 |
Travel Nursing Hospital
Ranking Results Each
ranking will be averaged and updated on a continual basis. The highest score for
a hospital is 100.
Feel free to rank any
hospital. You are not limited to the ones below.
Travel Nursing Hospital Review of: Lewis Gale
| | Score
(all time) | Score
(within 1 year) | | 1. Friendliness and acceptance of travelers by staff | 3.6 | |
| 2. How open are they to allowing you to expand your skills while traveling? | 2.8 | |
| 3. Hospital Technology | 1.9 | |
| 4. Location (A nice area to live) | 3.6 | |
| 5. Cafeteria food | 2.7 | |
| 6. Parking | 3.2 | |
| 7. Physical layout of hospital effecient | 2.8 | |
| 8. Hospital appeal (looks) | 2.8 | |
| 9. Hospital orientation geared toward travelers? | 2.2 | |
| 10. Simplicity being initiated into the system (Do you have to do lots of unneccessary paperwork, drug testing, criminal background checks, etc. in addition to what the agency requires before you can start working?) | 2.8 | |
| 11. Reputation of the hospital | 2.2 | |
| 12. How nice are the doctors to staff | 3.3 | |
| 13. Friendliness of staffing office | 2.7 | |
| 14. Happy with the work scheduling procedure? | 3 | |
| 15. How efficient is their system so you can get your job done? | 1.8 | |
| 16. Adequacy of their nurse to patient ratio | 1.8 | |
| 17. How well staffed are they | 1.8 | |
| 18. How happy were you with your workload? | 1.9 | |
| 19. Staff morale (overall) | 1.8 | |
| 20. To what extent would you recommend this hospital to other travelers? | 1.8 | |
| Total Score (number or rankings) | 50.5(12) | (0) |
- I worked in the ER department(s) in the hospital. This ER is quite busy. The non-profit hospital across town is frequently on bypass, and this facility will not turn any transfer away no matter how full. I was told in my interview that their typical ratio is 1:6, but I had as many as 10 patients at a time on several occasions there. They were at least usually good about having one or two float nurses so you could have some help and get a lunch break. However, that wasn't always the case for night shift. On one night in particular, the charge nurse in the ER had 9 patients of her own (including 2 ICU holds), and had to also be the triage nurse from 3am-7am. In spite of this, I did end up extending because the staff was some of the nicest I've worked with, and at that time they allowed travelers to set their own schedule; they didn't say "no" to a single request. 09/18/2020
Housing was approximately 3 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was private home. Housing was located in city of Roanoke. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5. I rented a tiny house down the street from the hospital. It was in the Grandin Village area, which is a cute, walkable neighborhood. - I worked in the Emergency Department department(s) in the hospital. This is an unsafe place to travel. The ratio is 1 to 7 sometimes up to eight patients. There isn’t good central monitoring in the department. The operating system Meditech is difficult to learn and chart on. Many of your patients require cardiac monitoring and are placed in the hallway. There were five travelers that left their contract early in the time I was there. It is a painfully slow process to get a bed for patients in this hospital. It is not uncommon for the ER to be at capacity with holds. All of this said, no one there is malicious or Intentionally trying to make it a bad place. It is simply the model of healthcare that many HCA facilities implement. I would not recommend this facility. 03/02/2020
Housing was approximately 5 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Air BnB. Housing was located in city of Roanoke. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 4. NA - I worked in the ED department(s) in the hospital. I worked in the ED, and within a week I was calling the clinical manager for my agency. When you arrive to work, your assignment of 4 beds and 2-3 additional patients opens up and you receive all the patients at once. They do instant bedding, no pre-empting in triage, you must register your own patients into the system which takes up so much time because they use meditech and also leaves rescue and fire crews standing around waiting on you. Most of the monitors don’t work in the rooms, so you’re constantly having to switch out cords. There is no consideration for patient acuity. Management is constantly changing. Once a patient has a bed, transport comes to get them and they disappear without you knowing, only to be replaced by a new pt. I feel sorry for the staff upstairs bc most of the time, I only had time to greet my pt, place an IV, before they were admitted with a bed and swept upstairs. Stay away!!!!!!!!! 12/31/2019
Housing was approximately 15 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Friend. Housing was located in city of Roanoke. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 1. - I worked in the ER department(s) in the hospital. This was the worst possible assignment I could imagine. Unsafe nurse patient ratio, usually 6/7:1 every time I worked. They also were very understaffed so you had no help with anything. The majority of the staff were travelers and they were too very unhappy with this assignment. I think that something needs to be done about this unsafe ER. 10/22/2019
Housing was approximately 5 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Salem motor lofts. Housing was located in city of Salem. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 4. - I worked in the PCU department(s) in the hospital. The floor staff that I worked with were great. The majority of the turn-offs during this assignment were with policies and procedures. For travelers, you have no say in your schedule, other than the time off you request in your contract. The manager fills in your schedule based on when there are open shifts and you don’t get a copy of your schedule until about 2 weeks before the schedule starts. As if that isn’t inconvenient enough, you have to track someone down the get you a copy of your schedule. The primary focus is not patient care here. The focus is on small things like: whiteboards, pleasing patients (not patient care), and trying to do things to save money.
