nursing assistant

licensed practical nurse

Harbor Healthcare System

The patients and caregivers - the job itself - was incredibly rewarding.  Of course, it was sometimes hard due to the nature of the kind of work but loved the job.  

However, how the company runs is another matter.  The upper management was a nightmare.  Zero training was given.  In my first two weeks with the company, my boss could not get a hold of anyone above her to give me direction as to what my job entailed/what I was to do next.  Did not have access to a printer or computer access for the first month and a half with the company.  Was pressured to use my own personal computer.  Said no due to HIPAA concerns.  Was not really accommodated - improvised in office in order to find a way to get my work done.  Two computers and one laptop for 8+ employees at a time (two of which where full-time employees needing constant use of a computer).  Company expected me to use my personal phone for interaction with caregivers, with zero compensation.  In my first 6 months, no training manual for my position or company training given.  This was not because it did not exist, but no one had the time to get it to me.  I was told I did not need it.  Repeatedly brought this to the attention of my superiors.  My immediate boss was wonderful but almost everyone outside of the office was unhelpful and unavailable.  Continual excuses about how things will "get better" did not even slightly materialize.  Marketers regularly get their way, despite guidelines, morals or the greater good.  There is no team mindset, although it seems that way at the start.   After months and months of trying to make it work for the sake of our amazing families/patients, I watched around 7 employees quit around me - this happened within a 2 month time span.  Burnt out and sad, the staff disappeared.  The office is now back to new employees entirely/an employee from another office in another city.  (Do your research on the company history. Fyi, they were raided by the FBI in May 2017.)  Know that despite this, the company continues to pay a yearly fine for not adhering to Medicaid/Medicare standards of being paperless.  SO much paper.  This greatly inhibits the care of the patient and adds so much unnecessary time for field staff.  Not to mention the inability for vital documents to be in more than one place at the same time.

This is all just the tip of the iceberg.  Ask around to see how long employees have been with the company.  A trend was notices by several of us -  employees often do not make it beyond their 8-month anniversary with the company.  The job itself is not impossible, but the conditions prohibit quality employees from staying.  This is mainly due to the verbal abuse, low morale and instability regarding policies and procedures.  The expectations are laughable. Any number of changes occur, depending on the company's mood.  And the mood often has to do with new referrals and more money, not to benefit current patients.  No stability.  Overall, there is a tragic amount of staff turnover in a field that needs stability, compassion and connection for the patients and their families.

I have years of work experience and my experience with this company has been an eye opener for sure!
If you are seriously seeking a position with a professional, moral, ethical, caring company whose primary function and purpose is to provide not only exceptional health care services to its' patients but also values their employees and conducts business in an ethical and above board manner, this is definitely not the place for you.  
Many employees (and patients for that matter), past and present, wonder how this company is even allowed to remain in business after being raided by the FBI, DEA, and local law enforcement in the past, the insurance fraud and upcoding that takes place on a regular basis to ensure numbers  over honesty and compassionate care, and the general attitude of corporate to overlook the unethical activities so as not to take away from their personal paychecks - it is mind blowing.  They want results in the form of $ and it doesn't seem to matter how they get it as long as they do and you can rest assured that as long as they don't get caught, they do not care and will not think twice about trying to get you to do questionable things and the same "management" that asks/tells you to do said things will be the first to throw you under the bus to cover their tracks and make you the problem employee if you don't so they can replace you with the next one and start the game all over again.  "Management" tries to pad their respective departments with personal friends to do their bidding and to ensure their own positions are safe while leaving themselves a few options of other employees to dispense of when they can't quite pull off a complete cover up of their own incompetence and so the revolving door keeps turning and good employees leave all the time once they have had their fill of being overworked, underpaid, lied to and about, and realize they don't have to stand for or put up with the garbage that goes on there on a daily basis.
Very unprofessional, unethical, and extremely poor work environment!

What is the best part of working at the company?
They seem to care about each and every client and employee, in all departments, especially CNA.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Being short staffed, expected to work any & all overtime (no time off). When they use certain “extras or perks” for ur overtime & such….u may have a hard time receiving them. They will absolutely pretend to just adore you while turning u in to be fired for SUPERVISORS WRITING FALSE STATEMENTS (even when u have proof of said statements). They will promise you (and clients) the world when actually the clients will be 100% correct in all of their complaints. As long as someone shows up, no one cares if you actually do ur job, until u upset just 1 of the office staff.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
At first, they will love & praise you. When u get adjusted they will expect more than the years-long employees. If u don’t make up for all the neglects from those workers & NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT IT…. Well, u will be let go. Even if they have to lie about the reason. Sad but very true. The residents are wonderful & all they want is basic, minimum care that each & every one deserves so much! 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Clock in, start your work while everyone else sits around & talks about work. You will assist each client as best u can while other “long-term employees” stay out to smoke & tell clients “Hang on, gimme a minute” and still never do what they say. Only make an appearance when families arrive at the same times daily. No visitors…no help. There’s no one to advocate for the others.

