registered nurse

mental health technician

postdoctoral fellow

physician

assistant professor

University of Texas Medical Branch

Good place to learn skills as a new LPN. I worked at UTMB correctional managed care for almost a year. I worked at a prison at the Ramsey Unit and was a young female. I took the job because I wanted something different, having been laid off on Christmas Eve. I was sad, so I wanted something interesting to do. Something that I could be proud of that could redeem my insecure career. So I decided to apply to a prison, young, naïve, and bright-eyed.

 Working at a prison has its pros and cons, but I feel like UTMB took care of me and got my back. The job could be stressful at times, but that's part of being in a prison and medical field. At first I thought I couldn't do the job, but I stuck through and eventually I felt comfortable working the job. Working in a prison is not what you think it is. It is just as bad as you think it is but it is also better. It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. I worked with great coworkers, while some were not so great. This job was challenging. Now, I feel like if I could work there, I can almost do anything. If you like blood and gore, work at a prison. There is always wounds. Oftentimes, working in a prison resembles working in an ER as you never know what will come in as a walk in through that door. This job really made me more confident in my nursing ability and emotional/intellectual abilities. Team work is essential, but being independent is an important thing to. I learned to be very independent. 

I think the pay working at a prison is great. After my prison job, I got married and had to move to the East Coast and the pay there is not as great as Texas. 

Working at a prison you will learn lots of skills, such as IV's, wound care, medication administration, shots, EKGs, nebulizers, etc., which are great for a new nurse. However, the job is fast-paced. You learn as you go, which can be frustrating to new nurses. But if you learn fast and are determined, you will succeed.

I thoroughly enjoy my day to day interaction with patients, as it allows me to do what I enjoy most, which is helping people.  I go home daily from work, and feel like I made a difference in people's lives, by merely helping them,and guiding them through proper channels, obtaining quality healthcare, and exceptional customer service, because I genuinely care about each and every patient I encounter on a daily basis.
I am not in a position to discuss how I feel about other aspects of my job, such as management, co-workers, etc... as I am currently employed here, and do not feel it would beneficial whether professionally, or personally, for the institution or myself in any way.  
The hardest part of my job, is turning patients away, when they are in need of care, and do not have the financial resources to pay for the care needed.  It breaks my heart, to turn people away, due to their financial situations, which are very unique, and unfortunately not adequate to obtain the healthcare that so many people need.
The most rewarding aspect, is coming home at night, knowing that I have made a difference in many different peoples lives, whether it be lending an ear, showing compassion, and empathy with their diverse situations, or just being able to guide them in the right direction, for a multitude of various reasons.  Patient care, and interaction can be very frustrating at times, but when you possess the knowledge, and genuine concern for each and every patient, regardless of circumstances, you leave everyday with a great since of fulfillment, knowing that you were able to assist someone, that without your guidance, would not receive the services, or knowledge needed to handle their health needs, and concerns.

I am unable to provide a detailed description of a typical workday in my department, as my experiences were unique to my situation. The responsibilities assigned to me were expected to be fulfilled, and while I was willing to take on additional tasks and consistently completed them accurately and on time, this led to an increasing workload without any adjustments. It often resulted in me working continuously without adequate breaks, while other employees appeared to engage in casual conversations and socializing during work hours, despite the pressing demands of our tasks.

My absence, whether due to illness or vacation, was noticeably impactful; the providers struggled due to the team not being able to manage the workload in my absence since they were not used to working. I attempted to delegate tasks to my colleagues during these times, but unfortunately, they were frequently left uncompleted. This situation became so pronounced that providers would contact me directly while I was on vacation to express their dissatisfaction with the unfinished work. Despite notifying them in advance about my time off, they often withheld assignments until my return, citing their lack of confidence in others to complete the tasks, as I was viewed as the primary individual committed to ensuring that the work was done effectively.

Upon my departure from UTMB, I was contacted by several providers who expressed their desire for me to return, emphasizing that the department could not operate efficiently without my contributions. However, I declined their requests due to my concerns regarding upper management.

