registered nurse

health screener

respiratory therapist

patient care technician

registered nurse - medical / surgical

St. Davids HealthCare

Most of the reviews here are spot on. If you are new to the field, I highly recommend this site being your first one. You will be put through many difficult times and face many challenges. There will be many times when you feel like quitting...don't. Keep your head up, keep grinding, be thankful for the few GOOD experiences that you do have, and just know that life will be so much easier after working here. This will make you stronger in the long run. I promise.

When it comes to developing your craft:
You will learn, and you will learn FAST. The site is insanely busy which is very good because you will learn to be your sharpest mentally. Since the department is so understaffed (see below), you will be thrusted into many difficult situations where you will need to think fast and be prepared for anything. As stated above, you will be so much stronger as a professional after working at this site. Everything else will seem like a cakewalk!

When it comes to staffing/individuals you work with:
Site is very understaffed. The department has such a bad reputation that even travelers will refuse to work there (which is saying ALOT). There will be times when you will be left alone. This will be very difficult in the beginning since it's a Level II Trauma Center, not to mention the 2nd busiest site in Austin.

The veterans here are phenomenal! They will give you sound advice when it comes to making difficult decisions. This will help you tremendously when you encounter a staff worker or Physician who crosses the line and tries to get you to go against your better judgement. 

The key to dealing with someone who does this is to STAND FIRM. This is your patient, and it is on you to make the best decision for the patient. Do not tolerate ANY kind of BS from ANYONE who tries to cross the line like this. It doesn't matter if it is a fellow coworker, a Physician, your Manager, your Director, or the CEO of St. David's. Squash it IMMEDIATELY. 

If you set boundaries when something like this happens, it won't happen again. Otherwise, it will continue and do nothing but stress you out.

You would think that getting a career and working with professionals, people would grow-up and act mature...nope. There's more maturity working with a group of teenagers at the movie theaters.

When it comes to Management:
Be thankful they give you the opportunity to get your foot in the door. Because of the staffing issues, they will be more than happy to give you as many hours as you'd like. With that said, be prepared for the worst. 

Management will treat you as if you're expendable. When it comes to dealing with individuals such as Physicians acting out of line, they won't do ANYTHING. They are truly scared of their bosses.

When the Director doesn't get his way, he has been known to curse you out and hang up the phone on you mid-conversation...on a good day. On a bad day...he has been known to threaten your employment as well as your career. Truly disgusting behavior.

In conclusion, if you are new to the field and get the opportunity to work here, take it. Just be prepared for what is to come. It will be hard, but it will be worth it. You will come out so strong in the end that you will be able to handle ANYTHING the world throws at you. That is a fact.

I started out working 32 hours and was often able to pick up an additional 8 hours in a different department. My manager seemed very unaware of the job duties and sent me to other people for training. It was a struggle to keep up with all of the billing, coding, and accounting for the department while also registering new employees, a process that took an hour, then calling new potential patients and their doctors to obtain their medical records, and acting as a receptionist in a busy office.

Then the hospital began cutting back hours. The cutbacks were announced right after a huge catered anniversary party for all the employees with free BBQ, Amy's ice cream and our own St. David's camping chair. It was also right after I'd selected a new accounting system to be implemented, which meant I had to manually re-enter all of our hundreds of clients' information and correct years of errors. I asked for additional hours to work on setting this up and was instead given assistance from other staff members but then was berated for needing help from someone else to complete my job. I was also critiqued - on my reviews - for things like elderly clients not being able to find our office in the maze of the hospital, not having a thorough clinical understanding of the rehab process (I asked to observe but was unable), supplies ordered through a system that lacked details not being the correct supplies, and my lack of a "confident demeanor."

I have never worked so hard and steadfastly to only be criticized for anything that was not perfect. My supervisor frequently dug through my work after I left, looking for mistakes to document. It was the most toxic work environment, which I had nightmares about even after I'd moved on. Most of the problems were with my supervisor, but HR did nothing to intervene even when asked to attend my reviews. I created statistical reports for my manager every month which showed a constant increase (a perfect trend line!) in number of continuing patients in addition to new patients admitted (which I recruited), but this also was not helpful in proving that I'd been working hard. I was actually frequently criticized that I was doing a bad job recruiting.

I had been working in another department and those managers were happy with my work but this was unhelpful when my main manager set me on a "work improvement" path. The "work improvement" plan was inadequate because as I sought out ways to improve, become more efficient and learn systems (I had three software programs change in the 10 months I was there), I was quickly running out of time and the improvement I was required to show in order to not be fired was too great. I really wanted to stay and was highly motivated because my office had community programs that I was excited to help with once I'd reached a level of efficiency. I even started working off the clock to try to achieve more. So disappointing.

You could do much worse than St. David's.  Their compensation is a little low for the area, but they bump you up decently pretty quickly.  Their "residency" is a joke, lots of time spent (2 hours a month or so) in classrooms learning the most basic of basic concepts with very little explanation of what your job actually entails.  Very little of the residency is medical knowledge, just a lot of basic life skills (be nice to patients, don't yell at family members, yadda yadda).  

