licensed practical nurse

nursing assistant

registered nurse

state tested nursing assistant

housekeeper

Otterbein SeniorLife

I started work at 2:45 pm and received report from outgoing nurse. Then counted and verified narcotics. Had mini meeting with my evening CNA's informed, exchanged information set expectations on resident care, assigned work load. Assessment of residents with new issues conditions, then started 4 pm med pass were I was able to touch base with residents personally as well as monitor the whole unit. I was on an Advanced Special Care unit that was locked down.
Blood sugars needed done as well as some other vitals. Dinner served @ 5 pm. Working with advanced dementia residents nothing was ever the same. Eating, getting them to take their meds, even ADL's could be a challenge that at times needed to be addressed several times a shift. After dinner treatments were done and with sun-downers being a factor everything can and will be in flux.  I made decisions on the need to call MD's; at times with my supervisors help. Charting and fall reports or incident reports i.e. skin tears, bruises all needed reported in written as well as verbal. The hardest part of my job was when a resident refused care and I knew they needed it the most. Finding that way to redirect them so they could get the care they needed. I loved my residents they became like family and I treated them like I wanted my parents to be treated, with compassion, understanding, affection, and always keeping their best interest in mind. I worked with family members not only giving them information but supporting them as they dealt with the lose of their loved ones even though they were still alive. I feel I have not covered adequately everything; there were of course catheters both permanganate and for gathering samples,  immunization, respiratory assessments with oxygen applied, suctioning. Bowel assessments, neuro assessments. Reporting to MD, transcribing correct orders and carrying them forward.

A typical day at the office is crazy at best. With so many vibrant personalities, both in the workspace and residents, you never have the same day twice. To succeed at Otterbein, you have to learn to be flexible. What you need to do today may not get done with all of the tours, setting up homes and contract signings that are a daily occurance.You have to learn to use time wisely and be as efficient as possible. Working with local newspapers and hospitals, you learn that deadlines are a crucial part of the job. Balancing all of the above is probably the most valuable thing I have learned working for this company.
My boss and coworkers are awesome. We are a well-oiled machine. As a group, we work together to make sure everything is done the best it can be. We like to laugh and joke around, but at the end of the day, we get our work done.
The hardest part of my job is making sure everything gets done and in the end, it was a success. Putting together events on campus can be really stressful; there are so many others I have to rely on to get the job done. Right before an event starts, I am there, making sure everything is perfect and how I need it to be. Being a fellow perfectionist can really strain my schedule. Sometimes, I find myself working on a flyer campaign and spending an hour longer than necessary trying to make it the best I can. I put a lot of pride in my work and having it be the best I can make it is very important to me.
The most enjoyable part of the job is definitely the residents. At the end of the day, it's my job to make sure they are happy. I love getting to walk down the halls and get stopped by someone and holding a conversation with them about how they're doing, how their family is and what we can do to make it better. Seeing happy residents is what makes my job the most worthwhile in the end.

Otterbein has a great concept. They are all about the liberation of older persons. The elders get to choose a lot of their own choices from when they want to wake up to what they want to eat. The work environment is very relaxed as in management will not hover over you. I enjoy the concept they are going for in this work environment but there are lots of cons. Firstly I agree with most other employee reviews and they expect you to do everything that a traditional setting would have other departments do. On top of the care, you have to cook, clean the kitchen and rooms, laundry, assist with activities, and do lots of charting. They tell you the patient to staff ratio is 5:1 with 2 aides in a house of 10 people, so I think the company thinks it gives you more time to do these other things. What they fail to realize is that there are times in which there are heavier patients that are 2 persons assist and that could be most of your house. From personal experience, that workload is just as overwhelming as having more patients. Plus the pay is really low for what they expect you to do. There is always lack of communication between the workers and leadership and it has been that way from the beginning. My biggest complaint is how they mandate shifts if someone doesn’t show up, or they leave holes in the schedule and just hope someone picks up the shift putting you in a situation in which they make you stay. This is a policy that was not made known to me during the hiring process. When a company tells you that you have to put your work life before your home life, that is a big issue to me. Especially when they claim to be self scheduling but they just throw you on the schedule wherever your needed anyway usually, unless you ask for PTO. Overall I’m a conflicted worker. I love all of my patients and they make it worth it. But I’m sure there are better work conditions elsewhere.

