clinician

registered nurse

psychiatric nurse

licensed practical nurse

registered nurse - medical / surgical

Universal Health Services Inc.

I was used up and spit back out into my life in just under 90 days.  I went from working 50 plus hours a week trying to prove myself for a job in a field i am beyond passionate about to unemployed single mother. And with no reference to get another in this field my chances are slim. We are told that we must work as a team and look out for eachother. Yet I have never worked in a place where I couldn't trust ANYONE I worked for and I've worked in sales.  The "offical" documented  reason I was terminated was helping a coworker for 5 mins so she could take a quick bbreak apparently this is against policy yet  This has been done once by myself and multiple times by other RAs before not to mention she has been there at the company longer than I have so it was my assumption that this was ok to do. I finished my checks on my clients and went to help my coworker. No incidents occurred with her clients in her department and I went back to where my clients were in group. Less than an hour later my cell phone rings while I am talking to a suicidal client.. The call was from my boss on a Saturday that's never good. I unfortunately stop my conversation with the client inorder to answer this call i am then reprimanded for helping my coworker with a break. Someone had called him to inform him. On a Saturday someone called my boss to tattle. This was becoming somewhat of a normalcy that was extremely annoying and discouraging. I immediately apologized and took responsibility for my part in assuming this was acceptable behavior. I did not know it was against policies and procedures. I certainly didn't know i would be fired a week later for it. That client who was suicidal heard the whole conversation and luckily didn't feel put off by me answering it because I had calmed him down by that point. Now I was left feeling anything but calm. 
I Never said no when asked to do a shift. Any shift 1st 2nd 3rd I helped I was there. Even doubles. I NEVER said no when asked to do a drive to pick up or drop off clients even if it was 6 hour drive one way. I took the company vans to my home to detail and vacuum them. I even went as far as to pay fir an oil change myself so the van was safe. Yet I was disposed of..

Positives about this place; most of the staff members truly want to help, some work tovether as a taem to get task done and keep patients and each other safe. Rate of pay is decent. Place looks good on paper.

Negatives; too many to list. Treatment is a joke, this place is pretty much a homeless shelter for drug seeking pts and homeless peoples who know what to say to get a free bed for a few days. For the kids, is toddlers through kids in their late teens on the same coed unit. Always understaffed, which gives patients the opourtunity to seek and do most anything. There is no security on the payroll, nurses and techs are security. Agitated patients yelding anything to be used as a weapon, patients attacking staff, then you must stop and question if you'll get fired for protecting yourself, for giving a shot after being punched in the face or choked out. 

Smoke breaks, in a health facility instead of promoting health and giving a nicotine patch instead while inpatient. Docs bending over and giving patients with a history of opiate abuse pain meds and benzos, just to keep the patient pleased. 

Hardly no patient interaction with staff as staff are always busy with paper work and inservices online, being threatened constantly via email and text message about completing paper, checking this box, and crossing t's, or face disciplinary action.

Freaking monthly meetings, then unit meetings, then more meetings, it never ends. Nooo work life balance here. 

Still doing paper charting, no EMAR, and the paperwork never ends, you may spend 3+ hours over your 12 hour shift completing paperwork and charting because you had 20+ patients, with 4-7 admits, in addition to multiple codes, and agitated patients, with lazy staff, on top of being understaffed.

Management cares about shoving as many patients here as possible to get money. Its so bad that when the childrens unit is full, they will have the overflow sleep on the adult units, with a 1:1, but still, not safe, staff arent professional body guards.

You will loose you sanity, maybe even your credentials and life working here. This is one of the worst companies in the US to work for. Why more people dont speak out about the practices of this company, Im not sure, but save yourself the stress, and work somewhere else. You will go to work everyday hating your profession, and wish you wouldve taken my advice.

The job as a whole is not bad, what kills me on it is the little issues that add up.

