registered nurse

behavior technician

clinical nurse

medical assistant

psychiatric nurse

Valleywise Health

What is the best part of working at the company?
Good overtime and shift differential opportunities. However, take-home pay may be lower than expected after mandatory ASRS retirement deductions and benefit costs. Also verify whether your current healthcare providers are in-network before enrolling in Valleywise health plans.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
One of the most stressful aspects of working as a BHT II Technician on Unit 302 at Valleywise was the workplace culture and lack of support for newer employees. In my experience, certain staff members appeared to work closely together and had significant influence with supervisors and management, which made it difficult for employees to feel heard or fairly treated during conflicts or investigations.

New employees, especially those within their probationary period, may feel vulnerable to disciplinary actions based on allegations they believe are inaccurate or unfair. There were also concerns about uneven workloads, communication issues, and a lack of trust within the team environment.

I personally felt unsupported when attempting to address concerns through management channels. Additionally, I experienced behavior that I perceived as inappropriate and unprofessional in the workplace. Overall, despite the pay, the work environment and stress level did not make the position worthwhile for me. I would strongly encourage prospective employees to carefully read current and former employee reviews before accepting a position.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
In my experience, the work environment was high-stress, politically driven, and lacking in support for frontline staff, especially newer employees. Team dynamics often felt divided, and favoritism appeared to influence how situations were handled by leadership. Communication between staff and management was inconsistent, which made it difficult to feel heard or supported when concerns arose.

The culture on the unit often felt reactive rather than collaborative, with employees sometimes carrying uneven workloads and experiencing low morale. For probationary employees, the environment could feel particularly unstable and intimidating. While some coworkers were helpful and hardworking, the overall atmosphere made it challenging to maintain trust and feel secure in the role long-term.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day/night as a BHT II Technician was fast-paced, physically demanding, and mentally exhausting. The role involved managing patients with serious mental health conditions, responding to behavioral incidents, completing constant documentation, and maintaining safety on the unit. Staffing shortages and uneven workload distribution often meant that some technicians were expected to handle the majority of patient care responsibilities during a shift.

The environment could become unpredictable very quickly, requiring staff to stay alert at all times. Communication between team members and leadership was not always consistent, which sometimes added unnecessary stress to an already challenging job. While the work itself can be meaningful for those passionate about behavioral health, the overall atmosphere often made it difficult to feel supported or valued.

They can rebrand themselves and call themselves whatever they want to but in the end they are still Arizona's safety net hospital, and a safety net is your last resort. That pretty much sums up MIHS. The vast majority of our patients here are poor and underserved, for them MIHS isn't there last resort it's their only option. It goes that way for the staff too. There are 4 types of staff at MIHS 1) The lifers. These people have been here for decades and still have the county attitude. When you think inefficient lazy government employees that is these people. 2) The rookies. These people are inexperienced at their jobs but once they have developed their skills they will move on to a better organization for better pay. 3) "Other peoples problems". These people don't really need to be explained. They got hired by us because some other hospital was about to fire them (if your one of these types of people your gonna love it here) Turn over is a big problem at this place and in some departments its pretty hard to get people to even apply. In these departments it's  pretty close to impossible to be fired no matter how lazy or inept you may be. Then there are the misguided and delusional people. (I'll admit I fit into this one) These are the RN's and Techs and other patient care people who really want to do a good job. They believe that helping the poor and underserved people is the right thing to do. I and the rest of us hope things will change but deep down inside we know they probably won't. It's the hope that change will happen that keeps most of us here. It's either that or we are waiting till we are fully vested for our pension (that takes 10yrs). One of the best and worst things about this place is that they tend to promote from within. All that does is give someone new a chance to regurgitate the same groupthink ideas that upper management already likes. The grass is very rarely  greener anywhere else. If you come here and work in a high stress area like the ICUs, Operating Room or the Emergey Room prepare to be disappointed. Many of your coworkers will be awesome but the management is always looking for the cheapest option (not the best option) and because of that it makes it hard to hire good people. Without good people supporting you you will have to work twice as hard. I am Hopeful that once the new main hospital is built things will change for the better but they probably won't. In my case the hope of change is keeping me here.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Exposure to a clinical setting

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I came into this role motivated to learn, improve, and contribute to the team. The ER environment itself is fast-paced and offers strong opportunities to gain hands-on clinical experience, which I appreciated.

