Pros
Many areas and locations to grow your career within Sentara. Being a Level I trauma center allows nurses, especially new grad nurses, to see and learn many skills and see many things that would not take place at a smaller facility.
Cons
Education and career advancement come at a price. Many units are SEVERELY short staffed, nurses caring for 6 or more patients on an intermediate care unit. Charge nurses are minimally supportive, only because they are also carrying a full patient load most of the time. Complaints and concerns tend to fall on deaf ears when it comes to management. Not to mention, several managers have left their positions to return to the bedside because management "was becoming too much" and directors were being shuffled around units they were over due to poor attitudes and ineffective leadership skills. Also, if you're of the mindset "nurses eat their young", then this is the place for you. Everyone turns a blind eye to lateral aggression among nursing staff, which is a huge factor in why nurse retention rates are so low. Also, when you let your CNAs run the show and boss the nurses around, you're bound to not be successful. Turnovers and shorter times for EVERYTHING seem to be the focus here, not actual patient care or satisfaction.