As a CST one cleans, tests, delivers, and picks up equipment. This includes beds, air and foam mattresses, air pumps, food and IV pumps, enclosure beds, drug pumps, stands, ventilators, a vast array of equipment.

The people I have worked with have mostly been great people, really good to get along with.

With so much equipment to learn about, know trucking routes to hospitals, memorize routes through the hospitals, know each hospitals different procedures, there a million things to get right and it is way too easy to fail. That is where my criticism of the pay scale comes in. They expect perfection but they are not willing to pay for it.

Also forget making plans. They have been cracking down on overtime lately but you really can't count on getting out on time and going on a date or see a movie at a certain time, or pick up the kids, because that is when you are coming home late.

Pros: If you like your work to be different every time this is it. Has full benefits, including accrued PTO, health care, dental. Guaranteed employment, you have to steal to get fired. Pays better than McDonalds while only requiring high school diploma. You might find it satisfying to deliver needed equipment to patients. Don't have to deliver to homes like other companies.

Cons: The equipment tends to fail at the worst times and you have to deal with irate nurses. Have to deal with crabby nurses who don't have time for you and CNAs that hate their life. The horrid smell of morbidly obese people that need a bariatric bed. The painful screams of dying elderly people while you put an air mattress on their bed. Dealing with an ever shrinking amount of employees while doing the same amount of work and being yelled at to keep overtime down. Cleaning disgusting mattresses and commodes.  Worst part is on call weekends, They are not as the name suggests, you will be working a minimum of eight hours each Saturday and Sunday with 10-12 being more likely, working alone to handle 40+ hospitals in the region all wanting equipment stat. The stress level goes through the roof. Plus side, this is only once every fourth week. Advancement only really comes if you go into the surgical services or biomed side. You will slowly grind out more money over time but don't expect to get a performance raise.

This place is so corrupted! I don’t know about other departments but if you work in the lab you know what I mean when I say management is awful. They are definitely not for the employee. This company is for-profit and all they care about is how many patients you can draw in an hour. They do pointless testing everyday to rack up bills and milk their insurance . That’s all good and fine, business is business, but the way they move they won’t last long without being sued several times over. There is a lot of bullying and harassment, HR will do nothing to investigate what’s happening and they will flip the situation on you and make sure they fire you quickly. I know a few people who are planning to sue this organization and I’m quite sure they will win! There is a very high turnover in the lab and if you join them you will know why. I’m not sure why they don’t question the high turnover or realize that something is clearly wrong. Other hospital systems treat their lab staff 100% better. If you’re a phlebotomist you know you’re getting very low pay compared to the other hospital systems here. They continuously give MLT’s and MT’s raises and phlebs get the back end! I honestly don’t know how corporate hasn’t fired all of the labs upper management and revamped the whole program. Depending on who you are, depends on whether or not you will face disciplinary action for infractions. Very biased company. Lab staff is completely treated like trash by nursing staff. Patients are also treated like trash since they want to admit patients for every little reason causing a lot of stress and unnecessary work on nursing staff. If you just want experience, get your two years and move on, that’s probably all you will be able to stand once you see how they operate. These people are money hungry and have turned the health profession into a joke. There have been several people who have had heart attacks while at work because of the stress and will continue to make you work through it. I’ve seen everything first hand! They are always short-staffed in the lab due to high turnover. There will be times when there is one phleb for the whole hospital!!! You don’t get breaks or lunch sometimes...I can go on and on. If you catch my drift you’ll stay far away. Your health is much more important than any job!