However, one of the biggest challenges I faced was the lack of clear communication and direct feedback. Expectations were not always communicated upfront, and concerns about performance were not addressed directly when they occurred. Instead, issues were mentioned later without clear guidance on how to improve, which made it difficult to grow in the role.

In addition, the overall culture at times felt unprofessional. Rather than addressing concerns directly, there were instances where issues seemed to be discussed indirectly instead of being communicated to the person involved. This kind of environment makes it harder to learn and improve, especially for someone who is actively trying to develop their skills.

In a clinical setting, especially in the ER, development depends heavily on real-time feedback and direct communication. Mistakes should be treated as learning moments, not something that goes unspoken until it becomes a problem. Without that, it becomes hard for employees to understand expectations or build confidence in their skills.

There are strong learning opportunities in this role, but the experience can depend heavily on the level of communication and support within the team. Based on my experience, I would recommend looking at a different hospital if your goal is to learn, grow, and receive consistent feedback.

I was an employee on the 2nd shift for 7 years until they changed our hours to 3- 12 hour work shifts, in which I worked the weekends to continue to go to school and obtain my degree. There was minimal education assistance unfortunately. This is a level 1 trauma facility that also contains a separate pediatric emergency room. Our shifts were ran with minimal staff and expected to maintain an efficient workflow, which with minimal staff conflicted with lunch breaks as well as maintaining an efficient work flow, (thus incurring the wrath of displeased physicians). Management was disconnected from the staff, and chose to run the department with scare tactics creating a low level of moral between coworkers. Being on 2nd shift there was minimal interaction with management therefore allowing the staff to run the department as needed in a teamwork based environment and excelling in offering compassionate and professional patient care. In plain words, the shift I lead was a great team that management frowned upon. We worked with less staff and did more work than the opposite shifts. I enjoyed those that I did work with on the 2nd shift, thus maintaining my employment for 8 years. I loved the trauma and surgery experience, as well as the pediatric exams. Unfortunately management grown a distaste for me thus resulting in our parting of ways. The department has great technologist working within it, but management would never know because they do not interact, except to implement new policies that hinder productivity and hang the employees position over their head to keep the employee, "in-line".

I have been working at Maricopa Behavioral for almost 10 years. It is a great place to work, and if you have worked in behavioral health, you know it can be stressful, but also rewarding. Management has been wonderful, and if you have realistic concerns they are there and will do all they can to assist you.There are some pt's that also have medical issues which you need to do to provide care. A typical day is taking vital signs, getting patients to groups, giving out snacks and talking to your patients and notifying the pt's nurse if you have concerns about a patient. Don't expect to sit and do nothing, as we all work together and have the same job description. Some pt's do get agitated and it is your job to assist with helping them get through whatever is bothering them. If you don't have much experience, your peers are there to assist you in dealing with situations you are not comfortable or familiar with. The hardest part of the job for me is being short staffed, and getting everything done, which is where teamwork is needed and required. The benefits are great, and they do take out for your retirement which you do not have a choice. But there is always extra shifts to offset what the retirement takes out.No place is perfect, but as long as you are willing to work, follow the rules you will find this job rewarding. The most enjoyable part of the job is helping the patients, which is what you are there for. Don't get scared by the negative reviews, as this is a job you can stay in for a long period of time, and collect retirement which at this point I am grateful for.

Tried giving it a chance but gave up after a year. Nepotism and favoritism are a huge problem with the management here. They turn a blind eye to the errors (sometimes grievous one) of certain employees but really target staff they don’t like for seemingly minor issues. This was the lowest paying hospital I’ve worked at and had to do overtime and prn work to cover my bills. If I had a different living situation the ASRS would appeal to me more. However the insurance wasn’t cheap (not that great either) and in addition to the ASRS I always had a minimum of 1000-1100 dollars taken out of each check. It hurt. 

I loved the people I worked with but when I got on managements radar i really felt they went out of their way to make my job more stressful than it already was. 

The population isn’t the easiest one to deal with and is often times very entitled in addition to be being very verbally abusive and at times physically assaultive. 