Benefits here are AMAZING. You get paid medical insurance, with dental/vision add-ons optional. Paid vacation, paid days off, Teachers Retirement Plan, and most places will give you a discount for working at UTMB.
UTMB is a culture-friendly company, inviting everyone of any religion, race, background, etc. to work there. They have no policy against piercings, tattoos, weird hair, etc. as long as you are presentable and professional.
Management doesn't even supervise the pharmacy, so coworkers who have been there for years can get away with whatever they want. You are usually working with 30+ other coworkers at a time so there's a lot of drama and everyone talks smack about each other. You get very little praise here, even if you are doing your job correctly or going out of your way to make sure stuff is done. 
Attendance policy is very strict because the schedules are made 1-3 months in advance, so it's very hard to schedule any time off for yourself. You will still usually get a call to come in on your days off because of someone else calling out. UTMB is ALWAYS missing someone. They basically require you to take OT and will literally let you work days and days with no break. I had to work 3 weeks in a row before with no day off, some of those being double/triple shifts of 16-24 hours.
You also have to pay for parking if you don't want to walk 3+ miles to get onto the campus, and some of those parking garages are 60+ dollars a month. 

Overall not a bad working environment, everyone is friendly and the benefits are great, just too much OT/no time for life and poor management.

I had a great experience working for UTMB, but felt limited in potential growth with regard to promotions and increased pay rates with these promotions.  The hours varied from study to study, but I had no issue with this kind of working conditions.  I simply felt that I had plateaued, and was therefore, restricted in my growth within this facility.
A typical day was not a typical day at all.  Studies varied in time frames and protocols, so the "work day" was constantly changing.

My manager/supervisor was a fantastic mentor and extremely knowledgeable in the Microbiology and Virology areas of academia.
Dr. XXX, taught me invaluable lessons that I still use to this very day.  In addition, he had a great attitude and a true passion for his area of expertise.  I really enjoyed working along side of him.

My co-workers varied in their knowledge and skills.  I worked with people with PhD's, as well as with those who didn't even have a GED.  They were all hard workers and considerate of other peers.

The hardest part of my job was also the most enjoyable aspect of my job.  Science is ever changing, and requires constant effort to stay up to date with new procedures, ideas, and operation of newly designed equipment.  It was a constant challenge everyday, but kept me sharp and efficient in conducting experiments resulting in accurate and favorable results.

UTMB (Galveston) is Texas' first medical school. It also has schools for allied health sciences, nursing and for graduate biomedical sciences (GSBS). Overall, the school seems to be very good to excellent in some areas, but more average in most.

The GSBS is treated like a step-child. Basic science faculty are poorly supported when grant money is lost. The programs in microbiology and pathology are much better supported than others. This support has allowed these programs to gain national reputations and increased federal support. Other programs would also clearly benefit from more local financial support, but administration seems not to recognize that local support helps to bring national support.

The school needs more friends in the state legislature. Galveston does not have the political capital held by Houston, Dallas, or San Antonio and it suffers because of it.

The Dean of the School of Medicine dose not seem to have a grasp on how basic science faculty and their activities fit into the overall picture and what they need to function at a high level. Some programs are wildly supported and others ignored.

Classroom building has a higher position on the funding totem pole than research support, which is largely left to the ingenuity and luck of individual faculty members in securing NIH funding.

Departments are required to pay for classroom use.

