psychiatrist

clinical evaluator

primary care physician

registered nurse ii

combat medic

Western State Hospital

High End data entry, I was in charge of 286 employee's Paychecks.
Input of over time, sick leave and personal leave accruals and  adjustments as needed per pay period, Prepare fiscal reports, input information of new hires into DSHS Personnel systems. Enroll new hires into the Health Care Authority system and adjust current employee's changes to HCA. Answering a high volume of calls and E-mail's, Faxing, Scanning, and Copying. Maintain and update Filling, Inventory, Mailing and Database Systems.
being a Fiscal Tech 2 was very rewarding in many ways as I learned a great deal about communication, Time utilization, and Customer Service. I had approximately 15 co-workers whom I enjoyed seeing on a daily basis we, as Fiscal Tech's had a very stressful dedication to make sure our employee's payroll and leave compensations were completed accurately and by State deadlines. This at times would put high pressure in the office, but we all knew we would pull through as a team. The hardest part of being a Fiscal Tech at WSH  would have been when a co-worker would call in for time off when it was close to payroll cut-off, this would cause us in the office to come together and make sure the absent person's payroll was completed before the State system locked us out. (Each FT was in charge of 250-300 employee's payroll) 
The most enjoyable part of my job at WSH was the feeling of accomplishment twice a month every month, knowing my employee's  were happy and they knew I would do what ever it took to get the job done accurately and on time every time and they appreciated it.

Western State Hospital in Staunton, Va is a terrible place to work. Please do not let anyone tell you otherwise. It might not be so bad if you are an RN, or even an LPN, but the the nursing assistants get treated like dirt by the supervisors and by the administration. The job of working with psychiatric patients is difficult and dangerous enough, but supervisors, co-workers and administration make it much worse. The gossip among employees, as well as the backstabbing mentality of the employees is horrible. The scheduling of staff is completely inadequate, and as a nursing assistant you will be mandated to work overtime( mostly double shifts) to cover holes in the schedule. The hospital does not care if you have family obligations or not. Patient aggression is often escalated by some RNs, and employees get hurt as a result of this. Employees, especially RNs, are often bullied by their peers. The administration play favorites, and gossip about employees in an inappropriate manner. One Assistant Director of Nursing in particular is especially guilty. These are only a few issues. I could go on and on. I worked there as a nursing assistant for five years and had good evaluations consistently. There is also no chance for promotion.

The orientation was great, lasted 3 weeks and it was really excellent.  That was the best part of my experience there;  But after that, the ward orientation begins and the realities of working in a hostile environment hit you hard.
I was in a non-perm position and was hoping for a year or two, but only got 3 months out of it.  I was given one day's notice my job was ending, which is all the hospital is required to give non-perms.
When my position ended, it came as a relief in many ways.
To sum up my 3 months there, it would go like this:
Too many supervisors telling me what to do, assaulted once by a patient (with only a minor injury), and a medication delivery system that was hard for me to work with,  and a difficult morning med pass all combined to make  a hard job even harder.
There were some very nice people to work with, and some of the patients were also nice, too.  Treatment mall duty was the most enjoyable part of my job because I was off the ward and it was quiet.
I learned that survival in a big bureaucracy facility is difficult and stifling to the way I learn best, which is minimal to no supervision.

I took on a job as a PNA, and after training, I realized how ugly management can treat you if you stand up for yourself. I am a full-time student and mother that was expressed and understood at the interview. I was hired for Q-Status PNA when I signed my contract (meaning that I worked three 12 hour shifts and was not eligible for mandates unless I volunteered). I had a long commute and had specifically budgeted my time for that shift. Other coworkers began to quit because of management resulting in the "change" in PNA contract stating that there are now mandatory, volunteer shifts. When I told management that I could not do the "volunteer" shifts, they began to treat me harshly. I did stay for a couple 16 hour shifts and ended up micro sleeping 8 miles on the way home and when I had brought it up the last time I was "asked" to stay for another 16 hour shift, it was sarcastically brushed off. I live 2 hours away, it was offensive that I was treated that way. After being told to stay home after working a shift sick, I got in trouble for an unscheduled sick leave. I left finally after being guilt-tripped and mentally manipulated by management. I loved my ward and fellow staff but something needs to be done about management. 