The charting system is Meditech, which is kind of outdated, but is doable.
When getting patients from the ED, the ED never calls report. You have to dig through the chart (if you can find anything useful) and ask your patient questions to figure why they were admitted. Procedure/patient care policies are poorly written, you are flying by the seat of your pants with most things because many things because there is little procedure standardization. I would not recommend working at this hospital as a traveler unless you are very confident in your nursing skills, judgement, and are not afraid to stand up for yourself. 09/16/2018
Housing was approximately 15 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Affordable Homes. Housing was located in city of Roanoke, VA. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 4. Housing was adequate, but someone overpriced for the area. - I worked in the PCU 3w department(s) in the hospital. I was originally hire for cardiac PCU but when I got there they said they didn’t have a spot for me so I floated every day for three weeks. Finally, the medical PCU took me in for my home unit. This unit was probably one of the more difficult units to work on but it’s not that bad. Even if you have a home unit travelers are always first to float. I floated to oncology(the best unit in the hospital in my opinion), med surg, other PCUs, and the ER. All of the units were wonderful and welcoming except the ER and one of the med surg floors(5 east). Some of the nurses take a while to warm up to you(that’s everywhere really) but if you work hard and help out every once in a while, you will be just fine. I almost always had 5 patients on my home unit and six about twice. The CNAs are amazing and work very hard, which was a very pleasent surprise. Most of the MDs are pretty easy going expect for one, she takes a while to get used to but she is a damn good doctor. I never had a problem with management and for the most part will leave you alone. (Except filling out the stupid white boards). The area is very nice and I felt safe at the hospital and in the town. There’s tons of places to go hiking and biking. There’s tons of great places to eat and they seem to have a good amount going on between Roanoke and Salem. 03/12/2018
Housing was approximately 15 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was Airbnb. Housing was located in city of Salem. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 4. I would give it a 4 because it was rather expensive to me for the area($1100)/mo. But other than that it was wonderful. It was very private even though it was attached to the hosts house. She also allowed pets. She also stays booked up and I was lucky to be able to stay in the winter. There are also some unfurnished apartments right across from the hospital that are about $500/mo I’m pretty sure. - I worked in the PCU department(s) in the hospital. Lewis Gale is part of HCA (for profit) system. They use Meditech which is extremely outdated and inefficient. As mentioned by prior reviews, half of their nursing staff consist of travelers. If you work on PCU, they will give you up to 5 patients, MedSurg is 6, Inpatient Rehab is 7 and can float between all of those floors (although will only take up to 5 on those floors). Orientation is done all beforehand which includes about 10-15 hours of Meditech training plus the general competencies (totaling close to 20 hours). Hands on/unit training was only a total of 16 hours. The management micro manages and hyperfocus on things like whiteboards and foley justification meanwhile they seem unfazed by their ridiculously high fall rate. The combination of inefficient computer system with micro managing can be trying at times. The acuity of patients on PCU is basically MedSurg patients wearing a heart monitor. Days off can be good though - a great local food movement, outdoors (hiking, biking, Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail), breweries, greenways, etc - if you're into those things. 08/24/2017
Housing was approximately na mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was na. Housing was located in city of na. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 4. RV - I worked in the MICU department(s) in the hospital. I was contracted to work in MICU but only on paper. I plugged holes in SICU,CCU and everywhere they think you can adapt. I come in and had to look the schedule to find out the place I've been assigned. It's a nightmare but administration does'nt really care. You are at the top of the food chain when it comes to floating. I kept my sanity by hiking,biking during my days off. Nice surrounding area. I say the view of the mountains always spectacular. Lots of nice restaurant too. Overall if you love outdoor activities, this is the place but for work find another hospital.