Ultimately, however, it's the on-the-job training that will help you learn your role.  13 weeks with a preceptor who normally lets you take the reins pretty early, but is consistently there to help you if you need advice or help managing your patient load.  Once you're done with your preceptorship, you're flying solo, but for the most part your team is always there to help.  Charge nurses don't take patients, and majority of the time are happy to help you with any skills you need shoring up on, or any tough procedures you can't seem to get.

Patient ratios at Round Rock are good, 4-5 patients per nurse and 12 patients per tech.  You will be doing a lot of tech work, but that's just another opportunity to perform an assessment of your patient.  They actively foster an environment of cooperation and teamwork, and are quick to remind others of that if anyone demonstrates poor qualities in those regards.  

Education opportunities abound, with opportunities to get your ACLS, PALS, specialty certifications, and advanced degrees, with little to no out of pocket costs.  They really want well educated nurses, and it shows. 

The only practices that really bother me, are their 2 year contract for new nurses, and their resistance to re-assigning.  They claim that their "residency" costs them $10,000 to put you through, and make you sign a promissory note as a condition of employment to pay back that amount if you leave employment (prorated per month of course).  It's obvious what they're trying to do, nobody is foolish enough to think that mandatory education that is 2 hours a month for 10 months costs $10,000 per nurse.  It's a way to justify keeping you there for 2 years because they took a chance at hiring a new nurse. That's all.  What's funny is that they boast about having a very high retention rate for 2 years of their new graduate nurses (gee, I wonder why?)

For re-assigning, they are very resistant to you changing positions/specialties (even within the same hospital) for at least a year.  Not unreasonable, but bothersome regardless.  If you realize a specialty isn't for you, you're going to have a tough time changing to something that's a better fit until at least a year in that position.  They justify this by saying that it takes a year for a nurse to really understand their position, but honestly, it doesn't take all that long to learn that something isn't for you.  Another blatant justification of something we all know: it's bad business for nurses to be rotating positions constantly.  We know it, why not just say it?

I recently worked at St. Davids and unfortunately, I had a very negative experience that I feel compelled to share.

One of the biggest issues I encountered while working there was the company's focus on profits over patient care. It was evident that management and corporate decisions were being made with the primary goal of maximizing profits, rather than prioritizing patient care. This was extremely frustrating and disheartening, as it goes against the values that I believe are important in the healthcare industry.

Furthermore, I often felt like I was being gaslit by management to believe that any systemic problems were my fault, rather than acknowledging that these were the result of corporate decisions. This lack of accountability was concerning and made it difficult to make meaningful improvements in patient care.

I was also disappointed to see that many of the charge nurses had less than two years of experience, which impacted the quality of care provided to patients. Additionally, the high turnover rate, with most staff staying for less than a year, was a sign of a toxic work environment and a lack of support for employees.

Finally, I was disheartened to learn that St. Davids was hiring new grads instead of paying travelers, and tricking them into signing two-year contracts. It's disappointing to see a company prioritize their own financial gain over the well-being of their employees and patients.

Overall, my experience at St. Davids was very negative, and I would caution others to consider these issues before accepting a job there. As someone who is passionate about providing quality care to patients, it was disheartening to see a company that didn't share the same values.

Very busy hospital that is always short staffed. Management cannot retain employees because they are always overworked and underpaid. Nurses with 1+ years of experience are getting paid the same as new grad nurses and management won’t tell you. Wage increases and bonuses are unheard of but they’ll be quick to point out flaws if you have any at your employee reviews. If you’re a good nurse all you get is a pat on the back and you can pick up the slack from other employees. Management very obviously plays favorites & will talk about you behind your back to your coworkers. Nurses are out sick with covid from working on covid units but they insist it’s us not being safe or not following ppe & infection prevention guidelines. Maybe it’s all the visitors admin was approving before Monday??? Nurses taking unsafe ratios with no tech support but somehow elective surgeries are still happening?? & guess who takes care of those fresh surgical patients!! Probably the same nurse who worked covid a week before. The only reason they still have employees on some of these units is because new grad nurses are roped into awful 2 year contracts that are crazy expensive to break. 
I will say, that most nurses who help train understand how bad things can be and so they are very helpful and awesome teachers but even your learning comes at a very difficult mental and physical expense. 


Upper management doesn't treat all employees equally.  MDs are treated like Gods while others are expendable.  They typically look for any reason so that an example can be made out of you.  

The staff members who remain at this facility are ones that have been here for years.  They typically do no know that the grass is truly greener on the other side.  The nursing staff are knowledgable and hard working, but are just overworked and run down by the management.

I've learned that the patient acuity at this facility is much higher than what the allowed ratios should be.  Also, charge nurses are required to take patients, sometimes full loads, whereas all other the other hospitals I've worked at do not take any patients.  

North Austin Med Center is more concerned with turning rooms to accommodate new patients than they are concerned about caring for the ones in the bed now.  They will cut staff frequently to save less than $100, which has been detrimental in the past to patient safety.

