nursing assistant

registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

maintenance technician

receptionist

The Alden Network

A typical day at Alden was managing the day to day operations of the post-acute program. The program was focused on short-term patients (orthopedic, cardiac, neurology, pulmonary, other) coming to the facility by referral from the physician to participate in our state-of-the-art physical therapy/occupational therapy rehabilitation program to gain optimum strength and mobility to specific parts of the body, or the entire body and returning home in optimum condition. I was the manager for the short-term program. I was also the liaison for the facility. My duties included making personal contact with each patient at the bedside, anticipating the needs of the patients and their families and making sure those needs were met. I attended appointments with patients upon request, to give their physician a detailed account of their health status. I collaborated with the patients physicians, the therapy departments, insurance companies, social workers from the discharging hospital/facility and other departments to ensure that the patient's stay at the facility transitioned smoothly from the time of admission until the time of discharge. I worked closely with the nursing department and was informed of any changes in a patient's status. 100% Customer delight was the main focus for our patients rehabilitating at Alden. I learned that pleasing your patients/customers is reward in and of itself. I had an excellent rapport with my patients and my co-workers. The hardest part of my job was saying good bye to the patients when they walked out the door to return home. The most enjoyable part of my job was being a part of the healing process and working with all levels of health care professionals.

I interviewed at Alden today and wanted to share my experience, it was not good (I should mention the interviewer was great and extremely personable). I interviewed for a counselor position that would require providing counseling to residents, conducting groups, discharge planning and assessments. I have my masters degree in social work and my first social work license (LSW), and a few years of post-graduate experience, specifically with providing therapy for seniors plus several years of social work related experience before that. In the job advertisement, which I found through indeed, they preferred someone with a masters degree so I thought I would apply. The actual interview went very well, she asked questions like what I enjoyed doing in my spare time, what are my strengths/weaknesses, how I heard about the position and  how much experience I have (that was about it).  however at the end of the interview she commented that I was asking for $40,000/year and told me that the starting pay was $11.00/HR !!! I couldn't believe it and actually had to apologize because of the shocked look on my face. It was an insulting amount. If you have an MSW or a related degree, it's definitely not worth interviewing for. This rate of pay is barely acceptable for someone just out of college with no experience! She said that there may be some negotiation but honestly, I would be looking for a range between $20-$25 per hour, which I'm certain is not in the cards, plus it is seriously unlikely that they would be able to provide supervision for the LCSW after we discussed that as well.

A typical day at work: Clock in, open my computer, immediately get notified that state is in the building AGAIN and proceed to not be allowed to conduct my actual job because they needed me to answer call lights and do things that weren't in my job description. When state wasn't in the building I would spend most of my day chasing people down to get them to do their jobs so that I could do mine.
What I learned: I learned a lot about healthcare and elder based needs which was helpful with my career.
Management: The assistant director was so helpful, as well as HR. However, corporate was putting a lot of pressure on them and it was apparent. My boss was barely ever at work which made everyone else have to pick up extra responsibilities. When I left management was in the middle of changing. I have heard things have not gotten any better.
Workplace Culture: I made a lot of friends while working there, we formed comradery. (Management did not appreciate us working closely together)  Nursing and CNA's have horrible attitudes (can't blame them they are so overworked) 
Hardest part of the Job: Being made to do things that definitely are not your job. Not having a consistent work pace. Not having a flexible schedule. Bad benefits
Most enjoyable part of the Job: Helping residents and their families. 
This job and workplace are meant for strong minded people who can handle it. I admit I wasn't able to but that doesn't mean thee job doesn't have to be done. If you struggle with inconsistency, fast work pace, chaotic environments, etc. then this isn't the place/job for you.

After the second day, I knew I wouldn’t last long.
There was no on boarding, orientation, or even proper training. For the first two weeks, I was shadowing the social service director who had to essentially try to train me while maintaining her tasks. Then got sent to two different Aldens to do the same thing, but in reality it was just a massive inconvenience for them.
Only when corporate came down after two weeks of being on the job, did they train me. But apparently each Alden’s social service departments run differently so there was never really something set in stone. In my opinion, the way she presented it was you’re gonna do it my way.
The majority of the people that work there are really fake and have their own cliques. I’ve been in enough work environments to know if you don’t fit into one of them then you’re basically an outcast. I did not feel welcomed and was not really included in some of things that will keep me in the loop. I only got some of them after a while, but was still left out on certain things.
I left a pretty decent job to come here and hopefully expand my career but instead it set me back. 
But I’m grateful for learning a few things that I can hopefully carry on into my next job, but Alden as a whole is a royal mess. It needs serious overhaul. I now see why they change administrations every year. So thank you Alden for teaching me how unprofessional your system is and why I should never even consider applying again in the future.

