physician

medical assistant

family nurse practitioner

medical scribe

dental assistant

Southern California Medical Center

My experience working at Southern California Medical Center was one of the most frustrating and disorganized experiences of my professional career.

The organization appeared to be chronically understaffed, poorly managed, and lacking the structure necessary to effectively support both employees and patients. This was not limited to one department. It seemed that multiple departments throughout the organization were struggling with staffing shortages, high workloads, lack of communication, and poor operational oversight.

Training was inadequate and inconsistent. New employees were often expected to learn as they went, and many staff members seemed unsure of processes themselves. When employees sought guidance, management was frequently unable to provide clear answers or solutions. There were numerous occasions where managers were approached for assistance and responded with "I don't know" without offering any follow up support. Leadership positions should be filled by individuals who are able to guide and support their teams, yet there were times when management appeared unfamiliar with the very processes employees were expected to perform daily.

One of the biggest concerns was the lack of management support. Our department manager was frequently unavailable and difficult to reach when urgent issues arose. Questions often went unanswered for extended periods, leaving employees to figure things out on their own. However, when staff took initiative to resolve problems independently, management would become upset that decisions were made without their involvement. Employees were placed in a position where they were expected to solve problems without support but criticized when doing so.

The Referral Department experienced an overwhelming workload on a daily basis. Employees were expected to answer a nonstop volume of incoming calls, assist walk in patients, submit referrals, follow up with specialist offices, obtain authorization updates, review documentation, communicate with providers, and address patient concerns all at the same time. The workload was unrealistic for the number of staff available.

Spanish-speaking patients represented a significant portion of the patient population, creating an especially heavy workload for bilingual employees. We were expected to answer calls in both English and Spanish, assist Spanish-speaking walk-in patients, translate when needed, and help patients navigate the healthcare system in two languages. Despite the additional responsibilities and value bilingual employees brought to the organization, there was no additional compensation for these services.

Another major issue was the expectation that employees constantly perform duties outside of their assigned positions. Staff were regularly expected to support back-office operations while continuing to complete all of their own responsibilities. It became common for employees to perform the work of multiple positions simultaneously due to staffing shortages. While teamwork is important, there is a difference between occasionally helping another department and routinely being expected to cover multiple roles without additional compensation, support, or recognition.

The referral process itself was often disorganized and created unnecessary work for both staff and patients. Referrals were frequently submitted without all required documentation, records, imaging, or laboratory results. Patients were often referred multiple times for the same issue, creating duplicate referrals and confusion. Specialist offices would reject requests due to missing information, resulting in repeated follow-up calls, delays in care, and increased frustration for patients. Front-line employees were left managing the fallout from issues that could have been prevented with better systems and communication.

Provider turnover also appeared to be extremely high. Doctors frequently left the organization, and patients were often reassigned to new providers. Many patients would call upset after discovering they had been assigned a different physician without their knowledge or consent. Employees were then expected to manage patient frustration and explain situations they had no control over.

Employee turnover was equally concerning. It was common to see employees leave after only a few months. The constant cycle of hiring, training, and losing staff contributed to ongoing instability and made it difficult for departments to operate efficiently. Rather than addressing the underlying causes of turnover, the organization appeared focused on continuously hiring replacements.

Scheduling and workflow issues were another ongoing challenge. Calls were often nonstop, staffing levels frequently did not match patient demand, and employees were expected to meet productivity goals regardless of workload. When those goals were not met, employees were often criticized rather than management addressing the operational problems contributing to the issue. There seemed to be little acknowledgment that one employee can only handle so much at one time.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the experience was that many employees genuinely cared about patients and worked extremely hard. Staff did their best under difficult circumstances and consistently tried to provide quality care despite the challenges. Unfortunately, inadequate leadership, poor communication, unrealistic expectations, chronic understaffing, high turnover, and lack of organizational structure created an environment that was stressful for employees and frustrating for patients.

Based on my experience, Southern California Medical Center would benefit greatly from stronger leadership, improved training programs, better staffing support, clearer communication, greater accountability from management, and a more organized operational structure. Until those issues are addressed, I believe both employees and patients will continue to face unnecessary challenges.

