registered nurse

registered practical nurse

social worker

personal care assistant

psychologist

Royal-Ottawa-Mental-Health-Centre

1. Management?

Unit Manager(s) & Supervisor(s):
Have terrible interpersonal/communication or complaint resolution skills and couldn't care a less addressing and/or following up of legitimate, serious employee concerns, issues or complaints.

2. Workplace culture?

Staff pettiness, endless gossiping, false allegations, frivolous/childish complaining to management and the unbelievable histrionic behaviors of RN's, RPN's, unit managers and supervisors with known patterns, history and behavior.

3. The hardest part of the job?

THE STAFF YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH AND WORRY ABOUT!!! ... Your constantly stressed having to keep your guard up and walking on egg shells, constantly trying to avoid conflict, bullying, harassment from troublemakers eg; float RN's/RPN's, clicks and of course the infamous narcissistic, incompetent MICRO-MANAGERS with known patterns, history and behavior who have little to no experience or knowledge of patients daily routines or of unit functioning and dynamics. 

4. The most enjoyable part of the job?

Working along with dedicated, competent, MATURE and EXPERIENCED STAFF was an absolute joy and stress-free privilege (rare) and especially working with patients that are moving forward along their journey with their plan of care in achieving the same goals and positive outcomes as you would for them.

I worked with mental health patients so the company gave seminars on safety often to help avoid incidences as much as possible.  There were a lot of safety measures in place such as wearing a device that, if you pressed it when in trouble, an immediate alarm would sound at switchboard and an announcement over the intercom would tell everyone where to respond so lots of people came running to your aid.  We also got CPR training, back safety, crash cart knowledge etc.  I worked on the Substance Use floor so it was rewarding to see people go through being sober for 1 week, 1 month, 1 year etc. and returning to give me a hug and thank me for helping them.  I had trouble with one co-worker only as she wanted to be the boss on every shift and when I asked her why, she didn't really have an answer so management got involved and she flew off the handle and refused to work with me.

A typical day at work involved multiple perimeter patrols of both the inside and outside of the facility. Whenever a code was called security was to be one of the first on scene. I learned quickly to prioritize and work as efficiently as possible. The management team worked really effectively with the security team to make sure the facility was secure at all times. My co-workers were great and very easy to get along with. The hardest part of my job was knowing that at any second you could be thrown into a volatile situation. The most enjoyable part was helping people.

The hospital has high demands on allied health to carry high case load, see as many clients as possible each day with little time for administration, professional development, and to close files up before client is able to be discharged to community based services (outpatient programs).  Management and upper echelons are very disconnected from the realities affecting allied health, management objectives are not congruent with realities of needs of clients.  Allied health colleagues are very dedicated to well being of clients.

Volunteering at the Royal Ottawa Hospital is vital to the functioning of the hospital and we are treated as such.

I deliver medications from the Pharmacy to nine units throughout the facility including locked security wings. This frees-up time for the nurses as they need not run to and from the Pharmacy and can direct their time to other important tasks.

I also work with Elections Canada to register clients to vote in Provincial and Federal Elections .

Enriching work. The Team is comprised of Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Registered Nurses, Registered Practical NurseSocial Workers, Child Youth Counselors, and Recreational Therapists. 
Acuity changes rapidly and escalates spontaneously.  Care planning and discharge planning are ever adapting to patient needs. Support to family and CAS workers is vital. Groups, activities, 1:1 counseling, active listening, and encouraging youth to utilized learned coping skills encompass the routine on the unit.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Salary was good. Some people are friendly, while others are not. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Demanding & stressful work most of the time.  Difficult patients and doctors that are not accommodating.
Not appreciated or acknowledged by higher up. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Need total focus and ability to complete tasks before the end of the day. Lots of distractions from patients and staff.

This position entailed dealing with various stakeholdes on a daily basis which was the most enjoyable part of the job. I learned that sometimes organizing a meeting to make sure everybody is at the same place and has the same understandings on issues can cut down on future meetings. Periodically management allowed a bit a flexibility with regards to making decisions which was an attractive aspect of the job.

-Always alert/ observing environment and patients 
-Supporting patients with mental health issues
-Co-workers work amazing individually and as a team
-The hardest part about my job is watching individuals suffer with mental health, and sometimes not being able to help or change their current situation.
-The most enjoyable part about my job is learning and growing with the patients, and watching them reach their goals.

Most frontline staff do genuinely care about delivering competent, accessible and respectful patient care but there’s definitely still a lot of old school management (ie staff bullying/intimidation that is often difficult to articulate and report).  Ironically, the Royal offers extremely poor mental health support for staff.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered nurse 84 salaries reported	$48.43 per hour
Registered practical nurse 50 salaries reported	$36.51 per hour
Social worker 31 salaries reported	$51.29 per hour
Personal care assistant 10 salaries reported	$32.86 per hour
Psychologist 20 salaries reported	$70.63 per hour

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