This is a decent job to begin at a career as a nurse, however no one really stays past 6months-1 year and as I worked there it became evident why, the management is atrocious. It's not uncommon to feel like a number at some jobs but this place makes it so clear that it the case, no one will stay. We were always short staffed, working 2 RN's on patient load of 70-90patients and admissions would roll in sometimes up to 5 a day. Administration and nursing do not communicate. New patients wouldn't get their medications because the floor nurses didn't have time to enter all the admissions and help was nonexistent. Night shift is treated like dogs with two med passes, all of wound care, and told to complete all the charting and admission assessments or be written up, there is also no shift differential to work nights. The kicker for me was when they started hiring new nurses with no experience and paying them $2.00 more an hour, no incentive for the staff that has been killing themselves. Management is catty and talks about employees to other employees. One time I was promised a giftcard for working overtime and had to ask for it, management acted like I committed a crime for asking. I would never work here again. Honestly, this is the kind of place they warn you about in nursing school, protect your RN license and work somewhere else.

I've been with Alden for about a year and just love it here. The fast paced work environment always presents the opportunity to learn which is always a great thing. There is no complacency here. I work second shift on the second floor and am the permanent nurse for Team One. Teamwork is our motto. We all work together to make sure everything gets completed and that no nurse feels overwhelmed. It's a great feeling knowing your teammates have your back and are there to lend a hand when needed.
I'm looking forward to advancing within the company and hope to stay in my building as I grow.  As it is with many companies in the healthcare industry, we go through transition form time to time, but our administration team is solid and our administrator is great. His door is always open  and he is a fantastic resource for just about everything and has been in place with us for more than 10 years.
I left nurse management to go back to skilled nursing and it was the right decision for me. Although I was successful and enjoyed nurse management, I always felt that I was missing that sense of camaraderie and family that is needed to truly feel successful. I found it at Alden Poplar Creek. Its a great place to work with great people and if you're a nurse looking for a new home that is both rewarding and a challenge. I invite you to apply and join me.

Corporate pretends you don’t exist until you benefit them in a huge way. In the future if something happens they can assign blame for then watch out! The policies aren’t even regulatory compliant because of corporate clinical leaders who have no real experience and don’t understand how things actually work. They write policies that aren’t even regulatory compliant. The owners daughter was just given the leadership position and has no comprehension for how things truly operate and the regulations and it shows but unfortunately everyone is too scared to say anything. The entire company has zero understanding of how Wisconsin regulations differ from Illinois so their policies only work in illinois. A lot of people that work for the company don’t even realize they have facilities in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin facilities are of least importance. You cannot even get appropriate supplies or equipment to follow basic standards of care without submitting formal requests to someone sitting in an office who is non clinical and doesn’t understand the importance. Avoid the headache and heartache you’ll be left with if your someone who gives your all to help residents. It will never be appreciated and they constantly say everyone is replaceable!

Management was very bad. They always say they will help but when we are short staffed (which is like everyday) and needed help they were no where to be found. They always have call offs and there are no disciplinary actions being taken to handle the call offs. They had alot of good employees but they always seem to give the hard working people the hardest time and the lazy ones get away with everything. We get 30 minute breaks for 8 hour shifts but if your gone for hours mostlikely you will not get introuble. At the end of my time working there which made my decision to leave easy was the amount of bullying and gossip. Theres always so much drama and everyone treats eachother poorly. It became a poor environment to work in from compared to when i first started. I had 3 DON in the matter of a year and this last one i have had did not keep personal information to herself and everyone new my personal business. There is no privacy. Lastly, there are alot of people who will vape and smoke inside the building and you can smell that and other illegal herbs on workers or in the basement hallways. It because more of a highschool environment and unprofessional. I did not want to lose my license so i left.

Management continually changes, we are always short staffed and the new employees that get hired usually leave due to the resident to employee ratio which is anywhere from 12-15 residents on average per one CAN.  There are very few if any incentives given if any to employees for their hard work. This is a state run facility it needs a lot of work.  It is difficult to up the building and the equipment need to keep it running.  There are many residents that do not care for the place itself and every year Alden fails state inspections.  Many of the state inspections that Alden fails has to do with that  it is a state run facility and the state does not take the time to really look at the reasons for why Alden fails state inspections. The state does nothing to help Alden improve in their care and running of the facility. Many of the down falls of the facility has to do with the state and other individuals taking the time find out why Alden has not improved in many of the areas required for nursing homes to run properly.  

Overall, I enjoy working due to most of the staff and the residents. Most of the employees and residents actually care about each other. I would like to see this facility improve.

This review is for Alden Terrace in Los Angeles, CA.  I worked as a CNA at this facility for three years. While I was employed there, there where various times where the basics (gloves, nightgowns, pillows, etc.) were not readily available. Several times, a box of gloves had to be shared by a whole nursing station (6-7 nurse assistants plus charge nurse). The breaking point for me was when there was a scabies outbreak which the facility insisted be referred to as “skin discoloration.” Management even had county nurses come in and give us an inservice. The administrator cut the inservice short once many of the CNAs began describing the “skin discoloration” in detail and asking questions regarding true skin discoloration vs scabies… In short, it was a good place where to practice my skills and get a feel for what working as a healthcare professional in a nursing home is like; however, it’s not the kind of place where you’ll grow as a professional. It’s more like the kind of place where you get experience and get out and move on to bigger, better things.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 3 salaries reported	$19.25 per hour
Registered nurse 2 salaries reported	$36.50 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 3 salaries reported	$37.67 per hour
Maintenance technician 1 salary reported	$23.00 per hour
Receptionist 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour

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