A typical day at work depends on when you start your shift. If you start at 10:15, you start by setting up the salad bar for lunch. You only get 15 minutes to set everything up and open the cafe for lunch time, since lunch starts at 10:30. You are by yourself setting everything up and serving lunch to the residents via cafe line until your morning partner shows up at 11. Once they show up, they open the other line that is specifically for employees to get their lunch from. This side is only open until 12:30, which at that point the person working that side goes to the kitchen to start on the special salad for dinnertime.  Lunch goes until 1, and at that point you break down the resident's side and you and your partner go on a 30 minute break. Once your break is over, you start getting deserts ready for dinner, and that usually keeps you busy until the rest of the FOH staff arrives at 3. You usually aren't expected to go to the dining room to help set up the tables for dinner, but your coworkers might be picky that day and not want to set up your specific section, which leaves you to do it when you are done with deserts and only have 5 minutes until dinner starts. Dinner starts at 4, and you serve residents that come in and out until 6. At that point, you and your coworkers go on a 30 minute break. Once you return, you clean up your specific section and do the specific clean up job that is assigned to that section. Once finished, the supervisor of the night will check your section and make sure your job is done and send you on your way home. You typically will get to leave between 7:45-8 pm.

Otterbein seemed like the perfect place to work at first. They speak of advancements, team work, plenty of training, and a happy culture. Once you get in it may last a week or two then you are hit with reality. You are expected to do the work of several people including what your normal workload is. I was literally given one day of training then told best of luck. The managers aren't really managers and you have no say or input in anything. All suggestions are ignored and you are told they stick to the "Otterbein Way" which they never tell you what that is.  If you are a "manager" you will have no work life balance. You are expected to answer your work phone regardless of day or time. 9pm on a Saturday? 2am? 11am on a holiday? If that phone rings, which you are to keep on you at all times,  you are to answer it. Mind you that was not in my job description that I agreed to. You are also expected to participate in daily prayer in meetings regardless of your religious affiliation or lack thereof. There truly is no ability for promotion once you are a "manager".  The higher ups are far to consumed in their title to listen to anyone but themselves. All of the corporate "partners" need intense leadership and empathy training especially since this is a healthcare organization. Noone that works in the trenches of this company lasts more then 3 years if they can even make it that long. Don't waste your time, your emotions and mental health for this place. 

The Healthcare system, in general, needs attention. Of course there is quite a bit of favoritism shown to certain people. Especially if they have a family member or close friend that works above them. That aspect can be frustrating.
A lot of people that work there are on the "lazy" side. And it's very difficult to maintain a great work attitude when there is so much negativity coming from all of the people you work with. Teamwork is low effort. It seems like there is no structure surrounding the importance of working as a team.
The company itself is great. Great ideas. The HR department is amazing. I can't think of a single time when I needed something and it wasn't resolved. 
It's difficult to tell if the management is good or not, since they don't really do much. And it's more of them delegating things to people that shouldn't have control over anything. The training system could use some help. There is no real training system. It's basically throw you with someone who is there, and then they don't do anything because they expect you to do it all. There also is no follow up to training. And then you do a "self-evaluation" and never get any feedback from the people above you or the people  you work with. That can be frustrating. 
I would recommend this job to someone looking for work though. If you can set your mind to be able to function with all the drama of your coworkers, then you will do well.

We usually worked short handed. The first 15 minutes of the shift are just standing around waiting for the RN supervisor to call to each hall and figure out who didn't come to work, then deciding who is floating where. They don't call people in or offer any incentives to pick up shifts. Aides are given assignments by room, which can be daunting when you have 2 or 3 residents who need the hoyer life, but you can't find a hoyer or a charged battery to use it. 

The main campus building is old and the bathrooms are tiny and not designed to fit wheelchairs or even two people in them, so good luck preventing those falls. The hot water was out off and on for two weeks, so I had a resident who didn't get a tub bath for two weeks! 

