registered nurse

licensed practical nurse

behavioral health professional

licensed professional counselor

licensed clinical social worker

VitalCore Health Strategies

As a former employee with several years of experience at Vital Core Health Strategies, I feel it’s important to speak honestly about the challenges I witnessed within the organization, particularly in the mental health and correctional settings.

Unfortunately, one of the most pressing concerns is the lack of adequate training. New clinicians are often thrown into high-stakes environments like jails and specialized programs with little to no guidance. There is minimal orientation, and the expectations are unclear from day one. You're expected to figure things out on your own, which not only creates stress for staff but compromises care for vulnerable populations.

The counselor-to-client ratio is overwhelming and unsustainable. Many clinicians are responsible for caseloads that are far beyond what is clinically appropriate, leaving little time for meaningful therapeutic intervention. This directly affects the quality of care, especially in group settings, where many staff members are unsure how to structure or facilitate therapeutic groups effectively due to the absence of training or support.

What’s most disheartening is the culture of favoritism and silence. Unless you're a "yes person," your contributions often go unnoticed. Opportunities for growth and leadership are rarely based on merit or clinical excellence, but rather on compliance with administration, even when systemic issues are harming clients and staff alike.

Vital Core has the potential to make a real impact, especially in underserved correctional systems, but they need to start by investing in their clinicians, reducing caseloads, improving onboarding, and fostering a culture that rewards integrity and competence, not just compliance.

THEY NEED PEOPLE WHO CARE SO THEY CAN HELP AND TRAIN THE EMPLOYEES SO THEY EMPLOYEES CAN BETTER HELP THE INMATES!

This company will make big promises but will unfortunately not deliver. They will tell you their turnover is next to nothing they will tell you what you want to hear from the beginning. If you don’t ask the right questions up front, they won’t tell you until you’re stuck working for them. They don’t care if employees have time with their families, the rate sick and vacation hours are accrued is 0 for 90 days and then very low so that when they come at you with the policy of always being required to have 40 hour weeks one way or another, you will have to kill yourself to make up hours before and after you have any time away from work. Policies evolve to benefit the company and are not produced when repeatedly requested, Verbal agreements are made that are not honored, employees are told to practice without raising concerns and when employees feel ethically obligated to raise them they face retaliation from management. No one governs what is ethically right, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing, the company is all about maintaining their contracts and customer satisfaction while its employees practicing to their moral comfort and their job satisfaction are not a priority. They will also require overtime from the employees that can’t afford to quit with evolving policies or requiring certain presence per shift when the employees who can are so mistreated they walk away. The only good thing I can say is their hourly wage is competitive and the vision they front is great. Benefits are a fight to get and while they will tell you they are competitive you will know they are not if you do any sort of research. If you are going to work for this company get EVERYTHING in writing and join a union to protect your rights. 

This company comes in as a potential contract being all sweet and supportive and communicative. But they had an  altered agenda that was not made aware for the staff and company site. There were lots of promises and none of them were carried through, Weather at a management level or the staff floor nurse level. As soon as they transition taking over our nursing department, they had pushed many people out and threaten them with their jobs if they didn’t comply to their personal interest. They like to discipline in front of many multiple different people to create humiliation. The upper management does not take responsibility for their actions or disrespect that they may cause to others, but as soon as they get disrespect or pushback, they are the first to threaten you with your job. They want people who say yes when they command. and they will go to any extent to cause your life a living H-E-LLwhile you’re at the job. Such as threaten your job, take the keys to your office and take over your desk and computer station, take away your ADA accommodations and request paperwork based on your disability, even though it is none of their business and that is all due through HR services. Even reaching out to their HR based on specific events that are unacceptable, HR is very slow to respond taking over weeks creating a prolonged issue in the workplace.  Hostile  work environment, not due to the nature of the job due to the management at hand. The only good thing is the compensation per base hour. But not everyone gets paid for holidays only a select few. They are not open and willing to communicate about ways to improve functionality. And they have no regards to the nursing care act in the guidelines for Florida nursing. 

Working with VitalCore as a traveling Licensed Mental Health Counselor has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I had the opportunity to support and work directly with youth, which was not only meaningful but also a lot of fun. Each day brought new challenges and learning opportunities, and I truly grew both personally and professionally during my time in this role.

One of the highlights of this position was the chance to connect with young people and help them navigate difficult emotions and experiences. I enjoyed building rapport, engaging in therapeutic interventions, and seeing positive changes develop over time. The work was impactful and reaffirmed my passion for mental health and working with youth populations.

In addition to the clinical side, the travel component made the role even more exciting. I was able to adapt to new environments quickly, collaborate with different teams, and learn from a variety of professionals along the way. The supportive environment at VitalCore helped me thrive and encouraged continuous learning.

Overall, I truly enjoyed my time in this role. It was a fun and enriching experience that allowed me to grow as a clinician, expand my skills, and make a difference in the lives of the youth I served. I would recommend VitalCore to other professionals who are passionate about youth mental health and looking for a dynamic and fulfilling opportunity.