The first interview I had was very discouraging: the nurse manager asked me "why do you want to leave your job and come at teaching hospital, to a place where it was so fast paced".  She actually discouraged me from taking the job. I went home feeling very sad that day.
However about one week after that interview I was called for a second interview on another unit and that nurse manager was very encouraging. I told her I really wanted to work at UTMB and was willing to work hard. I was so happy that I got the job and I was able to do the UTMB nursing internship which was an amazing program. On the unit I was placed with the best preceptors and after three months I felt so confident with my work. I felt like part of a family. The nurse manager was very caring to all the staff and patients.The nurses were very talented. All the other co-workers including unit staff and nursing assistants assisted each other in such a caring way.
I enjoyed constantly learning new things related to nursing, and working together to benefit the patients that graced our lives.
Sadly, however a few years later I hurt my back through my own fault by offering to take a patient to the ER ( for a stat CT scan) with the transport personnel and when I reached an incline in the ramp on the way to the ER.  I pulled the bed up instead of pushing from behind. After my surgery I was advised by the neurosurgeon not to do any job that require heavy lifting so I had to resign. But I will always remember the wonderful days at such a great institution. Every day I worked at UTMB was a happy day for me!

UTMB is undergoing a transition where it cannot establish whether it is fostering a clinical upheaval or an academic solid ground. Both prospects are weakened by its location - very prone to hurricane damage and too close to a world-class medical center that dilutes patients and talent from arriving across the bridge from Houston to Galveston. As a result, the personnel making up UTMB are those that are forced either by circumstances or by incompetence that work here. Most of the senior positions and administrative staff are eclipsed by such individuals that can focus less on the improvement of the institution than pocket the salaries and enjoy life. Therefore, there is significant delay in every aspect, lack of training, lack of clarity in advancement, extreme anxiety that mars any development whatsoever. Plus the culture also promotes grudges and vengeances that are totally unprofessional and injurious to the development of the institution. Last but not the least, there is a strong need for supporting families and there is not a single daycare, childcare, good school district facility for nearly 50 miles that discourages young people from working here unless they have a significant other working in the medical center in Houston where they have to settle for working at UTMB. But soon, these talented people become disillusioned or simply tired of driving the distance and become unproductive citizens of UTMB.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great benefits.  Education portal with continuous training on relevant topics. Included courses that met the nursing board's CEU requirements; for free.  Caring entity; allowed one to donate sick time to chronically ill coworkers out for an extended period which would deplete their sick time allotment. TRS benefits; retirement.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working with clients from a wide array of backgrounds, many of whom were not properly socialized (my opinion). Clients attempted intimidation, solicitation, foolery and persuasion.  An employee has to have a strong mind, set and enforce boundaries and remain professional at all times. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
All the departments were cordial, respected and cooperative with one another on a daily basis. The entire agency shared the same focus; safety for you and me. Employees were supportive of each other and recognized one for outstanding performance.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy for several hours; a couple hours of downtime to focus on other aspects of duty; and a nice paced workload following the downtime.  Downtime was not for relaxation; it was to go over tasks performed while busy to make certain nothing was missed; or to take advantage of the educational modules available.  Lunch breaks and 15 minute breaks were built in.

I work on the night shift at a federal prison, I have learned that being a nurse at a prison you have to be made of sterner stuff and know how to deal with a lot of manipulative personalites from the inmates. As far a management, I would be able to effectively do my job if the management would stop changing their minds about techniques and procedures from one day to the next. It is as if they can not all agree to disagree on any one particular subject. My co workers are a great group of ladies and gentlemen who try to work together when we are not confused about what our positions intel. The hardest part of my job is being by myself on a 1,600 inmate unit. I at times have to run in different directions and it would be nice if I could have some help, especially since there is supposed to be two nurses on my unit at night. The most enjoyable part of my job is that I do make an impact on the inmates who seek care from our medical unit. I often get requested by inmates for treatment because of my personality. They often say the other nurses are rude and don't care. But when I sit, talk, explain to the inmate what their treatment plans are and give them time to ask questions they seem to appreciate it much more than always being brushed of or told they will need to be rescheduled to discuss concerns with the provider.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 3 salaries reported	$39.33 per hour
Mental health technician 5 salaries reported	$70,234 per year
Postdoctoral fellow 5 salaries reported	$60,687 per year
Physician 5 salaries reported	$64,600 per year
Assistant professor 4 salaries reported	$127,500 per year

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