security guard

registered nurse manager

maintenance technician

housekeeper

dietary aide

St. Margaret Hall

I enjoyed my time at St Margaret Hall. In Activities there was always something to be done! Planning parties and activities, decorating for holidays and best of all doing activities with Residents.
* I started as a Carehelper (position no longer exists) working with Nurse Aides doing non- hands on care: delivering newspapers, mail, linens, light cleaning, transporting Residents around the facility and any small number of tasks. I received training at St Margaret Hall (they don't offer training anymore) and took the test to become a Nurse Aide. 
* Nurse Aides work hard. No doubt about it. The facility had lots of equipment to lessen some of the physical strain. Lifts to get folks out of bed. Really nice whirlpool bathtubs with lifts to get folks in and out. I did not last long as one, physically too hard for my chronic health issues. 
* Activity Aide: one of the hardest jobs you will ever love. You will move a lot. Transporting Residents to and from activities, Mass and meals. You will think a lot: how to adapt an Activity for a specific person's needs, what activities could be beneficial, who should sit where to maximize their ability to participate and to minimize personality clashes...
I loved it. I sang, danced, did crafts, drove the handicap accesible vehicles for outings, cracked jokes, wore costumes and sometimes just sat quietly with someone.
*Activites Assistant, trained Activity Professional. I was offered the opportunity to go for the 90hr Activities Professional training. Pretty similar to above but you know more principles behind why we do what we do. Also put me into a more responsible position.
This is the position I eventually left.
* Overall my experience was a good one. Opportunities were extended to move up in the facility. I felt that most of the supervisors and higher ups were supportive. Bad supervisors  ever seemed to last long.
* You will be expected to work. There is always something to get done, even if it is just to sit and be company for an elder. *The Residents were a bright spot for me over the years. For the most part I loved them immensely. Yes, there were some I had issues with. Health issues, dementia or physical pain can make a person less than pleasant. And some personalities clashed. But you can't like everyone...
* Similar for staff. I had some folks I though the world of. I knew they had my back. I knew they wanted the best for me as a person. Had a few clinkers but they rarely lasted long.
* There were a lot of us old timers there. It led to a definite carry over of traditions, a feeling of family. Even among Residents there were "old timers", their parents had been Residents of SMH. There is a reason for that level of dedication. 

The difference is love. Really.

Why I left: long term dream job opened. If it had not I'd still be there.

I have worked at this facility for over 10 years, during that time it has been a very stable and enjoyable place to work up until this year.  There have been a lot of changes, some positive such as the opening of a new rehab unit and some negative such as changes in workflow creating more work for most with little consideration for work/life balance.  For the longest time we were told we were not to have any OT-period and if we did we would get addressed by HR.  Now because so many positions have changed and people have left, OT is not an issue because now "they need us" there to do the work.  Sure some are taking advantage of the opportunity for OT but others, such as myself, don't want it but don't really feel like I have a choice in the matter because my work still has to get done-no one can do my job but me and I'm held accountable for getting it done. The administrator works 7days/week and has for years so she doesn't seem to have empathy for those of us who want to work a normal 40-45 hour week.  She isn't the most approachable person, some days she won't even speak to you, literally you can say hello to her and she won't even respond, and other days she will talk your ear off.  We feel like we have to walk on eggshells because we never know what mood she will be in that day-I guess it's from working all of those hours.  It used to be a fun place to work, employees would laugh and smile throughout  the day but now it just feels like there is a lot of unhappiness and negative energy.  There used to be a lot of involvement from the Sisters however we rarely see them and that used to be what set us apart from other facilities and is also what drew me to St. Margaret Hall in the first place.  I do enjoy my co-workers, there is a lot of teamwork among most of us.  The unit managers and supervisors do the best they can but they are pushed to the limit too.  I know change is inevitable but I just miss the way things used to be, I used to look forward to coming to work, but now that's not the case.  The payscale is low in comparison to surrounding facilities and our health insurance premiums keep going up.  For a single person it's affordable, but if you have a family it eats up your paycheck.

I have worked at St. Margaret Hall for 19 years and hope to stay until I retire! I have found it to be a wonderful, fulfilling place of employment and enjoy the part that I play in caring for our elderly Residents. Each and every staff member plays a part in the daily operation of the facility and each and every staff member is important! 

I came to St. Margaret Hall from a retail background at the recommendation of my sister, who was working as a supervisor at that time. I have not regretted it for even a day! I found the place I believe that I was meant to be. I was given the opportunity and authority to suggest ideas and make changes. My opinion and experience was trusted, and that is always appreciated. I hope that I have brought the same positive experience to St. Margaret Hall that it has brought to me.  I am a firm believer that much of a workplace is what you bring to it.

