[JenRN]

I just accepted a position with Kaiser San Diego in the NICU. Has anyone heard anything about this unit?

It's my first travel assignment, and I'm from Boston. I'm so nervous!

[2perfect]

Kaiser is a good company very large they can keep you busy for the rest of your life, they are sticklers about your charting it is computerized and you need to be extra careful with word documentation. Kaiser is very very large organization and they had some issues with wrong iv med being given in their sunnyvale, ca hospital early this year, more than once so they've implemented some safe guards with meds. they are good to work for.

[Lavendarj]

i have been talking to american mobile about going to san diego in january.. what are the good hospitals in the area.. jen.. i know what you mean about being nervous.. i am scared to death.. when are you going? we will have to keep in touch.. so we know someone.. my name is jamie.. Lavendarj@aol.com
i have been thinking about kaiser.. but i think they are the ones not paying very much.. i am makine $30/hr now and i don't really want to go 3000miles from home to make less than what i am making here

talk to you later
j

[AmandaWIRN]

I will also be accepting my very first travel assignment to start in January- I'm an ER nurse, and my recruiter has submitted my app. to the ER at Rady Children's in San Diego. Don't know much abour Kaiser, though- I just know that they are a HUGE healthcare system on the West coast. Keep in touch with me- we can compare our SanDiego experiences!

[EazyE]

I am currently on assignment at Kaiser S.D. It is one of the worst places to work. I am an ICU nurse, but travelers are ALWAYS the first to float. People do NOT help you, and you WILL get the worst assignments on the units. I wish that I could have something positive to say, so here goes: at least the law gives you patient to nurse ratios 2:1 in the ICU, and 3-4:1 on the floors. Most of the time they make sure that you get breaks/lunch, etc.

Very inefficient hospital, although we did just implement a new computer system that is promising in the distance. No Pyxxis, still do Narc counts and have med carts. The ancillary services are pitiful at best, i.e. lab, transport, pharmacy, etc. Definitely a difference in patient care, most nurses are not concerned with high quality care, mediocre most times. They do NOT put the patient first and do what is best for them. It was a big change coming from Indiana.

No trauma, no hearts, no invasive cardio. Mostly geriatrics and chronic illness. Coming from a level II trauma and a Primary Stroke Center...things are very different. It may take all day to get your blood T & C'd, and given; all day to get meds from pharmacy and they will argue with you about emergency drips (if you can't mix them yourself). I really could go on and on, but I think I've made my point. There's a reason why they pay the highest of all the area hospitals. Two thumbs down. If I didn't like S.D. I would likely break my contract and go elsewhere.

[Sylvia321]

EazyE is correct about most CA kaisers. The States Dept of Managed Healthcare has kaiser under a state-wide investigation, of the many infractions, substandard care is one. Kaiser lost the kidney transplantation with medicare et al earlier this year. They apparently let people die needlessly. You can do a google search on kaiser and come up with horror stories. The 2 kaiser's is Sacramento, in Oakland are the ones I know to be horrible. I filed a 30 page typed complaint against the 2 in Sacramento, with many governmental entities. I wouldn't put an animal in one. ER Physician's in southern CA have/are sueing kaiser, not sure of the particulars on that, but I vaguely remember that thier reason was for patient advocacy.

In the LA area, Be wary of King/Drew, another facility to do a google on. Also in an extremely unsafe area.

You'd have to pay me huge $$ to work at a Kaiser, I used to think HCAs were the worst, kaiser has them beat.

[joan w]

If it has Kaiser in the name, that means don't go anywhere near it. Have worked in two in CA and won't ever go back! Saw one DR tell a patient she needed to get up and go home because there were patients waiting in the ER for beds. This woman cried because she just found out she was diabetic and was suppose to have teaching the next day....but she went. He did two patients like that. Kaiser has it's own insurance so if you have it, they run every test in the world. If you get in by mistake, they bust behind trying to get them out of there. Not a good place.

[AmandaWIRN]

I am currently on assignment in the ER at Kaiser in San Diego, and so far, it's not too bad- the staff has been friendly to me, and the patient load is pretty easy. They DO have pyxis (unlike what previous posters have said), and are currently in the middle of implementing a new computer charting system.

[alf1210]

Sorry I can't speak for the Kaiser in San Diego but I just finished my first assignment at the Kaiser in Los Angeles and it was great! The people were very nice and I was only floated twice during my whole assignment. I'm taking a new assignment at Sharp in San Diego next week. I'm also from the east coast and very nervous but excited about going!! I only know a few people in the area and have never even been to San Diego before! I heard it was a great place to be though so we'll see!!