05/18/2016
Housing was approximately n/a mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was none. Housing was located in city of n/a. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 1. Lots of places you can rent cheaper that accepting the housing offered by my agency. - I worked in the med surg department(s) in the hospital. computer system way behind on times 02/25/2016
Housing was approximately 1 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was cumings corp. Housing was located in city of Salem. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 2. rent is very expensive here compared to the pay - I worked in the PCU department(s) in the hospital. I was hired for the PCU department, which was further divided into medical, cardiac, and surgical areas. My home unit was the cardiac unit, which in my opinion was the best of the 3. The staff was so friendly, and always willing to help me when needed.
The medical wing was a hot mess. It was a 5:1 ratio, but I think it would only be truly safe with 4:1. Lots of trachs, confused patients, and total care patients. I was floated there at least once every 2 weeks. Not everyone was helpful.
When I was floated to med/surg, I cried a little inside. Staffing ratios were not feasible to get all the work done. I get like I was simply running around putting out fires.
Meditech is a nightmare to learn, and takes a while to get used to. By the end of my contract I was ok with charting, but placing orders wa still sometimes a fiasco.
There were also a lot of antiquated practices, some of them not safe. I once saw a nurse pick up IV tubing from the floor and hook it into a patient's IV. Gross. There is no evidence based practice to move the facility forward into better practice.
One thing I did love was learning new skills. Surprisingly, in 3 years of prior nursing, I never had to start IV's, perform EKG's, or drop an NG tube. I mastered all 3 skills with the help of experienced nurses on my home unit.
I never had to use company housing, because I found a wonderful woman to rent from in Roanoke. The cost of living here is very affordable, and the downtown and Grandin areas are quaint and fun. The city is bikeable, and there is rally no traffic. The only thing lacking in Roanoke is a good music scene. Great outdoor recreation, wonderful breweries, and gorgeous mountains are what drew me to the area.
Overall, I'm happy with my time at Lewis Gale and Roanoke. The balance between work/life was pleasing, and the people of the area are so nice. I would rate the hospital at a 6/10, and lifestyle a 7/10. It's peaceful. I think I was very lucky to be placed on the cardiac unit of the PCU 12/29/2015
Housing was approximately 2 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was N/A. Housing was located in city of Roanoke. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5. I lived with a physical therapist in her home, and the room she rented me was perfect. I couldn't be happier with my living situation. - I worked in the Stepdown department(s) in the hospital. The hotel is ran by travelers. 3/4 of step down staff is travel nurses so no one had a clue as to what to do. No one could help you. Management treated you like morons and would not help with the schedule. They use meditech charting which is from the 80's and do not give you any orientation to the charting system. Very dirty hospital. Staff talk and text on their personal cell phones in pt rooms, at the desk, where ever they want. Staff eat and drink at the desk. How JCAHO hasn't shut that place down yet is beyond me. DO NOT work at this hospital. 10/02/2015
The name of the housing complex was Hampton Inn. Housing was located in city of Salem. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 5. This hotel is perfect for travelers. They give you a discount if you tell them your a traveler for the hospital. And they have a tunnel that connects it to the hospital. Great breakfast. Friendly staff. Clean rooms. No bed bugs. - I worked in the PCU department(s) in the hospital. As a traveler here, you are going to be floated to pretty much every floor in the hospital. I spent maybe 25% of my time on my home floor. Many nights there were no nursing aides/tech on the floor while being short nurses. Very unsafe environment. Joint commission was there during my assignment, 10 major violations that needed to be fixed within 30 days. HCA hospital, so of course the horrible charting system Meditech. 06/18/2015
Housing was approximately 5 mile(s) from the hospital. The name of the housing complex was unknown. Housing was located in city of roanoke. On a scale from 1 to 5, I would rate it a 3. none
Return to top of page
|
|
Click here for advertising info
|  |
