What's it like to work for Community Hospital of San Bernardino? Find out by viewing our employee videos to understand our culture.
Rick
Blood Bank Supervisor
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
"This is a great place to work. And it's because of the people.
"Why CHW works for me:
We work as a team and we're all working for the patient.
We need everyone. We're all integral.
We feel appreciated; we're treated as professionals.
We work as a team and we're all working for the patient.
Making sure that patients get the right blood product, right when they need it, can be a challenge. Managing people isn't always easy. And complying with all the rules and regulations needed to run a hospital laboratory can be downright tedious.But Rick, a 32-year veteran of Community Hospital of San Bernardino--who wears two hats as Blood Bank Supervisor and Clinical Laboratory Operations Manager--says it's all worthwhile. "This is a great place to work. And it's because of the people. We work as a team, and we're all working for the patients.The team spirit runs strong throughout his department, where most staff members have been on board for at least 10 years, and the greatest cause of employee turnover is retirement. "We're a family. We work together, we go out together. When someone has a problem, we're there for them."
We need everyone. We're all integral.
As a team leader, Rick recognizes the importance of everyone in the clinical lab, where scientists like Rick put patient samples through a variety of assays to find answers that will guide diagnoses and treatments. They determine, for example, whether the patient needs a blood transfusion, has a condition like diabetes or a disease, or has had a heart attack."But to do it, we need everyone. The phlebotomists who draw the blood are integral, because without them, we wouldn't have the specimens. The lab assistants who make up the slides are integral, because it all needs to be done right. And then the scientists are integral because they can help the doctors do their job better. We're all necessary. We're all integral."Though happy in the lab, Rick is most intrigued by his work in the blood bank. "We cross-match samples, and prepare blood and blood products for surgery. People here know me, so they can call and say 'I've got a low-hemoglobin patient, can you get me something now?' Then we all do what we can for the patient."
We feel appreciated; we're treated as professionals.
Like any workplace, there are problems, Rick points out. "I don't want to paint too rosy a picture. We're not always cheerful. But on the whole, I think we're pretty happy. We feel appreciated; we're treated as professionals. We're here for the long term, and we like it."
Darla Pediatric Charge Nurse
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
"It feels like family. We have very low turnover, because we all enjoy working together so much."
Why CHW works for me:
It feels like family.
I know I'm giving the kids top-notch care.
There's more openness now.
Nurses spend a lot of time teaching preventive medicine.
Working as a Family at CHSB
Every working day for the past 11 years, Darla, Pediatric Charge RN at Community Hospital of San Bernardino (CHSB), has traveled 100 miles to get to and from work. She's considered leaving CHSB for a hospital closer to home, but can't bear the thought of it. "I love it here. I just can't leave," she says.
It feels like family.
So what's prompting Darla to brave Southern California's notorious freeway system? The people at CHSB play a big role. "This hospital is very tight," she says, "and in Pediatrics, we're unusual in that we all like each other! We're our own best friends. In fact, it feels like family. We have very low turnover, because we all enjoy working together so much."
I know I'm giving the kids top-notch care.
Also important is Darla's passion for what she does. In addition to offering patient care, Darla has to understand the condition of each patient in the 24-bed unit, and manage payroll, scheduling, and staff supervision. "This is a great place. I get to see kids get better and go home happy. I have a great working relationship with the doctors, and I know when to call them. And I've been doing this for so long, I know I'm giving the kids top-notch care."The satisfaction of providing high quality care makes it difficult for Darla to consider any other specialty. "I know that Catholic Healthcare West lets nurses transfer to other specialties or even to any other facility and maintain their salary and seniority. But I am so confident and comfortable here, and I know what it would take to learn to provide the same level of care in another area. It would be hard to start over again."
There's more openness now.
Darla has noticed a number of positive changes at CHSB since it became a CHW facility about 6 years ago. "There's more openness now. Employees have a hotline to help them deal with on-the-job problems, and we have a sense of greater financial security, with this larger system behind us."The hospital has also stepped up its employee recognition programs. "We always had a Nurses Week, but they've added small incentives. For example, we had a build-it-yourself sundae bar in the cafeteria," Darla explains. She also appreciates the recognition dinner to honor long-time employees and a Nurse of the Month program. "It's nice-the hospital gives the nurse freebies, like tickets to an amusement park, and a $100 gift certificate. It just makes everything more fun."Nurses spend a lot of time teaching preventive medicine. Along with the fun are the challenges. "We're in a very big asthma area, and we see most of these kids for chronic asthma problems. So our biggest challenge is providing parents asthma education so they can keep their kids from coming back with an acute attack. The kids leave with a breathing machine and very strict medication regimes, and most of the kids are too young to manage all this. So nurses really spend a lot of time teaching parents preventive medicine."When she's not at work, Darla is with her family. She figures she spends about 30 hours a week getting her two children to ballet, figure skating, hockey, and Tai Kwon Do lessons. And they like to travel, camp, and have fun together. "We don't have family nearby, so the four of us do everything together."In fact, her kids are the reason she came to CHSB in the first place. "I used to work as an oncology nurse," Darla says, "but as soon as I had my own kids, I had to leave. I had to be in a place where I could see kids get better. Now I can't change, I like it so much. I like to think about retiring from here."
Geraldine
RN, Telemetry
Michael
Engineering
Brent
Emergency Department
Gloria
RN, Medical Imaging
