurses were out sick), no techs, nurses supply all the room, nurses are even required to clean most of the equipment in the patient’s room, all while providing nursing care. The computer system is archaic and they require double and triple charting. Most nurses are brand new bc they pay the lowest of any hospital. Generic meds used to be free in their health plan now they charge $15 and up. They use Optum to provide pharmacy and manage benefits non-medical benefits. It takes an hour  to order a refill every month in the specialty pharmacy.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is very stressful as they are always short staffed bc people are always quitting and they hire brand new nurses to fill all vacancies. The culture is extremely profit driven. Nurses are not valued as professionals. Always cutting costs regardless of how it impacts patient care.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
The day usually starts by announcing they are short staffed and nurses will have to tske extra patients/no tech/no charge etc. spend a lot of time looking for supplies. The nurse does everything. Because nurses do so many jobs almost always staying late to chart and the getting scolded bc overtime isn't in the budget. They require hours and hours of ongoing education but education hours aren’t in the budget so without saying it, they expect it to be done on your off time.

Social workers are utilized so inappropriately here and the work environment is also toxic. You work alongside nurse case managers (who have an associate's degree) and many of them feel as though you report to them. in reality, you report to another nurse, which is also extremely inappropriate for how social work skills should be understood and utilized. 

The compensation compared to other area hospitals is paltry (I started with $45k after 3 years of social work experience as an LMSW elsewhere) and the benefits are negligible. You never feel as though you can take time off because there is so much to do. 

I worked on weekends and holidays and after hours with no compensation as a salaried employee. The medical case management they have you do is sometimes ethically inappropriate and you feel alone in advocating for yourself and your role. At the end of the day, they don't care - you are way cheaper to hire than a nurse case manager while you do additional work with tough populations (inpatient psychiatric patients, abortion, loss of child, homelessness, poverty, etc.) 

Your actual role will consist of nothing you went to school for. There is no counseling. There is simply case management which consists of discharge planning, setting up medical equipment and home health, transferring patients to other hospitals, etc. There is no work life balance here. 

My best advice is to drive to Houston and find a specialty hospital that utilizes your skills more appropriately and one that has good benefits and better salary - namely the VA, MD Anderson, Texas Children's, etc. Apparently Houston Methodist in Houston is just as bad in their roles/teams.

Patient care and patient satisfaction were definitely first and foremost in the care provided at MMC. Each day the Senior Managers would round on every patient to find out their perception of the care that we were providing and what we could do to improve that care. If any problems were discovered, they would be resolved that very moment. As Director, I attended regular committee meetings covering risk assessments, quality (SCIP), falls committees, Physician satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and Nurse executive committees, etc.
I rounded on each of the units I managed and supervised several times daily. Remaining visible to the staff, patients, and physicians are a priority in organizational and management skills.
I have strived throughtout my career to continually develop and improve my communication and leadership skills. I have learned that it is important to personally reevaluate these skill sets to ensure that I maintain and acquire new and different perspectives in these critical areas. As a manager and leader, it is one of my core beliefs that it is essential to empower my employees and help them develop their reasoning and leadership skills to build the confidence and rapport with the staff to foster a true team effort approach.

No manager/director knows exactly what the LVN can/cannot do, one gets different answers every time. 

You only get to put in your preferred schedule (when the job description says self scheduling, this is what they mean) however the charge nurse can move you anywhere they see fit. You may end up working a Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. Then next week work 4 days in a row. When you do voice your concern, you are responsible for finding coverage for management's mistake, otherwise it's a write up.
(Basically charge nurse make the schedules, if you are NOT chummy/friends with the charge's...you get jerked around. My opinion, the Managers and Directors should be making the schedule, that way there is transparency and unbiased scheduling)

Managers and directors fail their employees by not completing their tasks in a timely manner, which leads to nurses being out of compliance. (Ultimately the nurses will be black listed for this)

Nurses are expected to come in on their day off for an hour meeting. That should probably have been a zoom call, for maximum attendance.

You will be pressured into joining a "committee", which is nothing more than free labor for HCA. The managers claim you get paid an hour for this work, however when I signed up for one I never saw compensation, nor did I after I asked management about it.

No one at this hospital can say with certainty what an LVN can and cannot do, there is no paper outline with rules for LVN's to reference. Which is of the utmost importance for a floor to work to it's maximum efficiency.


Initially starting I was at a hospital on night shift. Due to my circumstances changing I was offered the same position, on a day shift and I accepted, although it was at a different hospital. From day one, with the exception of just a few tenured employees, the culture and overall feeling of the unit was very unwelcoming and unhappy. The nurses are competent in their bedside manner with the patients. The charting is a main source of being overwhelmed and a lot of second guessing their decisions with their actions for the patients. The attitude of some of those nurses seemed to spill over into the  culture, environment, and work ethic to other employees. The director and manager adhere to just their leadership roles on a day to day basis and do not encourage a positive working environment, nor do they promote a healthy and respectful working environment. Many of the nurses and other staff that needed attention brought to their unpleasant attitudes and treatment of others, was never addressed or fixed appropriately. As a full functioning hospital I would assume they they should ahere to policies rules and regulations as designated for the intended purposes. It is terrible to say because the unit could have flourished so much more for peer to peer  engagement and unit productivity. A positive working culture is never promoted or exercised, due to the lack of professionalism from the management staff , that falls down to the employees.

What is the best part of working at the company?
My shift hours and the nurses I work with. Nothing else. HCA does not care about you as a person, nor the patient. All they care about is making money and that includes admitting every patient when there is no need. Our unit gets practically every type of patient and we’re have frequent flyers who come back for pain meds and these doctors ok just about anything to the patient. We don’t feel safe there due to some patients being combative and verbally and physically abusive to the staff! And sad part is the House Supervisor and Director do not have our back when it comes to situations like these. Horrible place to work

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The Director does not have a backbone and staff has no voice. 
They don’t care about staff

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Horrible. They have no staff because they don’t want increase staff pay and that is why nobody wants to work. Several nurses in our unit have left to work as travel nurses because they make much more money that way. 
But there is money when it comes to upgrading patient rooms with 55” tv in the rooms, among other remodeling projects. And opening units when still UNDERSTAFFED!!! Unbelievable 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Hectic. Our nurse leader helps us very much, but overall we are under staffed and have way more responsibilities with patient care. Some people have dual positions and still are very underpaid

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