Pros
This is an ideal job to have if you’re a psych/counseling/social work student. I’ve learned so much there. So much more than I could ever learn in a classroom. Things I didn’t even know existed. I’ve seen every diagnosis in the DSM. I’m miles ahead of my peers at school just by having this job. I love working with (some of) the patients. There’s a lot of opportunities to try different settings (inpatient, outpatient, residential, school, community, etc). My scheduling has always been completely flexible but that may depend on your manager.
Cons
The wages are almost unlivable. I’m still young and a student so it’s ok for me but I look at my adult coworkers and wonder how they even live like this. We used to get paid a $10-$20/hr incentive pay but they took that away without prior notice and reduced it to $3. The company is cheap and constantly looking for ways to cut other people’s jobs and pass their responsibilities onto nurses and MHWs. The work environment is so toxic— there’s so much drama, gossip, cliquiness that it’s like a high school. The upper management throws all these rules and regulations at us but I’ve NEVER seen them step onto the units. The turnover rate is terrible. I’ve only worked there for just over a year but already have seniority over most of my coworkers. They pull a bait and switch on you by hiring you for a certain unit but constantly float you to other units for which you have never been trained. If you’re a MHW but don’t have a degree, there’s no job advancement for you. Worst of all, this job is so dangerous. I’ve seen so many people (both staff and patients) get serious injuries. Concussions, broken backs, detached retinas, DEATH, you name it… not to mention the emotional trauma you get from witnessing these incidents or other disturbing things like having feces thrown at you or being groped. I’ve taken my fair share of abuse but have been lucky enough to not be seriously injured. I’m not sure if this is normal for other psych hospitals or if Sheppard Pratt is just a mess. Some units are more dangerous than others— for example, working with adolescents or the intellectually disabled/autistic is much more risky than working with geriatrics or eating disorders.