A typical day is never knowing where your, actually going to work you get pulled to different wards throughout your shift. then you are to read variouss reports about the different paitents and there behaviors, and what to watch out for. What I have learned is it's not always the patient having a bad day, it's who you work with that shift and who was on shift before you. They are improving on managment right now, but every workplace is a working progress! 
The hardest part of the job, is when you don't have the authority to actually help the patient or give advice that they doctors and nurses actually take into consideration... the enjoyable part is that people "patients" actually recover and take their medications and they work effectively and they move on to another facility to another chapter in their lives. What I have learned is that it pays to have an education, and a good head on your shoulders everyone has a part in taking care of these patients and in hopes of them actually recovering! and living a semi- normal life outside the hospital.

I enjoy working at WSH. I've not worked there long, but I enjoy the patients and the challenge of helping them to be their best. To me, these are people who have been hurt by life more than most other people, and they need help, mentally and emotionally, because of it. I really care about the patients and am thankful that I can be there to help them as I'm able.

Due to Covid-19, training is currently limited. That's the only negative aspect of the job, in my opinion. It can be very challenging working with patients suffering from mental illness, but all jobs have their challenging aspects. One of the things I really like is that results of nursing interventions can sometimes be seen immediately; that makes the job very rewarding. I also like the comraderie that exists among staff, at least on the ward where I work. I can't speak about other wards since I've only worked on my assigned ward.

I would encourage anyone interested in mental health and looking for a job to apply to WSH. They need nurses, RN's and LPN's, as well as CNA's and psychiatric aids.

Western State Hospital is a great place to work despite having an outside reputation of housing dangerous patients. I like to work at WSH because great effort has been made and continues to make in order to reduce violence in the work place. I feel like another or other co-workers have my back that make me feel safe. The salary is satisfactory. Our union fights to gain a fair deal from the state. Workers in the same category get the same salary. WSH forms or recruits educator who trains staff on better care and mainly how to keep the work environment safe by increasing security for both employees and patients. On the wards staff members work together as a team. Management devises strategies to make wards safe for the staff and patients. Staff must be consistent in what is done for the patients. All is not easy especially when a patient becomes violent and must be retrained away from other patients. The most enjoyable part of the job at WSH is when a patient has done well in order to be discharged and integrated in the community. In conclusion, Western State Hospital is a fun place to work.

er PNA....the job itself can be very stressful yet rewarding working with the patients isnt as hard as it May seem ...that is if you can get over the constant mandatory overtime with the scheduler threatening your job everyday if you don't agree to stay and the overbearing RN'S , the staff that have been there for years and years some of them are awesome others will stab you in the back in a heartbeat the upper management plays favorites and cares nothing about their staff, the PNA'S that is, they must not realize without them the entire hospital would go to s*** even more so than what it already has.most of the coordinators for the wards and the Assistant Director of Nursing will lie and do anything to get you in trouble if they don't like you . if they could fix upper management and give raises where they are due this would not be a bad place to work however save yourself DONT DO IT (especially if you have a license as the patients there can make up lies and they believe the patient no matter what unless it's on camera then you lose your license)

I loved working with the patients and most of the floor staff. However, if you ever have an issue with a staff member it does absolutely no good to report the problem. If anything it makes your day to day at work harder. The favoritism is disgusting. If you aren't best friends with the "carpet people", having a relationship with one of them, working 80+ hour weeks, or MALE they treat you like you are nothing. They will ask of you and ask of you and the moment you slip up or can not get something completed in time for them they treat you horribly. They will use you until you have nothing left in your tank then give you a poor evaluation when you finally stand up for yourself and have had enough. I loved working with these patients and I loved my staff. The management needs SERIOUS work. 

Superior in professionalism with an emphasis on quality patient care. My skill in safely administering
medications, monitor vital signs, and performing bedside care is exceptional. I am also a very passionate
advocate for my patients and bring a warm comforting approach to patients and their loved ones. I have
helped create a positive environment that lifts patients' spirits, even in challenging circumstances.
  My communication and documentation skills are efficient. I understand the importance of being clear and
thorough in providing pertinent information. I am an excellent listener and follow directions, even under  pressure. I've collaborated well with a variety of other medical professionals to achieve our joint goal of
improving the quality of patients' lives.
  I am an energetic, detail oriented person who has strong patient are skills, and an exceptional service
record, and the ability to work well with others. I have held various levels of responsibility in numerous
settings with success in each endeavor.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Psychiatrist 18 salaries reported	$236,156 per year
Clinical evaluator 38 salaries reported	$101,095 per year
Primary care physician 44 salaries reported	$203,251 per year
Registered nurse ii 34 salaries reported	$77,327 per year
Combat medic 23 salaries reported	$50,693 per year

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