I've worked shifts here where I was floated every four hours during a 12 hour shift to different floors, taking care of up to 15 patients in one day.  They wouldn't inform you that you were going to be floated until 15 minutes before having to be at the next floor.  

I've seen terrible things done at this place.  Please doe yourself a favor and check out the other facilities in town.  Every where I go North Austin Med Center is considered a joke.  People laugh at just how terrible it is.

A typical day would start with a an idea of the workload but would be assumed to include more surprises along the way. Days would rarely end as expected, but always turned out well thanks to team work and dedication.

Learned to think on my feet in solo efforts as well as part of a team as situations called. Now more used to working with management that is as much in the field as other employees.

Management from all departments kept in the loop with each other and quickly passed information down the line. Always there to lend a hand or support where needed. Would not let team mates fail. Reward oriented and lead by example. Not afraid to jump in and help. Ready to lead the charge.

The culture is just as much that of a team as it is a family. No one wants anyone to fail. Strong support structure geared towards helping the entire team rise instead of any one individual, though individual efforts are acknowledged and praised. Be prepared for many celebrations involving food, drink, and mingling.

The hardest part of working here is the uncertainty of workload, and the emotional toll of working with patients facing sudden or lingering trauma. There will be anger, fear, anguish, and tears. Hope, focus, and, positive attitude are paramount.

The most enjoyable part of the job is knowing you are making a difference. The feeling of being a part of something larger is ever present and profound.

This place will take your soul. Lack of basic knowledge stemming from the patient access department causing an overflow of unnecessary work for a team of 4 members to handle. Management/Manager do not allow you to voice your opinion on improvement to better the work flow, was told to stop complaining as nothing will change (its been this way for years) and just do what we are told. Co-workers are rude, no communication/people skills (do not even say good morning) No room for advancement, current team lead was recently promoted after 10 year tenure. No Paid holidays, you must use your pto or take the day unpaid. No Vacation time/Sick time, you only earn "PTO" of 5-6 hours per pay period.  No overtime allowed. Everyone in the Patient access side is miserable and you can see it in their faces. Company is cheap, they have even cut the budget for business cards and were told to only pass them out if absolutely needed. After several months of back and forth we were able to get a few cases of bottled water (in which the manager asked that we all pitch in several dollars for a case of water)-no sort of incentives given or appreciation shown towards employees. Nothing to learn here other than how to take extreme measures and waste resources to make this hospital some money back. I highly suggest you look elsewhere as this place will make you miserable, all take and no give.

Where to start....
   This company is very poor and there is only 1 thing on their minds. MONEY. I understand that HCA is a for profit company, but when you are working in an environment where it begins to become not safe for your patients or your license, its time to go. There is little to no communication between ER and other units. I never received report while working there. Half the time, I didnt even know why my patient was there. I have NEVER worked somewhere where this is tolerated. Its understaffed and overwhelming. Management is poor at best. They are very inconsistent and unwilling to actually do something to help employees. They talk a big game, but little to no effort is made to actually fix any issues. Discharges are almost embarrassingly too fast and rushed. Management required us to DC a patient (sometimes 4 at a time) in under 1 hour most times because they lose money if they are not gone before a certain time frame. Patients would actually voice feeling "shoved out the door". Once again, we go unheard when we take it to management. I unfortunately will never work for a HCA/ St Davids company again. its really unfortunate, because they have wonderful PCTs and RNs working for them and they could really be "the best in the world", but when you have management that dont really care or the higher ups that also dont really care about anything or anyone but money, you will never have a successful business without happy employees.

I work at St David's NORTH Austin Medical Center. It is is owned by HCA, Hospital Corp. Of America.The number one priority of the company is making money.  Lots of money. Yearly raises are never more than 50 or 60 cents. We get a $ 25 gift card at Christmas.......that they tax. Financially you will never get ahead. Every year they figure out new and creative ways to decrease your benefits. For instance they recently changed how they contribute to your 401k. They contribute a year's worth of earnings to  the 401K once, a year, in January instead of monthly or quarterly like most companies. So if you left in December for a new job, you would miss out on 11 months worth of contributions.  They also have a rule about every single thing you could think about.  Directors and higher management only care about the company,  not the employees.  HR only cares about new hires. Once here, everything is fully automated.  There isn't even a window to walk up to, just a wall. If you want to speak to a human you need to make an appointment.  We have daily brainwashings in the dept telling us what we need to be doing and then they email the same thing. We have quarterly brain washings in the auditorium where they tell us how great the company is, how everyone loves St David,s, how lucky we are to work there and how much money they supposedly give away.  I like my job and the people I work with. It's the only reasons I stay.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 21 salaries reported	$35.55 per hour
Health screener 160 salaries reported	$30.93 per hour
Respiratory therapist 1 salary reported	$29.80 per hour
Patient care technician 38 salaries reported	$16.75 per hour
Registered nurse - medical / surgical 2 salaries reported	$35.55 per hour

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