social worker

licensed clinical social worker

clinician

registered nurse

order picker

Heritage Oaks Hospital

What you are told during the interview process and what happens in practice are worlds apart. You will receive little training and be held accountable for things they did not offer training on.  Be prepared to drop everything and work massive amounts of overtime on demand (this will not be discussed during interview process but will be sprung on you a month in with no options you will be told- "do it- or quit"). Also If the census is low be prepared to go home without pay or be forced to use your PTO to supplement.  You will either be overbusy or being sent home without pay depending on census.  A 40 hour steady work schedule is hard to come by. It is feast or famine with this company. If you don't participate in the "feast or famine" without compliant HR and management will ensure you are written up for something (though they don't  follow a legal investigative process-if someone higher up says you did it you did-with no recourse- and the legal disciplinary process is not followed. They immediately escalate everything to a disciplinary write up with no supervisor consultation or teaching/instruction or verbal warnings-beware of upsetting management by advocating for yourself or co-workers or pointing out pay scale differences) and harassed for not going along with the "status quo." They will find a way to remove you if you don't go along with the "feast or famine" mentality.  If you question if the status quo is legal you will be blacklisted. With this company everything is acceptable if your making money for the company. Staff are quitting in masses and no one is trying address the reason for the high turnover. Everyone just runs in triage mode trying to cover the gaps. The weekly orientation trainings can't begin to keep up with all the staff leaving.  Beware of salary negotiation as there is no set amount and it frequently depends on if your male or female and how low they can bargain you down during the interview.  Many staff noted that the pay range for the same job is can be as much as a 12 dollar difference for the same job duties.  Raises are rare and many times depend on if management "likes you" and if you pass "evaluations."  Like you is negotiable depending on if you will go along with the "feast or famine" mentality without advocating for yourself or your co-workers. Staff are paid horrible, talked down to and retaliated against for having the integrity and honesty to stand up to illegal practices  and demand a safe and effective work place. 

PER DIEM STAFF- Be aware they pay you less than full time staff which is the exact opposite of what most companies do but they will use you for full time work- win/win for them as they get you to work full time without benefits, for much less pay than regular staff and can fire you quicker when they find you no longer useful (you ask for a raise, refuse to work excessive hours or ask them why per diems get paid so much less than market rate in the community).

I never like to leave negative reviews unless the place is extremely corrupt. Worst place I've ever worked. Ended up in much worse mental health after working here and it wasn't due to being in the psych field. It was management and some of the employees. No support, knowledge you need to do your job is withheld out of pettiness. They act like they control your life on bare minimum pay. Requesting time off is a gamble. It was seeing the impact the place had on it's patients, some got better and some got worse, it seemed to depend of the doctor they had. I don't feel like this place does much good. I've met two patients since then and they've disclosed how traumatic the experience was, and I witnessed and saw this happen to countless patients while I was there. 
The nurses, mental health technicians, and social workers all genuinely cared for the most part. A handful of amazing doctors there too. Wonderful people trying to do good and you could see the patients felt supported by them. But they're not supported properly by management and some of the doctors. This place re-traumatizes people. It feels like it's all about money. 

Heritage Oaks is great experience for new nurses, and I had some of the most amazing coworkers I’ve ever met. Management undervalues their staff on the floor greatly and do not listen to or address concerns. Staff are underpayed and constantly being asked to stay over, come in early, or work on their day off. Management can be cliquey, but you’ll be okay if you just come in and do your work. Working conditions are dangerous, as the facility accepts very acute patients and understaffed the floors. Make sure you stand up for yourself, and don’t let older nurses or management place the blame on you for someone else’s mistakes. Also keep track of your hours because payroll is never correct and you’re often not paid for the amount of hours you actually worked.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Dealing with the patients & the patients family members. MHTs and nursing staff were caring & helpful. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Upper management, very unprofessional & uncaring. Their idea of good customer service was not on the same level as mine. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work environment is very fast paced & very stressful. It’s considered a bad thing if you need help & it’s frowned upon. The turnover rate is extremely high with this company, an in the end, they’re always understaffed. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Constantly changing because of the understaffing so they constantly expect you to learn new things to help out. But it didn’t work out that way in reverse because I was continually being told that my position wasn’t as hard as the back office.

I gave my notice this past summer due to relocating to a different state. The structured orientation is extremely beneficial. However, the on-the-job training is less than adequate. Typically you train with numerous people who all have different styles and are all doing job functions. Then they throw you in and expect you to do your job as if you were a seasoned employee. Coworkers were less than helpful as they appeared annoyed that you couldn't do your job to their standards even though you are new employee. I saw numerous examples of how nursing stuff would turn people into management rather than speak to the individuals themselves. Furthermore, I saw many of the nursing stuff completely ignore the patient and sometimes even refuse to put mandated snacks and drinks out. I informed my manager who essentially yelled at the nursing staff right in front of me.

Working here was one of the worst job experiences I’ve ever had. Management was disorganized and unsupportive, and staff were constantly overworked. I often did the job of three people, worked overtime, and never received fair pay or recognition for it. The most disappointing part is that this company is in the mental health field, yet they showed no concern for their employees’ mental health or wellbeing. Burnout was ignored, and instead of support, we were met with unrealistic expectations. 

On top of that, there were frequent HIPAA violations and serious ethical concerns that were brushed off by leadership. It was alarming to see how little accountability there was in an organization that should prioritize client safety and confidentiality.

If you’re looking for a healthy, balanced work environment, I’d strongly advise looking elsewhere.


Working with people in crisis takes a lot out of a person and it is good to know what self-care is to prevent burn out. The per diem shift differentials are incredible. I was able to work all four floors doing the 24-hour chart audit, there were nights I could audit the entire hospital all by myself in an emergency. I was an MHT Ninja on a skeleton crew that could hide in the shadows protecting tiny nurses and Phlebotomists from monsters. Be prepared for combat and restraint training techniques. Avoid 1:1 combat at all costs always have a show of force ready. I started out via registry with Maxim Health Services and got hired on directly.

I see most of the nurses I've worked with at H.O.H. have a positive and mostly friendly attitude. Most seem to respect the need for a sense of-and awareness of- team work. There is an underlying feeling however that generally they don't feel as appreciated (money, benefits) and that they're not being kept safe enough by the persons who run and also own the company. I've seen more injuries including some serious ones from nurses being attacked here in the span of 4 months than some places I've worked for over a decade. There's a high turn-over rate and a chronic shortage of staff/nurses.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The satisfaction of helping patients and their families.  Leadership. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Not being able to collect monies from patients, which would lead not making monthly goal. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very busy,  We were a 124 bed Psych hospital.  Great leadership  and co workers. Very caring staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Verify insurance coverage for all overnight admissions.  Contact patients regarding their financial responsibility,  trying to collect.  Daily hospital census. Completing all MCal documents.  Calling patients on over due balances.

I worked as an intake coordinator.  On arrival at work I did assessments on mental patients by appointment and walk-ins.    Working most of my life in trauma, this was a career change sort of.   As a nurse we were educated on mental patients, but it is not like being on the front line with them.  I enjoyed working with my co workers and the doctors.  It was a busy place so I learned a lot more about the mental patients in one year than I ever did as a trauma/ER nurse.  I love it so much that I will be starting a Masters Program in the fall.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Social worker 10 salaries reported	$38.45 per hour
Licensed clinical social worker 7 salaries reported	$55.21 per hour
Clinician 4 salaries reported	$54.38 per hour
Registered nurse 3 salaries reported	$50.67 per hour
Order picker 10 salaries reported	$30.99 per hour

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