I can write a book to describe what happens in this slaughterhouse. Indeed, I can write a book about this place and the people who work there. I would never, ever choose to end up in that dirty, unsafe, dangerous, and careless place. I have witnessed so much negligence, verbal and, sadly, physical abuse that I can go for weeks writing about it. The ratio nurses/techs patients (often 1 tech/nurse will have to take care of 15-18 patients if you're lucky) is awful and ridiculous which, of course, has a direct repercussion on the employees' immediate safety especially when you're working in the clinical (APS) or CSU units. You can see how poorly the management care about patients (even if they fake they care) and employees. They join units to save money on employees (2 techs rather than 4, or 1 tech rather than 2) care a "zucchini" about your personal safety, and lack of care you'll end up providing to the clients/patients. Therapists who are put under a tremendous pressure to take care of 30 patients (this includes paperwork, group sessions, and individual’s assessments). You'll see how therapists show all the time clear signs of distress. You'll start asking yourself how is it possible that a professional, who is supposed to help people who pay to be there, looks like he/she needs to be helped himself/herself in the first place. What can I tell you?? 
Welcome to Florida, place where these wild, unethical, and immoral places are allowed to remain open. I do not want to touch the salary matter because that is another ridiculous subject. Please, if you like serve and protect human beings in distress, who are there because have mental challenges, disorders, behavioral issues, or need to detox from any kind of substance abuse, and most importantly you care about helping them, do not choose this place. You will see yourself after a few months/years dehumanized and totally careless. No promotions, no raise, especially recently, (if it happens, 10 cents will be added to your hourly rate). Only congrats, pictures of you on the wall, and BS all over the place for showing you the fake empathy they have for you! Go somewhere else. Choose small places to work at, or move to another state where these big companies are not allowed by the law to stay open.

I've been with the company for nearly three years, first as an intern, then as an intake clinician at two different facilities. During my time at the first facility, there was a sentinel event wherein a psychotic patient escaped, ran to the grocery store next door, and went to town on themselves with a box cutter. This is because the facility is consistently, critically understaffed. I was reassured by my supervisor that not all UHS facilities were as bad as ours, so when I moved I took a job at another one, trusting the situation would be better. It was far, far worse. "Service Excellence" was used as a bullying tactic by administration when you expressed any level of dissent. Understaffing is so horrible that nurses have been expected to do their job as well as that of a tech, taking acute patients by themselves with no support. Team Support requests would go unanswered until it escalated to a full code. Hourly workers would be relentlessly pressured to clock out on time, regardless of what work needed to be finished, then would be written up the next day for incomplete paperwork. People have been denied leave requests after the death of family members. Hard fast policies regarding medical acuity have been overruled by administration simply because a patient has good insurance, even though we can't accommodate the patient comfortably. Doctors have been strong-armed into accepting patients who lack acuity, just because they have good insurance. Over the last few months, I've asked repeat patients why they come back, and they always say something to the effect of how nice it is, how they feel like they are treated like people instead of problems, and it sincerely hurts to hear them say that. UHS is not about patients, it's about pay checks. You are not people, you are meat for the grinder, whether a patient or a paid employee.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Hybrid work schedule is great but I wish there was a bit more flexibility in adjusting the number of work from home days vs office as needed. There are some weeks when I really do not need to be in the office as I am working on independent projects but am required to still be in person. While other weeks coming in 5 days for collaborative projects or meetings would be better. The option to adjust accordingly is not available. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The company is extremely understaffed in most departments at this point. Many teams have stepped up to fill the void in the short term but the short term is now approaching long term at a  year or more. Most teams who went above and beyond received nothing more than a small thank you. A discretionary bonus of any amount would have done wonders. Management does not have any concrete plans on how they will fill the vacancies which is leading to the remaining burnt out employees leaving. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There are many great people at the organization but veteran and new employees; however, the culture is a bit outdated and we are often told that our patience will be rewarded. High execs. Who have built theirs careers on the company are often pointed yo as success stories. The difference is they joined the company when  it was extremely small and grew with it. Growth is limited in such a large organization. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
While we each have set routines we are often called to assist in other areas which is interesting in great. It does become a bit overwhelming when these items come up day after day and everything feels like an emergency. Quiet and predictable work days are a thing of the past.

