health screener

registered nurse

nursing attendant

order picker

temperature screener

Harris Health System

I started out in a non-licensed position and then went back to school and became a nurse. It was very hard to advance at HHS because the system is very top heavy. Management always encourage staff to go back to school but makes it nearly impossible to have a work-life balance. A lot of people are hired because of who they know and not because they qualify for the job. The work environment is very toxic and morale is down. There were so many mandatory trainings and self evaluations that had to be completed throughout the year to be considered for very small merit increases. Yet, the CEO of the company makes a quarter of a million dollars per year. 

But wait there's more.....

If you work at one of the Ambulatory care centers it is so many forms patients have to sign if they have no insurance before any immunizations can be given. Yes this is done for HHS to be in compliance with the State of Texas, however it takes away from actually educating and caring for the patient. Most of the patients are lower socio economic and require additional reinforcement to ensure they are understanding what's being done to them but it is hard to do that when, appointments are scheduled 20 mins apart. There is no way the MD can see a patient and nursing can complete the MD orders in 20 mins, its just not enough time. Most of the time the MDs go over the 20 mins and then other patients are waiting hours to be seen. Again these patients are lower socio economic and take time off of work to attend their appointments. Many of them do not get PTO and struggle to make their appointments. On top of all of that most locations were super short staff which in itself is not safe for the patients. Charge nurses and Nurse managers never worked the floor to help bridge the gap to ensure patient safety. In fact, in Ambulatory care everything is still done manually, meaning if you need to administer a vaccine or med you have to log it out of a book, meaning there was a great opportunity for medication errors, which was an issue all ambulatory care centers were dealing with at the time of my employment. There is so much more that can be said, but I think the point has been made.

For 4 years as a Tech I, I was lead tech on the receiving dock. Time was always flying due to constant receiving of product, heavy paperwork, constant deliveries and special project coordination. Busy, busy, busy, yet inner hospital workings were not relative at that time.  As a Tech II I was with the Central Supply team and boy was that a culture shock!  It took some getting used to walking through the ER and not be affected by the chaos. Stocking supplies in units was no problem but regulating the PYXIS can be challenging because different departments have different priorities. Working on the dock, I dealt with department management regarding their products and their budgets. Working in Central Supply, I dealt more with the hospital staff, Nurses and Nurse Assistants.  At Harris Health the attitude is Service First. This means so much to me because I was asked once who is considered a customer. Being a well rounded member of the Supply Chain Management team at Harris, my answer is Everyone. Our responsibilities as a team are so broad in scope that it is the only way I see it. It's also close to my own life motto, " No one can tell me who not help because we are all in this together". I am fortunate to work with the people I have worked with because of the Multi-Cultural element. Thanks to this diversity I feel like I have friends around the whole world.  The hardest think about my job is really going home. Working in a hospital environment    is a never ending journey 24-7. Every time I left for the day, I was always thinking of what else I could have done. Not because I was leaving work undone, but because the thing I learned most in working  in a hospital environment is change is constant for the sake of improvement. As long as there are new ways to upgrade customer care then our roles within are constantly evolving as well.  I do not envy the tasks that management is faced with, especially during budget constraint. So much to juggle. A good place to work. A great place to learn.

My Typical day at work is fun for I like it as I have to take control, make critical decisions, take fast and accurate action to respond to questions from nurses, doctors, and  significant others including visitors and vendors.
  I managed the night shift all by my self( I work alone), so I have to be aware, alert, pay attention to detail and act with good judgment and professionalism as I perform all the test and call(report) critical (panic) values to the Doctors, nurses, infectious control while at same time explaining and clarifying any suggestion or questions they might ask. 
   Since I work alone, I have to be fast with 100% accuracy in order to maintain our turn around time and to help facility patient treatment and discharge. I had learned to listen while others speak for this way I receive, understand and make  good  and sound respond to what ever they say while documenting any further action with respect to follow ups, calls, or e-mails.
    While managing the night shift  and full operation of my department, I helped trained students, residents and other staff members who pass through the night rotation. While answering all the phone calls from the whole Hospitals, I have to stay calm, listen, talk with respect even if the other person on the other line is not happy, I have to stay focus and I never get angry because I am in control so this way, I get all their questions answered and set priorities on which test to perform first and which case to report next. 
  My co-works are the best for I do see them in the morning while handing over any follow ups communication . 
    The hardest part of the job is that some times I have to put some callers on hold while preforming sensitive test or reporting a critical value this way I do not make any mistake. 
    The most enjoyable part of the job is that I am fully trained in what I do, I know where to find every thing, including our SOPS, I can easily read, understand, interpret, perform and convey that information for the fast treatment of our patients.

Really good education for new licensed professionals.
Lots of ongoing education is also available.
However, the current situation of
Too many chiefs and not enough Indians is an ongoing issue across the HH System despite the recent cuts in management staff.
Seems that those wearing the suits and making all the important decisions have NO CLUE as to what those in the trenches really do everyday or how hard we work to keep the HHS working in a way that meets our Patients needs. 
I would not recommend someone with the time and experience behind them. The ridiculousness of some of the decisions: fiscal, policy and operation based, are almost unbearable.
Logic does not come easy to this place of employment.
The culture is all about "perception": the patients. They can do no wrong and it is always a staff members fault when they have a unpleasant experience or make a complaint whether it is a warranted complaint or not.

which leads me to the fact...they pay VERY poorly. Certainly not enough to put up with the abuse that staff is expected to accept from it's patient populations. 
Raises are rarely given and if you do want your WHOLE DOLLAR  you have to spend hours doing research and  inservice projects ON YOUR PERSONAL TIME. Last check for my area there were NINE that you needed to complete to be even CONSIDERED for that whole ONE DOLLAR raise.
And even then it's a points system so you RARELY if ever can accumulate enough to get that whole dollar even with all the extra work. 
We are about to have our SECOND round of evaluations even though we are in a "freeze". Meaning no raises for last year or this year. But I heard those who receive yearly Bonuses still got their money!
This is just a slap in the face when we are already doing so much for so little.

The day starts off with processing disabled user accounts in Active Directory,
Field techs requesting printer moves configuration changes tray management, DHCP exclusions / reservations, 
Configuration of network devices from router vlan changes, Determine proper vlan, speed, duplex and making required changes. 
Asset management of deployed equipment and devices only allowed access when MAC is derived. 
Perform access layer swith configurations for Radiology, Lab, Pharmacy, POS, ect........
Monitor alarms for entire network including telecom. Respond to outages, host conference calls, send alerts and email notifications for outage events. 
Configurations and technical support for Open Text  Right Fax. Maintain and configure 
AIX configurations for accounts, printers and queuing determine load factors for Clarity database and EPIC application. 
Perform support and configuration changes related to Windows 7 clients, servers, OU's, Group security, distribution list, Calendars, Conference Rooms, E-Vault and MAPI, exchange, smtp mail transports. 
Work with IT Security for remote cameras, temp, humidity and environment monitors. 
Remote assistance to clients issues which cause loss in productivity for a varied number of applications. 
Citrix client resolution for install, maintain profiles and publications. Connectivity for Physicians using MAC's, tablets, Phones and Dictation devices.
Maintain and control tape backup and disaster recovery execution for site.

Typical day of work consists of taking calls for the entire shift. This call center has very strict rules.  Every second is monitored, you have codes on your phone for two 15 minute breaks one morning and one afternoon.  Other codes are for logging in and out which are only used for lunch, clocking in and out.  Restroom breaks or other emergencies off the phone will have to be a code "NOT READY".  Not ready time is not good, your supervisor will run reports on your dead air time, not ready time and you will be coached on the quality of your calls if they believe you did not have a good tone, disrespected or forgot to say some of their lines.  Patients that call are sick or have mental problems and there is no training to deal with this group of people. Training is only to familiarize you with the names of facilities and whether  you can schedule an appointment and how to schedule it.  Meetings are to receive your feedback, but your feedback doesn't really matter to them. The few enjoyable parts of this job are the pay depending on your experience and due to their high turnover.  You can request your paid time off electronically and receive a quick response if approved or denied, which I loved. Hours to certain shifts are very nice but don't get too comfortable shifts change every 3 months depending on your overall quality will determine which shift you will get. Not the job to make a careless mistake, you will be walked out of the facility without prior notice the day they notice your mistake as if you were a criminal, unless you have a supervisor who will stand up for you.

A good healthcare system is one that provides accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare to its citizens. Key characteristics include:

1. Universal Coverage: It ensures that all residents have access to essential healthcare services, regardless of their income or employment status.

2. Quality Care: It maintains high standards of medical care, with well-trained healthcare professionals and up-to-date medical technology.

3. Preventive Care: Emphasis on preventive measures to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce the incidence of illness.