My immediate supervisor has become one of my closest friends. She is supportive of me in and out of the work environment; genuinely caring for all of the staff and commanding the respect of all she encounters. She acts as a mediator between staff and management, putting serious thought and consideration into all matters presented to her.  

St. Margaret Hall operates with integrity and honesty. We obey State regulations and guidelines, providing a safe work environment for all employed. I would highly recommend this place of employment, especially for those looking for a place to stay.   

I've worked at St. Margaret Hall for a long time and enjoy my job, my residents, and my co-workers.  There is very little turnover with the nurses and many of the STNA's have been here for a long time.  Most of the nursing supervisors are very hands on and help when needed.  The DON has been there for many years and is also very hands on and always makes herself accessible to the staff-she really cares about the not only the residents but the staff also.  However we just learned that she is resigning her position here so that has a lot of us very nervous about what kind of changes are in our future.  HR is great and is always available to us.  Most all of the departments seem to work well together-there is a lot of team work in the facility.  The Administrator however is not well known by the staff even though she has been in charge for about 5 years.  She has limited interaction with the staff and is rarely seen on the nursing units.  Not saying she is good or bad, we just don't really know her even though she has been here for a while.  I know that I personally wouldn't feel comfortable approaching her with a concern, she's probably the only person in management that I feel that way about.  We recently opened a new rehab unit that I'm not permantly assigned to but have worked on a few times, I will say it is very busy, not only do I have the rehab unit but also part of the nursing home unit when I'm on that assignment.  It's really not doable in 8 hours and we are always told we are not to have OT.  Other than that it's a great facility that really cares about the residents.

•a typical day at work
I go in take report from outgoing supervisor. I then call the floors to make sure all the workers are at post. I do census of residents, check safety of all residents on all three floors, make sure all glucometers in the nursing home are working properly, make sure all refrigerators are within acceptable temperatures, make sure all orders for the day were taken off, complete uncompleted incident reports and plan interventions, make sure all treatments and skin checks are done by nurses, make sure wheel chairs are cleaned by aides and lift batteries are being charged, check nurses' documentations, check FSBS give insulin if needed and AM medication to assisted living residents, write a report for the day. Give report to AM nurse for assisted living.
•what you learned
I could not help but had to learn how to work in a fast pace otherwise my work will not be done in 8 hrs.
•management
Once you know your job and do it well nobody bothers you. Good rapport between management and staff.
•your co-workers
Works in a team and respect each other.
•the hardest part of the job
Having to leave an already tight work schedule to attend to an incident.
•the most enjoyable part of the job
Good rapport  between management and staff.

Challenging, steady pace, increased my listening skills, I learned to multitask. I enjoyed listening to my elderly residents I gained at lot of Knowledge and wisdom. The majority of my co-workers were team players. The hardest part of my job was having to pick up the slack for a few slackers and not having enough time. Management was available sometimes but ther were times when they didnot respond in emergency situations, therefore I learned to work with little or no suppervision and had to direct others. The most enjoyable part was going home at the end of the day knowing that I made a difference and gave 110% of myself.

The kitchen staff is very unprofessional they don’t communicate and talk about you behind your back to other staff member. Hr isn’t any better they don’t help you when you have a problem they just make it seem like it’s always your fault.they don’t have good pay, they want you to bend over backwards for nothing and they have favorites.This has been the worst experience of my life as an employee.DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE!!!!

I love working with my residents I learn a lot from each one of them. I learn how to deal with residents with behavioral problem and residents that had a stroke and helping putting clothes on the weak side of a resident and how to feed a resident with dealing with a stroke.  I learn from the culture each and everyday. The hard part about my job when we were short staff, But I still maintained. I really enjoy seeing smile on the resident face and making them laugh.

For the most part it was awful the kitchen was dirty and never clean it looked like they never even tired to clean it ever. One of my co workers would make derogatory comments about people that visited and towards people that lived there and worked there on a daily basis and when I said something to HR about him and his attitude I was pretty much was treated like I was lying about it and nothing was done about it. Stay away if possible.

One of the best places to reach your career goals your able to be put in challenging situations which prepare you for your field of study they help with and offer education opportunities and they make your work place a positive environment its in my opinion a great start to a positive adventure.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Security guard 2 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
Registered nurse manager 4 salaries reported	$55.00 per hour
Maintenance technician 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Housekeeper 1 salary reported	$12.50 per hour
Dietary aide 1 salary reported	$12.50 per hour

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