 Work environment is toxic and hostile especially towards new employees.  There is High liability for providers.  You will need a malpractice and neglect attorney on speed dial.  Patients are being given wrong doses of medications which staff minimize and try to cover for each other if you are not on their good side.  Backlog of patients is high so you will be expected to catch up with little support from administration and  peers. There is poor communication from management. Poorly run  clinics with little staff and support.  Some staff like to gossip,  undermine, and back stab co-workers. Training is unorganized, brief, and vague. EMR is redundant and makes charting difficult and longer to complete. Ordering lab and receiving results  is complicated delaying care for patient being treated under your license.  You are not told during interview that you are expected to be on call with no pay for a week at a time including weekends. Jail facility staff is short staffed due to high turnover in all departments including the correctional officers.  You may be ordered to testify in court with no response or advice from corporate attorneys. It is worst facility I have ever worked as a provider.  Pay is okay but not worth potential torts and liabilities. Inmates are running the jail not the staff. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Leaving, was decent starting out. The staff turnover is the worst I’ve seen in my 46 years. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Never knowing if you were going to have enough staff. How many jobs on top of your own were you going to be expected to do. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Toxic. Staff I worked with were great. Management if you can keep track of who’s on first etc. cutting the number of nurses on a shift. This is a JAIL and it’s now supposed to run with 2 nurses. Lots of bad stuff happens with inmates. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Report, count all the sharps. Go to pharmacy and count narcs. Crush special meds. ( Suboxone) 
Have COs pull inmates. Pour meds in their mouths. Be sure they aren’t hiding them. Check and make them swish and swallow water. 
Do pregnancy tests and drug screens  on new inmates. They come all day. Check the inmates in clinic area. Start charting. Answer phones, obtain and fax  information requests. Run to code blues code whites ( attempted hanging drug overdoses. You name it. Do wound care blood sugar checks give insulin   It goes on all day. 400 or so inmates. Oh detox screening. Sometimes there is a detox nurse. Goes on and on all 13 hrs.

VitalCore Health Strategies is a place for people that want to make a difference and improve the lives of others. Over time, as I began to learn about the correctional healthcare industry, I learned that VitalCore really does stand out due to the company's commitment to patients and service to others--especially those who have spent much of their lives underserved or lacking access to treatment. 

The culture at VitalCore is very positive. Talking with any team member, whether they are a nurse on site or working in an administrative capacity at corporate, you will find they have a real commitment to expanding healthcare access and improving lives. While there is a lot of work to keep you busy, there are also many rewards and recognitions. 

Many of my friends in other companies describe a starkly impersonal corporate environment that leaves them feeling unfulfilled. In contrast, VitalCore fosters a strong, inclusive team culture and emphasizes interpersonal relationships, creating a true sense of family. As an employee, you can rely on VitalCore for support and encouragement, and your hard work will be recognized and rewarded. 

The pay is reasonable, though there are no opportunities for raises, and overtime bonuses are minimal. Annual bonuses are inconsistently awarded, as company policy allows management discretion. Opportunities for advancement are limited, and career growth appears to depend more on relationships with upper management than on performance or tenure.
Scheduling flexibility is minimal, and the holiday policy can be challenging—employees are not allowed to give away holiday shifts to PRN staff and may only trade with other full-time employees. The work environment can feel stressful at times due to frequent oversight and limited trust between staff and management.
Work-life balance is not well supported, as management tends to prioritize shift coverage over employee well-being. Regional and upper management provide little visible support to frontline staff, focusing primarily on administrative or managerial concerns. Although the organization promotes a family-oriented culture, employee experiences may vary, and personal circumstances are not always treated with sensitivity.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The pay and some of the staff make the job worth while at times. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Lack of reliable leadership, inconsistent staffing, micromanagement and passive aggressive communication from the higher ups. Interim leaders do not take into consideration reliable staff. They’re hiring tactics scream desperation causing constant turn over because there is no proper training and new individuals can’t handle the stress and workload since they aren’t informed during the interview nor do they come in to shadow or get a feel for the facility. Nurses aren’t trusted to be nurses and use their critical thinking skills with management pushing the use of care guidelines instead of knowledge and skills. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work culture is shady and questionable at times. There is no room for growth and the higher ups are very dismissive and disrespectful. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Short staffed, overwhelming, and stressful at times some days aren’t as bad but they had became rare.

I love how this companies truly cares about their people, patients and clients. I've seen some negative reviews, but I do think those are either fake or done during transition as when we come into a new facility there is plenty of propaganda from the leaving company trying to take medical staff with them. They would prefer to leave the client and patients with no service people then to let employees discover what a great company VitalCore is. I travel to a lot of facilities and have always come into a positive work environment and my management staff treat me with the most respect and gratitude I almost feel like they are working for me rather than I for them. In my life I have held many high-level roles but never ever worked for a company like this and I will stay here till my career is over which I hope is some time away. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 426 salaries reported	$42.78 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 324 salaries reported	$33.88 per hour
Behavioral health professional 90 salaries reported	$38.17 per hour
Licensed professional counselor 10 salaries reported	$38.60 per hour
Licensed clinical social worker 117 salaries reported	$39.88 per hour

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