The hospital is attempting to get rid of all travelers but really do nothing to appeal to the kind of staff they want working at their new building. Just a very oblivious management who believe they offer a great alternative to travel staff. 

I loved the physicians, nurses and techs but as I said the management is not supportive of you unless you find your way into their circle. 

If you’re thinking about working at Valleywise Maryvale, DON'T! Management tends to overcomplicate things, resulting in call-offs or unnecessary disciplinary action. Don't expect the ED manager to attend your NEO like the other higher-ups, as she will send everything via text. There is a significant amount of miscommunication from management, and they are unwilling to acknowledge their mistakes even when they are clearly in the wrong. If you’re the only EDT, you will not receive any support from your peers, and they will keep adding tasks even when you have your hands full. Paycheck-wise, you will NOT receive as much since they take 12 percent to put into your pension, and you cannot opt-out nor change the percentage. Learning opportunities here are limited. Your position here is that of a housekeeping role and mostly cleaning beds. On other days, you’re a sitter, and if you’re the only EDT for the day, no one will come in and ask you if you need a break or take over so you can go to lunch. Working here is not worth the stress; others are actively looking for a new job. Be advised that 3 individuals write emails whenever your work performance isn’t up to their standards. Two in the morning and one at night. I would not recommend signing on for the bonus. 

VWH is not the worst I have worked it is definitely not at the top of my list.  The RN staff on my unit were really helpful and supportive most of the time.  Many of them had been there for years and knew how to work with the population of these patients.  I found there not to be much gossip which was so nice for a change but there are clicks.  If you float to other units they treat the float badly.  They give them the worst load and I mean the worst, which should not be allowed.  Charge nurses are not great and many CNAs are lazy and you already have a heavy load with this population of patients.  The benefits are not great and expensive.  The pay is not good for the amount of work you have to do, and you have to draw ALL your own labs.  Management is not terrible but need some work since they allow many things to go on and don't enforce many policies.  I was very disappointed in the security compared to other hospitals I had worked at.  I found many of them to be cocky and not very helpful.  The cafeteria is expensive and not much to choose from for hot food.  While the company was not the greatest and didn't do much for the employees, many of the employees on my unit made it nice to work there.  The company as a whole needs to do better.  

A great working/career experience for me at MIHS. I worked in several departments which spanned 30 years. A typical day at work would be normally a 12-hr. shift sometimes busy and stressful, other times not so stressful. Every day is different. I learned how to manage stable to unstable patients, remain calm and methodical in a code/emergency situation, how to critically think to manage my patients safely and effectively. I love the diversity in ethnic/cultural backgrounds of the patients and staff.  The environment was a team-approach atmosphere within the department and with ancillary departments as well. Always willing to help each other out for the best interest of the patient.  The hardest part of the job is dealing with families in a situation of severe trauma or death, it can be emotionally draining because you feel their pain and sometimes they take it out on you as the caregiver.  The most enjoyable part of the job is what I can give back to the community in the way of care & compassion for the sick, vulnerable, or underprivileged populations. Also, I learn something new each time I work a shift, that is a bonus!

Significant slant to hire bilingual over experience and quality of experience so once employed by this system for years it is still challenging to move up or to a different position unless you are Spanish bilingual. Some management appear as to be not supportive of their employees and "write-up happy" and it seems HR appeal is futile. I have seen long term, competent people written up and/or let go or just leave. It is my experience that this makes for a harsh, aggressive working environment. Because of some of these issues, some job postings are almost chronically posted open with a "hot job" red flag beside them. Recently, the CEO announced her impending retirement and the Maricopa Board of Supervisors voted her an instant $125,000 for her last year of service boosting her salary to $500,000 from $375,000 while employees have not had a raise for 5 years. And it is next to impossible to change jobs once in the system because it is laden with "it's not what you know but who you know". This is not an easy system to be an employee in. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 231 salaries reported	$43.59 per hour
Behavior technician 164 salaries reported	$22.26 per hour
Clinical nurse 83 salaries reported	$51.82 per hour
Medical assistant 82 salaries reported	$22.69 per hour
Psychiatric nurse 132 salaries reported	$43.09 per hour

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