This is the most unethical place I've ever worker in over 20 years. The so-called CEO has zero management skills, has a bachelors degree with no supervisory experience. She relies heavily on the HR manager who will stab you in your back at any given moment. They have fired some of the best, most educated, experienced and committed people I've ever met. Why? Because they've raised serious concerns about patient care, patient and staff safety, they object to being cursed at by the Assessment Center Manager (who doesn't even know how to use the computer system - can't admit a patient to the hospital or complete a decent clinical assessment herself but will literally yell at and about staff doing it the wrong way). Your marketing dept made her way to the top the old fashioned way - true and factual. There is no ethics board so they mistreat patients and no one is overseeing their immoral practices. The benefit's - who can afford them? Horrible benefits. Management will smile in your face, gain your trust and make promises but be sure to listen for the bus - they'll throw you under in less than a heartbeat. You'll want to gauge your own eyeballs out if you accept a position at CHH. Oh and don't feel too important if they do hire you, they hire anyone and don't check references. That's how the last CEO was able to slip in with his fake PhD (bought it online). This place is so sad. DE is a disgrace and LH is her willing copilot. Don't say you weren't warned. By the way, any good reviews you read came from the same snakes who create the miserable working environment. It was the happiest day I've had in years when I found a job at a REAL hospital with real benefits with cultural sensitivity and respect. They don't give a hoot about patients; its ALL about money and their very hefty bonuses.

UHS has gotten poor as over the years, and it is safe to say that nothing has changed. “ Growing steadily since inception into an esteemed Fortune 500 corporation, annual revenues were $11.37 billion during 2019.” Even though UHS’s stocks and revenue continue to soar, the care for their employees and facilities alike leaves much to be desired. Even worse, many decisions and lack of adequate leadership impact daily functions of every system. With 5 behavioral health facilities within 30 miles of the corporate offices, you’d think that they would be under particular scrutiny. But, no. Employees are threatened if they discuss  concerns with supervisors, and are even being discouraged from calling out of work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, due to short staffing issues. 

Regarding COVID-19, employees at behavioral health hospitals are being specifically told NOT to use PPEs, and are continuing to operate their hospitals at FULL capacity, meaning ~25 patients congregating on units and, at times, ~25 acute psychiatric patients one single bathroom and hand sink. 

UHS highlights the worst parts of our national for-profit healthcare system, and unfortunately COVID-19 is making so many flaws more glaringly apparent. This Fortune 500 Company, with it’s billions in yearly revenue, makes no considerations for the safety of its compromised patients or employees.  The fact that UHS’s hospitals are able to somehow pull themselves together to meet criteria for The Joint Commission is unfathomable. And yet, this happens yearly. 

BEWARE UHS, a prime example of what is so detrimentally flawed in the United States healthcare system.

All buildings within UHS are different-
As a floor manager, part time employees have better perks than full time where I was. Most employees have access to virtually unlimited overtime throughout year. Pool staff get to pick and choose when they want to work, and are still eligible for overtime if you get called in. Many staff bump down to pool or just 32 hours per week, with the expectation they will get more hours.

With a Master's degree and 2 years experience, I received $23 per hour. It doesn't get much higher than that, even for those floor staff who are licensed and have been there for longer. 

Management is laughably terrible. They actually have incentives to see that you do not get a raise. (for profit company)
In the battle of treatment v.s budget, budget always wins at UHS. Patients are constantly neglected from both clinical therapists and floor staff. Upper management here is a nightmare, and they never try and retain good staff or nurses. Two of the evening managers are blatantly creeping on the female patients, one of which has been there for 15+years.  

If you are a therapist, or other salaried clinician, expect to work 60+ hours per week. Average therapist turnover at my location was less than 1 year. Burnout rate is high. 
I did not have a good experience at my location. I will say that very few people here love their job. Most tolerate until they find something better.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Clinician 42 salaries reported	$33.61 per hour
Registered nurse 15 salaries reported	$47.60 per hour
Psychiatric nurse 6 salaries reported	$51.45 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 16 salaries reported	$29.62 per hour
Registered nurse - medical / surgical 91 salaries reported	$40.15 per hour

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