First off, someone previous review stated Black Friday off ! Yeah right,  thts a LIE....Sounds like ADON PM wrote tht deceiving review...No pay increase, owner so cheap when it comes to his staff,he'll rather purchase i Bentleys and private jets before he take care his staff.Company  took away shift differential for working 12 hr..nights with no shift diff..or overtime who does tht. Then Administator call you in to inform you no more night shift diff and thts across the board with all medical facilities.Not true.Monthly meetings over same stuff , but nothing gets resolved..very high turn over rate..Desperate company , no appreciation for your hard work, but quick to call you in for a write up behind "hear say" mess..this place is very unprofessional. And free scrubs are because harbor logo on them. Which is provided by company.and must be worn ..who want Harbor logo scrubs after they quit this place ! Really. .Felt so unappreciated and overworked..always short staff..from nurses to housekeeping , kitchen, laundry staff. RUN....RUN...it appears all facilities are under staffed ! Baytown, Jasper, Houston....

Corporate doesn’t take the time to hire qualified leaders. Instead, they place administrators in charge who are inexperienced, unprofessional, and only do what they’re told, with no real management skills. 
The administrator at our office often swept problems under the rug, letting them pile up until they became bigger issues. 

Complaints from families and staff were constant, but rarely resolved. As a result, patients left, census dropped, and employees eventually lost their jobs.

Instead of providing leadership, the administrator frequently complained about being overwhelmed and took time off to deal with “stress,” leaving staff to manage admissions, discharges, family concerns, and daily operations on their own. 

There was no accountability, no guidance, and no true support; excuses and poor decisions.

Corporate’s choice to hire based on convenience rather than competence hurts everyone involved. 

Future staff should be aware: you may find yourself without the leadership or support you need, often left to pick up the pieces on your own. Patients and employees deserve better.

There is a good amount of flexibility to structure your day and schedule patients at your convenience.
I have learned a great deal about the EMR, how hospice works as a business, and how to be an efficient Case Manager.
Management is lacking. All DON roles were eliminated from the 3 offices which meant all of those  responsibilities fell on the 2 case managers per office. While out in the field, it is unrealistic to be able to perform the responsibilities of a DON while managing a caseload. Upper management was disorganized and provided little to no support.
The hardest part of the job is being on call almost 50% of the time. Also, admissions are unpredictable and referrals come in without notice and you have to be ready to admit at the drop of a hat. The distances driven to see one patient are not sustainable. You will spend most of your time driving, on call and doing admissions.
The most enjoyable part of the job was working with my direct team. Everyone in my direct team was a team player. 


My immediate DON/Administrator was awesome. She strived for all the facility employees to succeed and always had our backs. Sadly she left and soon to follow nurses quit and/or were fired. We were growing rapidly but kept getting put off to hire additional employees. Still all paper although Medicare says all Hospice facilities need to be electronic. 
I worked many unaccounted for hours to try and keep in compliance but never seeing bottom. Absolutely no in person training, some by phone with lead coordinator. After 1 1/2 years I was fired for “job performance “ although I had never been written up and had an outstanding 1 year job review. 
CEC’s will continue to make all decisions and agency will continue to walk fine line and blame mid management and staff for problems. Hospice is in my heart but not with this company.

I knew when I started there would be limited opportunities for professional growth, but I wanted to be apart of something bigger than myself...
From the beginning, lacked tools needed for census growth and productivity,I.e computers, working network. Was challenging with only 3 computers and 8+ staff members. As a team we managed and grew. Blessed to have been apart of this growing processes, was able to be creative and make tracking systems and organization. Still using paper Doc 3 years later. Someday will be paperless? Families and patients where amazing, visits and being apart of this life event has been most rewarding with patients and family. 
Ask all questions that come to mind during the interview processes.  Hospice is truly an experience

Harbor is a terrible place to work, I  left  an organized hospice company to come here and that was the worse thing I did. It is very unorganized. The manger/ supervisor ( Erron)  or  whatever she is underqualified for her position and is immature! I was there for 2 months and left. Everyone that I worked with there  had been there for less than 6 months,  I mean everyone! That's how high their turnover rate is.  They hire you for one job and you will find yourself doing 3 other jobs with no increase in pay or compensation. If your schedule is 9-5 they will call you at 4:55 and expect you to go admit a patient no matter what and it could be an hour drive from where you live. And the admission process can take a few hours.  Just be warned about this place because I didn't look at the reviews or talk to someone before I started and wasted 2 months here.

Worst place of employment I’ve ever worked at and it’s has poor leadership. To many people want to be in charge and no one want to be delegated tasks. No trust within the walls. So many turn overs non stop. It’s so sad because hospice is a passion and this has left a sour taste in my mouth. Corporation has no idea what is going on within the company. Always a one sided story it’s like you are speaking on deaf ears. I highly recommend that you think clearly prior to making a decision about your future working here.  You are definitely not appreciated. Don’t even get me started on the on call. The worst 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 1 salary reported	$35,000 per year
Licensed practical nurse 1 salary reported	$40,000 per year

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