It is just not a safe place to work. When I filled out my new hire paperwork, I was given the option of overtime after 8 hrs in a day, or after 40 hrs in a week. Obviously, I opted for the OT after 8 hrs, but I never saw it. The RN supervisor will call you at the end of your shift and try to bully/guilt you into working a 12 or 16 hr shift in exchange for a $20 gift card to Kroger. Hah. 

I did love my aides and floor nurses, though. We all tried to give the best care we could, given the circumstances. I ended up leaving after a few months. Compared to the other retirement homes I've worked in, the residents here are not friendly, but I can't imagine them being any other way. They are paying out the nose for abysmal care.

This was one of the worst places I have ever worked. While the compensation is good, money won't make you want to stay and work in a deal fire. The unit managers are, for the most part, completely hands off, and spend as little time in the building as possible... I worked there for over a year and only saw mine 3 times! I usually could not even get her to return my calls. Staffing was being cut to a minimum when I was there. Imagine being the only CNA on a unit, because it happened to me multiple times and management DOES NOT CARE! Last I knew their staffing was about 50 patients to 1 nurse and 2 cna's... The staffing is completely unsafe and I saw the number of falls and broken hips soar as staffing fell. I worked with nurses who could not be bothered to actually administer the meds they were passing, and in turn would just leave cups of meds sitting in patient rooms. This place gives meaning to the idea of doing your job well means you get to do everyone else's jobs as well. Meds are diverted by staff regularly, but management seems to turn a blind eye. They let certain staff act as management and bully other staff, and when you blatantly refuse to fulfill the duties of your job you are just moved instead of terminated.Leaving was the best decision I ever made... There is a reason for the high turnover, they dont care about their staff or residents. I only do not recommend working here, but don't send your family here either. They are not safe.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The residents are amazing and I will miss them 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The job description doesn't match the experience. We were supposed to be working in teams of two to clean the condos in apartments I would be sent to clean them by myself and expected to be done in the same amount of time as two people which is nearly impossible also you were only supposed to be doing the outside condos once a week and it turned out to be three and four times a week the worst part was being sent to clean exterior windows during the heat wave and cleaning exterior windows is not even in the job description. I hated not being able to fulfill the clients needs and clean their residences properly due to the stress of trying to get two people's job done in less than an hour expecting to clean a two bedroom two bathroom full living room kitchen dining room and three season room in 1 hour by myself 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Oh it's a great environment and culture

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Get a schedule for the week on Monday having it changed basically for Monday to Friday being expected to clean an entire condo or apartment in an hour or less by myself when it's supposed to be two people

Relationships between staff with each other is pretty good.  Leadership , what leadership ?  The food they cook is all processed so if your patient is diabetic or has water retention. Neither will correctly managed .
High blood sugars and weight issues for our swollen people . The stnas cook , clean and do direct care and do laundry .  I’m sure the company saves a lot of money by making the stnas do all this . Saying that it is never clean because they don’t have time .  Leadership is very dismissive of any concerns and will always be this way . It’s a small
House set up which I like but it’s VERY POORLY RUN . 
Management is very reactive instead of being proactive . Administrator before now was hardly ever there ever . Shows up at 9:50 before morning meeting and is gone by 3.  Has no idea how to actually be a good leader. This place has really good customer service meaning that they will do almost whatever the family wants even it’s not the best for the patient in that moment . Definitely a girls club as far as management .. all the stuff rolls downhill there . If you are looking for a place where leadership cares it’s not here .  Maybe it was just my location but my experience was AWFUL .  No room to grow at all . 
Never have time for a break . It’s just awful 
Just because a place is beautiful means NOTHING 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Licensed practical nurse 489 salaries reported	$35.03 per hour
Nursing assistant 432 salaries reported	$21.51 per hour
Registered nurse 254 salaries reported	$44.76 per hour
State tested nursing assistant 43 salaries reported	$22.38 per hour
Housekeeper 46 salaries reported	$14.88 per hour

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