Pros
On the whole, Sharp HealthCare is considered the top employer in San Diego county. In terms of quality of care, hands-down this is the best you can receive, both as a patient and as an employee. The benefits are second to none, and while the pay is below natl. avg. for IT work, it's competitive for the region. The clinical staff tend towards professionalism, yet remains a very personable group, though it pays to know when not to interrupt them.
Cons
Unfortunately, the IT division within the company suffers from lack of talent and vision. Far too many of the IT staff are trained clinicians or float pool employees whose previous professional exp. includes restocking crash carts in hospitals or bed repair in clinics, or even security. Very few of my peers hold CS degrees,if they hold any degree at all, and with apologies to UofPhoenix alums, that institute is over-represented here. There is occasionally gross nepotism on display, and a general lack of interest in investing in the IT staff, such as certification training. To make matters worse, no real Enterprise Architecture has ever occurred - the AD structure is flat and our superiors flat-out refuse to recognize this as a problem. We rely on outmoded or obsolete methods and tools, and we seem to have a fetish for bucking the industry standards that most every other business depends on - and this fetish is bragged about as if somehow it makes us unique and special. If healthcare wasn't a zero-competition field, this IT department would collapse under the weight of it's own hubris.