If you're thinking of applying for the patient liaison/ Medical Assistant position DON'T! I thought it was going to be a great learning experience was I wrong. I didn't go to school to be put as a patient liaison. I had experience in back office and I was only used for vitaling patients when they were behind. You're basically sitting at all desk all day calling patients trying to bring them in for appts. They want you to make about 25+ appts per day and if you're not meeting their expectations they get upset. I was let go because I wasn't being productive and because I would talk to my co workers even though I would make their 20 appts a day. I would come home stressed I always felt like I was going to lose my job and i did. The manager couldn't even show her face when I was being let go. First job I've ever been In trouble with or let go off. This place sucks. Drs. Are okay some of the staff is decent but most of them gossip to each other

I had a highly disappointing experience working at this company. There are serious concerns regarding the leadership, and they are currently facing significant legal challenges related to his professional conduct. The company has faced serious repercussions, including the suspension of Medi-Cal payments, allegedly due to improper practices. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of genuine care for patients, which is reflected in their actions and decision-making. The benefits offered to employees were minimal, further indicating a priority on profit over people. I’m relieved to have moved on from this environment and hope that future changes will bring about much-needed improvements.

People with covid symptoms allowed to work, even people who have been exposed and let management know are still forced to work.  This company does not judge you by your work ethic or by the value of your work.  It judges everything by numbers!  Number of patients you encounter, schedule appointments with, process, everything!! As a result,  they force employees to compete against eachother and create tension.  Good luck with training, it is minimal.  When I first started working there I didn't understand why a lot of people had an attitude... I quickly learned why.  They are overworked and have pressure from management and above. 

The expectation is to see 30 patients a day even with a scribe, but using a slow EMR (Nextgen), having unreliable support staff (referral department and patient services), and having to be out of the clinic by 530 pm with no ability to take charting home is a challenge. Everybody is so busy that if you want something done, you have to be persistently reminding the staff. The translation services on the phone are not reliable - they make mistakes, speak the Dari dialect, whereas patients don't speak it.  There is minimal responsiveness from the management who wants you to use non-certified interpreters from the pool of staff. 

I am a former employee of SCMC, and I have to say I enjoyed my entire time working there and serving patients. Staff were very helpful and team players, doctors were respectful and knowledgeable, office managers were always ready to help when reached out. 

However, I do agree about the minimum pay and low wages not meeting the market standards and  compared to the work volume and quality of the work that is being performed the rates are undervalued. 

Healthcare roles are always demanding and stressful, however upper managements pushing all the staff and departments to meet certain numbers daily makes the job even more hectic and unbearable specially with the low pay. 

Management in the third floor is very unprofessional and not knowledgeable. There are people in management who doesn’t have qualifications to be in the position they are in. They do not appreciate the hard work you put in and always make you feel like you are replaceable or your job is not appreciated. They tend to discriminate and perform with a lot of favoritism towards employees of the same race. 

I would not recommend working here. They have a lot of favoritism. They always have you doing so much for such little pay. They provide no training for you and always expect you to know everything. They allow certain workers to be on their phone and not get in trouble. The manager is lazy never wants to help out is always asking other people to help even if they are busy. IF everyone is already answering calls the manager never wants to be a team player and help out. Instead she expects one to answer more than one call at a time. 

My experience working at Southern California Medical Center as a Microbiologist was exceptional. I was received by a wonderful team of coworkers and a fantastic manager. The department ran very smoothly and peacefully. I think it was due to the fact that my group, including our supervisor, was made up of seasoned, experienced technologists. All of us had more than 30 years of experience. It was enjoyable and fulfilling. Everyone was treated with respect. 

this is probably the worst place i had the displeasure of working at! this clinic is so badly ran and THIS position is almost ALWAYS hiring because the turn over rate is insanely high. in one year they've had more than 6 people at this position. the CFO is a spineless follower and the doctors are inappropriate predators! the clinic itself does so many illegal things, it's unbelievable! again, STAY away from here and save yourself the trouble.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Physician 19 salaries reported	$135 per hour
Medical assistant 18 salaries reported	$21.11 per hour
Family nurse practitioner 2 salaries reported	$73.75 per hour
Medical scribe 8 salaries reported	$22.63 per hour
Dental assistant 8 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour

Working at Southern California Medical Center: Company Overview and Reviews

Southern California Medical Center

Southern California Medical Center Ratings

Popular jobs at Southern California Medical Center

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected