Pros
Easy job due to low acuity hospital. Definitely can see someone working here for a long time and not feeling burnt out. Feels more like a trauma level 3 rather than trauma level 2. I can see people working here until they retire. Great people to work alongside, lots of camaraderie. I came to love working alongside these people and made friends in just a month or two. There are staff who stay for decades, so clearly they love it here, but they also started at VHC so they don't know anything different. Lots of neuro experience and diverse patient diagnoses.
Cons
Disorganized unit: the way it's run, the responsibilities of ancillary staff, the unit layout, how to even get supplies that aren't stocked on the unit, I can go on. This hospital and unit is not set up for you to be efficient at your job. There are multiple workarounds and obstacles in your way in order to do your job. However, due to the lower acuity of the patients, it's OK if you're spending more time finding supplies, walking around figuring out where things are, etc. because they're not imminently dying most of the time. But on the (very) rare occasion you have a very sick patient, it's quite the time-consuming task to even gather the supplies you need to take care of your patient. The layout of the unit is not ideal. There are 4 sides, which means your help is limited to 1 maybe 2 RNs on the same side as you. There are also rooms that cannot be visualized from the nurses' station. There are different types of beds, which means bed alarms are all different sounds and some beds are worse for higher fall risk. Not all rooms are the same size, meaning you may be stuck in a much smaller room with vent, IV pole, etc. but not the space for all that equipment, you working, and family members. It is very difficult to find a policy. Most policies are verbally passed on. There are not many policies you can refer to. There are skills that need to be "checked off" (e.g. Mediport access, ultrasound-guided IV insertion, phlebotomy) but have never been completed. There is no official education/teaching/class to complete your check-offs for these extra and necessary skills.
