World renowned institution but hardly impressive.
Pros
Benefits are awesome! Having MDA a previous employer on your resume usually impresses other employers because of MDA's reputation. MDA employs somewhere around 20k employees! You will be able to network at a magnitude level. I have learned so much from working at MDA. You learn to troubleshoot and use the array of resources the institution has to offer.
Cons
Contrary to popular beliefs, MDA does not pay that well compared to other institutions in the medical center. Of course, this will vary on your position. I left to go to UT and got a $15k raise! The parking is expensive and there are so many buildings. Expect to commute often within the institution. Arrive at least 20 minutes before you have to clock in. I worked for two different departments and went on numerous interviews, growth is difficult in MDA. I finally got promoted to another department and only got a $3000 increase. They also have to meet a quota for interviews, meaning they will interview individuals even if they already have someone in mind to hire. I will admit, customer service at MDA is pretty low because the patients are pretty aggressive and abusive. I have had a pager thrown at me from a patient! I have seen numerous physical altercations between patients! The culture here is "who" you know and not "what" you know. People will get promoted because of their relationships with others. There are many slackers here and it is difficult to get fired from a state institution so expect to do the work of others. Their evaluation system is a joke. Management (that barely interacts with you) will evaluate your yearly performance which affects your merit. Low morale throughout the institution. People usually stay with MDA because of their benefits but other UT institutions have very similar benefits. Their payroll is confusing! You will hardly receive the same check because of the way they calculate their payroll. Also, OT gets paid two weeks behind.