4. Affordability: Healthcare is affordable, with reasonable costs for patients and provisions for those in financial need.

5. Accessibility: There is equitable access to healthcare services, including in rural and underserved areas.

6. Patient-Centered: Focus on patient needs and preferences, allowing individuals to make informed decisions about their care.

7. Efficient Administration: Streamlined and efficient healthcare administration to minimize bureaucracy and reduce costs.

8. Health Information Systems: Robust healthcare data systems for tracking health outcomes, managing medical records, and improving patient care.

9. Research and Innovation: Encouragement of medical research and innovation to advance healthcare treatments and technologies.

10. Government Oversight: Effective regulation and oversight to ensure the system's integrity and accountability.

A good healthcare system is adaptable to changing healthcare needs and continuously strives to improve its services for the well-being of its population.

I worked for Harris Health for several years, and overall, my experience was very positive. I feel like my compensation could have been a little better, but their outstanding benefits package makes up for it. Most of the people I worked with were very friendly. There are a few bad apples here and there, but that's going to be the case wherever you work. I worked normal 40-hour work weeks for the most part, and occasionally I had to work overtime, but it was never a ridiculous amount. The work I did felt meaningful. Recognition is a core value with management which I appreciated. My only two complaints are regarding Harris Health leadership. For one, administration seems to care only about the issues that affect them directly. When my manager tried to address an issue in our department, no matter how big, it seemed to fall on deaf ears. The only time they respond is when the doctors and nurses start complaining. Otherwise, all other departments seem to be at the bottom of the totem pole. The other issue is office politics and how much the managers and directors in various departments point the finger at each other to avoid getting blamed for something that goes wrong. Instead of working together to get to the root of a problem and owning their mistakes, everybody is just deflecting blame to cover their own butt. This leads to a lot of animosity towards leaders, and it doesn't help issues get solved. Overall, though, I did love my experience at Harris Health. I would recommend it to anyone.

I enjoyed my time working in the ER at one of their busiest hospitals; there was never a dull day at work and there was so much hands-on experience. I left feeling very well-rounded as far as experience goes. The patients you see every day become recognizable after a while, and I was able to really serve my community in a way that made me feel proud. I loved it.

Management, however, needed work. Employees with seniority seemed to get away with any and everything, and some of them were downright nasty to newer employees. The divide was obvious and management did nothing to make matters better. In fact, over the past few months, it seems as if they have been picking off the newer employees one-by-one and disposing of them as if they had absolutely no value to the company whatsoever. Regardless of how hardworking and dependable you are. 

If you report unfair treatment to HR, they will retaliate by finding absurd ways to get rid of you. & The grievance process itself is another mess and another story.

If you consider employment with them, be sure to apply for the Union right away for job security. As soon as they are done with you, they will look for ways to toss you.

Overall, I loved my job and I loved the role I served in my community. I just wish management would have handled situations better, as they should have, considering their role in leadership. HR was not much help either, which is disappointing.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I worked at Ben Taub Hospital and honestly I heard horror stories about the hospital but once I started working there I was MASSIVELY impressed with how amazing the staff handles the crazy amount of people that comes thru there on a daily basis! Everyone is very attentive, kind, and always looking for ways to better themselves and the hospital. Another thing that surprised me was that your benefits start from day One! They have so many incentives and ways to recognize staff that goes above and beyond. I had to resign due to pregnancy but as soon as my baby is old enough I plan and wish to return to work for Harris Health System. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Honestly the only thing I can think of being "stressful" is hurricane season. Unfortunately if the city is hit with a disaster there's a team that has to stay until it's over and they are relieved by a recovery team and are able to go home. So if you're ever in that situation and you know ahead of time that there's bad weather coming....pack a just in case bag and snacks and food. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
So diverse! There are employees and patients from all over the world! From all different kinds of backgrounds. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy but very manageable! I worked in the Food and nutrition services as a Nutrition Advocate. We go to rooms and help patients place their food orders for the day or days they wish to.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Health screener 168 salaries reported	$39.28 per hour
Registered nurse 10 salaries reported	$45.22 per hour
Nursing attendant 97 salaries reported	$40.66 per hour
Order picker 10 salaries reported	$35.89 per hour
Temperature screener 8 salaries reported	$35.55 per hour

Working at Harris Health: Company Overview and Reviews

Harris Health

Harris Health Ratings

Popular jobs at Harris Health

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected