Pros
Paid training at the facility.
Guaranteed employment as a CNA following the on-site training program and a passing score on the California State CNA certification exam.
Easy to transfer to other Compass Health facilities across the Central Coast.
Yearly raise following a yearly work review.
Set schedule with many opportunities for overtime.
Requests for time off are almost always accepted if the guidelines for a request are met.
Room for promotion to Lead Aide and following that, if one completes the educational prerequisites as well as the certification exam, promotion to LPN or RN.
A bonus at the end of the year. The amount of the bonus is directly proportional to how much the parent company "Compass Health" had to pay for employee injuries.
Cons
At Mission View the staff can be very 'clique' oriented based on shift worked (NOC / PM / AM), Station (One, Two, Three, Four), and by personal friendship (Some aides may be friends outside of work). This clique mentality can make work difficult. Angering one person can lead to angering many. Not 'fitting in' can lead to gossip.
The work as a CNA at Mission View is far more difficult than a normal job. This job will drain a person physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Upper Management is mostly concerned with profits and not with the well being of the patients.
There are no resources for employees who become 'burnt out'. If an employee goes to management with these feelings of burn out they will be directly questioned if 'nursing was/is a good choice for you'.
Patients can be combative, abusive (both verbally and physically), and high strung. While this can be normal for individuals with psychosis or who feel that they have 'lost all control' over life the expected reaction of smiling, taking it in the teeth, and not following up with the physician is not.
Communication between CNAs, Nurses, and Physicians is limited. Physicians do not like to be bothered unless there is an emergency. Many nurses are focused on a daily routine and can react in a negative manner if asked to do anything more than med pass.
There is little to no teamwork between the CNA, nurse, physician, and upper management. Everyone focuses on themselves.
There is no labor union or protection and staff is frequently taken advantage of by management.
If one goes through the CNA program at the facility expect to be paid less than others who were hired independently.